Working holiday visa [fr]
France and Hong Kong sign a Working Holiday Agreement.
On the occasion of his visit to Hong Kong, Mr. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs of France signed on the 6th of May 2013 with Mr. Matthew Cheung, Secretary for Labour and Welfare of the Hong Kong SAR Government, an Agreement to mark the establishment of a bilateral working holiday scheme to benefit young people from both sides, from 1st July onwards.
Under this agreement, young people, aged between 18 and 30, from Hong Kong and from France, will be allowed to spend up to one year respectively in France and in Hong Kong, with the possibility to take up employment to finance their stay.
This agreement is a major step to promote youth exchanges between France and Hong Kong. Bilateral relations between France and Hong Kong are first and foremost made of strong human relations. Already, around 15 000 French people are currently living in Hong Kong. 300 French students chose to study in Hong Kong every year, accounting for the largest European student population in Hong Kong. To support those exchanges, around 120 scholarships are offered to Hong Kong students every year. Conversely, 450 Hong Kong students chose to study in France each year, which makes France the second destination for Hong Kong students in Europe after the UK. France also welcomes more than 200 000 tourists from Hong Kong every year.
As France and Hong Kong are major trade partners, but also enjoy very strong and dynamic relations in the fields of culture, education and research, the working holiday programme will help further enhance mutual knowledge and friendship between French and Hong Kong younger generations.
The Hong Kong Immigration Department or Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau will issue a working holiday visa to a successful applicant from France or Hong Kong respectively who meets the following eligibility criteria, among others:
The applicant must be a French citizen holding a valid French passport, or an ordinary resident of Hong Kong possessing a valid Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport or British National (Overseas) passport, who is aged between 18 and 30 and intends primarily to holiday in France or Hong Kong for a specified period of not more than one year;
The applicant must not be accompanied by dependent family members;
The applicant must possess a departure ticket or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket, and sufficient funds for his or her maintenance during the period of initial stay in France or Hong Kong; and
The applicant must hold insurance for medical and health care for the duration of stay.
Arnaud Barthelèmy has been interviewed by the Hong Kong Television station TVB (Television Broadcasts Limited). Here is the full video.
Details on visa application procedures for Hong Kong applicants can be found on the webpage on visas of the website of the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau. French applicants can find the necessary information from the Hong Kong Immigration Department’s website.