Welcome
FAQ Work & Travel with the Youth Mobility Agreement
FAQ
No. German language skills are not required if you apply for a YMA visa. However, we strongly suggest that you learn a little German before you go or take a German class after your arrival as this may help you to get settled. Your chances to find a job are also higher if you speak the language. As with any foreign language, you will soon get more confident due to hands-on experience and everyday practise.
The regular visa fee will be charged. If you are applying by mail you have to apply for the extension of your visa at the local aliens authority where an additional fee of 115.00 € will be charged. You also need to be able to support yourself after your arrival in Germany. There is no government funding for your means of subsistence. Several individual agencies offer orientation classes and help you to organise your stay for a reasonable program fee.
The YMA visa gives you the right to participate in German language classes at a language school. However, if you want to enroll into a German university, you must apply for a study permit.
In general you can start working in most jobs during your Youth Mobility stay in Germany. Please note, however, that you cannot work as a freelancer, a self-employed contractor, remotely for your Canadian employer or in a so-called regulated profession. In addition, you are not allowed to work as an Au Pair. If you wish to stay with a family in Germany and work as an Au Pair, you must apply for an Au Pair visa.
If your qualification may need to be recognized before you can start a work placement, please check the following website to see if you are eligible to work in the intended field or if your job requires recognition of your qualification:
https://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/en/index.php
Yes. You may change your employer. The YMA basically gives you the opportunity to study (not for university studies), work and travel in Germany for up to twelve months at your convenience.
Yes, any work-related stay (employment, internships) can be carried out with the same employer for a duration of up to 12months.
Whether you have to pay taxes in Germany or not depends on the type of work you want to do during your stay and the income generated.
Please note that you are subject to social security contributions.
It is advisable to discuss this directly with your future employer.
As a Canadian citizen, you can visit any country in the Schengen area for up to 90 days as a tourist without having to apply for a visa. Low cost airlines and trains link almost every city in Germany to many exciting places all over Europe. Please note that other EU countries may have different visa regulations, and the YMA work permit is only valid for Germany. If you wish to work in a differnt country, you must apply for a work permit in the particular country.
Yes, of course. Your visa will be issued as a so called “Multiple-Entry-Visa” with a validity for your entire stay, if you apply in person before entering Germany.
Please note: Applications by mail will only be issued with a validity of 90 days. Therefore you have to to present yourself at the Alien’s Authority in Germany for the extension and providing your biometrics. If you leave Germany before receiving the extension and providing your biometrics, your YMA stay will automatically end! You will not be able to enter under the same category.
The Canadian German agreement does not allow you to stay longer than twelve months on one youth mobility visa. This means that the first youth mobility as issued for you cannot be extended. However, you now have the possibility to apply for a second youth moblility visa while still in Germany and continue your stay for another twelve months. The application can be submitted with any local aliens authority. Please note that the second application can only be granted in a different cateogory (2a-d) than the first time!
As a Canadian citizen, you could always apply for a regular work permit if you fulfill the requirements.
The youth mobility agreement allows you to participate under two different categories, so you may have the chance to participate twice for up to one year each time.
If you apply by mail, the visa can only be issued for the first 90 days of your stay. As soon as you arrive in Germany, you must contact the aliens authority in the same city that you indicated as your first housing in your application to apply for an extension of your Youth Mobility visa.
Please be advised that you are required to register as a resident (“Anmeldung”) with the municipal authorities if you stay longer than three months in one place. Depending on the place of your residence, you might need to make an appointment at the local city hall, and waiting times might be long. Please plan ahead.
No. You are eligible to apply for the YMA visa when you turn 18.
The Youth Mobility Agreement stipulates that you have to be 35 years or younger when you submit your application to the consulate. So please make sure you apply before your 36th birthday. Please note that you can apply for a visa at the earliest six months prior to your departure and your visa can only be issued three months before the planned travel to Germany at the earliest.
