Seasonal jobs with paid travel: which programmes really cover the journey?

This page in other languages : Français

What paid travel really means

The phrase paid travel covers very different arrangements. Some employers buy the plane ticket outright, others advance it and recover it from wages, and others reimburse it only after part of the season. The real benefit depends entirely on those terms.

Full coverage is found mainly in large foreign farmworker programmes run by governments facing labour shortages. In France and most of Europe, travel remains the worker’s responsibility unless the employer agrees otherwise or a public mobility grant applies.

Programmes that fund the journey

Three national schemes explicitly require employers to fund international travel: the H-2A visa in the United States, the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program in Canada and the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme. Each has its own rules on nationality, duration and deductions.

United States: the H-2A farm visa

An H-2A employer must provide or pay for inbound travel and daily meals to the worksite, or reimburse them once the worker completes half the contract. The employer also pays return travel, free housing and daily transport to the fields.

Canada and Australia: SAWP and PALM

Under Canada’s SAWP, open to Mexican nationals and participating Caribbean countries, the employer pays return travel but may recover part of the fare through payroll deductions, except in British Columbia. Australia’s PALM scheme covers Pacific countries and Timor-Leste.

Who can join these programmes?

These schemes are not open to everyone. SAWP is limited to Mexico and certain Caribbean states, PALM to Pacific nations and Timor-Leste. H-2A depends on a list of eligible countries published each year by the US authorities.

European nationals therefore rarely benefit from funded travel. They can, however, work freely across the EU, EEA and Switzerland, or use a working holiday visa where available, usually without any travel contribution from the employer.

United Kingdom: a seasonal visa without a free ticket

The UK Seasonal Worker visa allows up to six months of horticultural work through a licensed scheme operator and is open to any nationality. Applicants must be at least 18, pay a 340 pound fee and usually hold 1,270 pounds in savings; travel is self-funded.

France: travel rarely paid by employers

No French rule requires an employer to pay a seasonal worker’s journey. Some do so to retain staff, often at the end of the season. Jobseekers registered in France can apply for mobility grants listed by France Travail, subject to distance and income conditions.

Pay, deductions and guarantees

In the United States, H-2A employers must guarantee at least three quarters of the contract hours and pay at least twice a month with a detailed pay statement. In Canada, SAWP workers are employed full time with at least 240 hours guaranteed.

In Australia, PALM employers pay flights and transfers upfront and must bear a 300 dollar contribution themselves; the remainder can be recovered gradually from wages. In France the minimum wage is 12.31 euros gross per hour from 1 June 2026.

Comparison table of programmes with funded travel

The table below compares the main programmes and national rules on travel costs. Durations and amounts come from official sources; precise deduction terms always appear in the individual contract or the applicable bilateral agreement between the countries concerned.

Steps to secure a seasonal job with funded travel

In official programmes, recruitment runs through regulated channels: the labour ministry of the home country, labour sending units or approved employers. The steps below help avoid illegal intermediaries who charge for access to schemes that are meant to be free for workers.

1. Check whether your nationality gives access to H-2A, SAWP, PALM or another programme.
2. Contact the labour ministry or official recruitment service in your country.
3. Prepare passport, medical certificate and police clearance required by the programme.
4. Read the contract carefully: ticket provided, recoverable advance or deferred refund.
5. Get written confirmation of the maximum deductions for travel and housing.
6. Keep tickets, receipts and payslips to support any reimbursement claim.
7. Report any recruiter asking for payment to the programme authorities.

Common mistakes and scams

Offers of free travel to North America, Australia or Europe are among the most widespread recruitment frauds. The signs below should halt any application immediately, however credible the contact person, documents or website may appear.

• Paying application, guaranteed-visa or ticket-booking fees to a private recruiter.
• Mistaking a free ticket for an advance that will be fully deducted from wages.
• Leaving an H-2A job before half the contract without understanding the impact on reimbursement.
• Travelling on a tourist visa on the promise of regularisation after arrival.
• Handing your passport to an employer or intermediary.

Frequently asked questions about seasonal jobs with paid travel

The answers below summarise rules published by the American, Canadian, Australian, British and French authorities. Conditions change every year, so only the signed contract and official government websites are authoritative at the time of application.

Can Europeans join the H-2A programme?

H-2A eligibility depends on a country list set by the US authorities. Even when a nationality is listed, an approved employer must file the petition. European nationals rarely use this agricultural programme in practice.

Is the SAWP plane ticket free?

The employer pays the return fare but may recover part of it through payroll deductions in every province except British Columbia. For Mexican and Caribbean workers, this recovery is capped at half of the established airfare each year.

What happens when a PALM worker leaves early?

The employer may keep travel deductions already made. Leaving early for compelling reasons is treated differently from abandoning a job. Exploitation, mistreatment or breaches of workplace law should be reported to the scheme authorities without delay.

Are there seasonal jobs with paid travel in Europe?

They exist occasionally, mainly in mountain hospitality or on cruise ships, but without any legal obligation. In France, registered jobseekers can request France Travail mobility grants to cover part of travel or accommodation costs.

Is the return journey covered too?

Under H-2A, the employer pays the return trip when the contract is completed. Under SAWP, the employer funds the round trip. Elsewhere, the answer depends on the contract, which should be read carefully, clause by clause, before signing.