What is a Working Holiday Visa?

Are you thinking about a working holiday visa?

For many young people, the prospect of travelling overseas for a working holiday in Australia is an appealing one.

Some popular choices for participants in the Working Holiday Maker programme is harvest work and work in the retail and hospitality industries. Working and volunteering in exchange for meals and accommodation, including on Australian farms, can also be a good way to travel and experience what Australia has to offer. 

If you are considering travelling to Australia to holiday and work short-term, your first step should be to consider what type of visa would best suit you. If you are between the ages of 18 and 30 and hold a valid passport for an eligible country, you may be able to apply for a visa under Australia’s Working Holiday Maker programme.

There are two visas included in the Working Holiday Maker programme, and both will allow the visa holder to work and remain in Australia for up to 12 months. Which visa you apply for will largely depend on your citizenship, however both visas must be applied for before you enter Australia.  This is why you should contact a Sunshine Coast immigration lawyer.

Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417)

In order to be eligible for a Work Holiday Visa, applicants must generally:

• be between the ages of 18 and 30;
• have access to sufficient funds;
• have purchased a travel ticket to depart Australia or have sufficient funds to purchase one;
• be a genuine holiday maker;
• hold a valid passport from an eligible country; and
• not be accompanied by a dependent minor.

For more information – https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417

Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462)

Applicants for a Work and Holiday Visa must satisfy the same requirements as those outlined above for the Working Holiday Visa. However, in addition to these, applicants for a Work and Holiday Visa must generally:

• demonstrate that they have at least a functional level of English;
• provide a letter of support from their government; and
• satisfy educational requirements based on the passport they hold.

Applicants for both the Working Holiday and the Work and Holiday Visa will need to meet certain character requirements and health requirements.

For more information – https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462

After you have been granted a visa

Upon being granted a Holiday Visa or a Work and Holiday Visa, you will be given a twelve month period in which you can arrive in Australia.

If you apply for and are granted either a Working Holiday Visa or a Work and Holiday Visa, you will be able to travel in and out of Australia while the visa is valid, work for up to six months with any one employer and also study in Australia for up to four months.

Extending your stay in Australia

If you wish to remain in Australia beyond the expiry of your first Work Holiday Visa or Work and Holiday Visa, you may be eligible to apply for a second visa of the same kind. This second visa will allow you to remain in Australia for up to 24 months after you first entered Australia on your first Working Holiday Visa or Work and Holiday Visa.

To be able to apply for a second visa, you must apply before your first visa expires and you must fulfil the following requirements:

• Have complied with all of your visa conditions;
• Have not yet turned 31;
• Have not previously held more than one Working Holiday / Work and Holiday Visa; and
• Have completed three months of specified work within Australia.

There are numerous benefits to taking a working holiday in Australia, and it is important to understand the various related work requirements in the event that you wish to apply for a second visa under the Working Holiday Maker Programme.