On 1 January 2017, a “work and holiday” visa agreement between Luxembourg and Australia came into effect.

The agreement was signed by the Luxembourgish and Australian governments on 28 September 2016 in Canberra and came into force at the start of 2017.

The two-way agreement forms part of the work holidays programme, which allows a limited number of young nationals from Luxembourg and Australia, between 18 and 30 years old, to spend one year in the other country. The number of work and holiday visas is limited to 100 per year for each nationality and the visa is valid for 12 months.

The main aim of this exchange programme is to allow young people to holiday in the partner country and discover a new culture. In addition, the young participant can undertake paid work or study in the host country, although they must have sufficient financial resources to live there.

Luxembourgish candidates can apply for this work and holiday visa at the Australian Embassy in Berlin, Germany. For more information, consult www.workandtravel.lu.

The implementation of the bilateral agreement with New Zealand in the framework of the work holidays programme is planned for April 2017.