What is a working holiday visa?

[Mrs.Clayton]

I'm trying to figure out how I can live in the UK legally for a period of time. I have no immediate family from the UK, and would like to get a job while living there. Does anyone have any experience with this? I was looking at the UK Embassy web site and it mentioned a working holiday visa.

If anyone has any advice or can provide help, I would appreciate it.
Thank you.
Mrs.C

Update: Dangit...I didn't read all the words...I'm not from a commonwealth country

 

[Sicy]

B-1? B-2? Those are good for 6 months. But you need to be qualified (to my knowledge) for a job (i.e. hold a degree).

Can you post the website where you got the information?

 

[Mrs.Clayton]

Oh bother, I can't figure out why the link won't post....
If I were from Canada this would be so much easier(moving to the uk, not posting links )

 

[Mrs.Clayton]

http://www.britainusa.com/visas/yesinves.asp

The link doesn't work for me, hopefully it will work for someone else. It's the address I have bookmarked.

 

[Mrs.Clayton]

Ok, new thought....what if I enter the UK, they stamp the passport and 5 months later, I leave the UK, travel around europe and come back 6 weeks later(the temp. visa has now expired)...will they simply stamp the passport again(for another temp. visa)or will they catch on to what I'm doing?
Is this plan "illegal" at all?

 

[~*Buffalo*~]

Ok, new thought....what if I enter the UK, they stamp the passport and 5 months later, I leave the UK, travel around europe and come back 6 weeks later(the temp. visa has now expired)...will they simply stamp the passport again(for another temp. visa)or will they catch on to what I'm doing?
Is this plan "illegal" at all?

Well, strictly you can do that, but British border control is very harsh. If they have even the slightest inkling that you're going to overstay your visa, you're on the next flight home. Especially if you're young and you have any sign of a resume, job description, anything like that in your luggage.

I'm not sure whether this is just for Commonwealth citizens or not, but here in Australia at least there are heaps of job ads for teachers, nurses and social workers in the UK, where they provide a visa for you if you're over 30 and can't get the working holiday visa. So, if you're really keen, you can always become a teacher, nurse or social worker, assuming they welcome US citizens. Come to think of it, I'm not sure they do ... because on all the teaching ads, at least, they have the list of countries their teachers come from ... Australia, NZ, Canada, South Africa. All Commonwealth countries.

 

[Mrs.Clayton]

Hey Buffalo, thanks for the help. Like I said, if I were Canadian it would be so much easier. I've been trying to think if any other european countries would have a longer visa, but I don't think any would go longer than six months.

 

[~*Buffalo*~]

Hey Buffalo, thanks for the help. Like I said, if I were Canadian it would be so much easier. I've been trying to think if any other european countries would have a longer visa, but I don't think any would go longer than six months.

You could always try (the former) Eastern Europe. I'm going to Slovakia myself to teach English ... you could also consider Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia. Of course it depends on what you want to work as (it always helps to speak the language, unless you want to be an English teacher). For these countries you don't need an EU country passport to work or live and they're still close to the rest of Europe - Czech Republic is more Western than much of Austria, for example.

 

[Mrs.Clayton]

Hummmm. I didn't think of that.
Thanks!