Hiring Working Holiday Makers at a Japanese Restaurant

For Japanese restaurants abroad, Japanese nationals travelling on a working holiday are valuable staff who can be hired without the employer going through any visa process. On the other hand, each country has different limits on how long someone can work for the same employer and what work they can do, and hiring without knowing the rules can damage the person's immigration status.

After confirming the partner countries on Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs list, this article uses official government information to set out the work conditions employers need to know in the four main countries with many Japanese restaurants: Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

1. The 32 countries and regions with working holiday agreements with Japan

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of 1 April 2026 Japan has working holiday programmes with 32 countries and regions. In order of introduction, they are Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Sweden, Estonia, the Netherlands, Uruguay, Finland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta and Italy. Malta and Italy joined in 2026.

The age range is generally 18 to 30. However, for Australia, Canada, South Korea and Ireland it is stated as "18 to 25, with applications possible up to 30 where the relevant government authority allows". Annual allocations vary by country: Australia, New Zealand, Germany and some others have no cap, Canada has 6,283, the UK 6,000, South Korea and Taiwan 10,000, and Ireland 800.

Work rules in the Asian partner markets (South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong) are covered in our overview of work permits in five Asian markets.

2. Four main countries compared

3. Australia: the six-month rule and the hospitality exception

The Working Holiday visa (subclass 417 for Japanese nationals) carries visa condition 8547. To work for the same employer for more than 6 months, permission from Home Affairs is generally required. The 6 months are counted in calendar time from the day work starts, and include full-time, part-time, casual and volunteer work. They are not counted in days worked.

However, Home Affairs says that from 1 January 2024, people can work for more than 6 months without permission in the following cases:

• Working for the same employer at different locations, for no more than 6 months at each (another restaurant in the group, an independently run franchise and so on)
• Plant and animal cultivation
• Natural disaster recovery work
• Work in critical sectors. These include tourism and hospitality, with cafés and restaurants named as food service
• Certain industries in northern Australia

The first visa allows a 12-month stay, and 3 months of specified work makes the person eligible to apply for a second Working Holiday visa. When the second visa is granted, the 6-month count resets and they can go back to an employer they worked for on the first visa. If you want to keep employing someone after the working holiday, sponsorship on a 482 visa is an option. For the steps, see sponsoring a Japanese chef on Australia's 482 visa.

4. Canada: an open work permit

The Working Holiday under International Experience Canada (IEC) comes with an open work permit, so the holder can work for almost any employer in Canada. The employer needs neither an LMIA nor the employer compliance fee required in other IEC categories.

• The only category open to Japanese nationals is the Working Holiday
• Age: 18 to 30; stay: up to 12 months
• A medical exam is required for work in health care, child care, education and elder care (restaurant kitchen jobs are not among these)

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that from 1 December 2024, Japanese nationals can take part in Canada's programme twice in their lifetime. Some restaurants use the 12 months to assess whether the person is a good fit, then plan to keep employing them through an LMIA. For details, see the LMIA in practice and using working holiday makers in Canada.

5. New Zealand: no permanent positions

New Zealand's Working Holiday visa for Japanese nationals is for people aged 18 to 30 and lasts up to 12 months. Applicants need at least NZ$4,200 in funds to live on, and the application fee starts from NZ$770.

What matters for employers is the condition that "you cannot take a permanent job on this visa". Temporary work is allowed, but avoid hiring someone into an open-ended, permanent staff position. Study or training is allowed for up to 6 months in total.

6. United Kingdom: up to 2 years, no extension

Japanese nationals can apply for the UK's Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) without a ballot, and the stay lasts up to 24 months. Holders can work in most jobs, with no limit on time with the same employer. Extensions, however, are only for Australian, Canadian and New Zealand nationals, and Japanese nationals can neither extend nor take part again.

In the UK, new sponsorship of chefs (SOC 5434) has effectively been impossible since July 2025, so the route of switching to a work visa after the YMS to keep someone on has also narrowed. UK hiring strategy is covered in detail in finding Japanese chefs in the UK after July 2025.

7. What every employer should keep in mind

1. Check and record immigration status and expiry dates: in the UK, failing to check can lead to a civil penalty of up to £60,000 per worker. In other countries too, checking the right to work is a basic employer responsibility.
2. Apply local employment law in full: being on a working holiday does not change how minimum wage or overtime apply. Australia's Home Affairs also states that working holiday makers are protected by Australian workplace law.
3. Set shifts and contracts to match each country's time limits: Australia's 6-month rule (and whether the exception applies), New Zealand's bar on permanent jobs, and the UK's 2-year limit.
4. Talk early about what happens afterwards: if the person wants to stay long term, looking into work visa options together early on builds trust and helps retention.

For writing job ads aimed at working holiday makers, see how to write a job posting for overseas hires, and for interviews, questions to ask in a chef interview.

This article is general information prepared after checking official information from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and each country's government as of 22 September 2026. It is not legal or immigration advice. Working holiday conditions change at each country's discretion. Before hiring, check the person's visa conditions on the relevant government's website.