Chile Forum

Working Holiday Visa are for Aussies working in Whistler BC, cheap smiling labour, Aussie ones are now good for 2 years and then the person almost always qualifies to apply for residency in Canada.

A family friend just arrived from Chile on one, normally the kids go to New Zealand, to work and study English for a year.

I arrived in Santiago, Chile hoping to obtain the "Work and Holiday Visa". I am an Australian, under 30. I was met with blank faces. Nobody in the Department of External Affairs, Internal Affairs or the Office of Immigration will know what you are talking about. Even though the reciprocal system for Chileans to go to Australia is widely advertised in all the offices, no one is thinking about the Australians coming here. I eventually found out that this type of visa needs to be obtained in Australia and the process is undesirable. You need to contact the Chilean Embassy in Australia for the requirements, which are lengthly and very different to what is advertised on the Australian Government site.

But there is hope. If you are an Australian and have a specialised skill (how this is defined I am unsure) you can come to Chile with your university certificate or proof of graduation and ask for a temporary residence visa. I recently submitted all the paperwork and anticipate a long wait hearing back from the approvals people, but I can keep you informed as the process progresses. If this option works, it will essentially give me a 'free pass' in Chile for 12 months allowing me to do as I please for this duration. Let's see what happens!

Ahh, 90 day tourist visas with a visit to Mendoza give you as long as you want some people are in the 7-10th year of living in Chile that way. The other easy way is get a job they give you a contract you have a visa.

Kimberley wrote:I arrived in Santiago, Chile hoping to obtain the "Work and Holiday Visa". I am an Australian, under 30. I was met with blank faces. Nobody in the Department of External Affairs, Internal Affairs or the Office of Immigration will know what you are talking about. Even though the reciprocal system for Chileans to go to Australia is widely advertised in all the offices, no one is thinking about the Australians coming here. I eventually found out that this type of visa needs to be obtained in Australia and the process is undesirable. You need to contact the Chilean Embassy in Australia for the requirements, which are lengthly and very different to what is advertised on the Australian Government site.

But there is hope. If you are an Australian and have a specialised skill (how this is defined I am unsure) you can come to Chile with your university certificate or proof of graduation and ask for a temporary residence visa. I recently submitted all the paperwork and anticipate a long wait hearing back from the approvals people, but I can keep you informed as the process progresses. If this option works, it will essentially give me a 'free pass' in Chile for 12 months allowing me to do as I please for this duration. Let's see what happens!

You can not get the workign holiday visa in chile,

you need to get it in aus before you leave from the chilean embassy in aus..... or i guess you could apply back to the embassy in aus while you are here in chile... dont know...

You can get a subject to contract or a professional visa now you are here....

the best idea is a subject to contract, you need a specially written contract from an employeer to get this, it lasts for 2 years,

I am not sure about the subject to contract visa.

But as far as I understand I will receive a temporary residence visa that allows me to work or study with no restrictions for 12 months. I have already submitted all the documents, now I just wait for it to arrive!