Australian Working Holiday Visa

Overview

This visa is for people aged 18 to 30 years of age, who are interested in taking a working holiday in Australia. This visa will allow you to work and travel in Australia for up to one year.

Applicants must have turned 18, but not turned 31, at the time of visa application.

You may apply for this visa if you hold a passport for one of the countries or regions participating with Australia in the Working Holiday Maker Programme.

Eligible countries

Australia has a reciprocal arrangement regarding working holidays with several countries. Listed below are the countries and regions involved in the Working Holiday Maker Programme with Australia. If you hold a passport for one of these countries, you may be eligible to apply for this visa:

Belgium
Canada
Cyprus
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China)
Ireland
Italy
Japan
South Korea
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Sweden
Taiwan
United Kingdom

What does this visa let me do?

If you are granted this visa you can:

Stay up to 12 months
Leave and re-enter Australia any number of times while the visa is valid
Work in Australia for up to 6 months with each employer
Study or train for up to 4 months

Purpose of the Visa

The main purpose of this visa is to allow you to combine a holiday with work and supplement your funds with temporary work in Australia.

Visa validity for first Working Holiday visa

If you are granted your first Working Holiday visa you can:

Travel to Australia at any time in the 12 months from the date the visa is granted
Stay in Australia for 12 months from the date you first enter the country
Leave and re-enter Australia any number of times within the 12 months from the date you first entered the country

Note: Any time spent outside Australia while on your first Working Holiday visa does not extend the length of the visa.

Visa validity for second Working Holiday visa

Any time spent outside Australia while on your second Working Holiday visa does not extend the length of the visa.

Application for 2nd Working Holiday Visa in Australia:

People who have worked as a seasonal worker in regional Australia for a minimum of three months while on their first Working Holiday visa, may be eligible to apply for a second Working Holiday visa.

If you are in Australia on a current first Working Holiday visa, you are eligible to stay for 24 months from the date you entered Australia on your first Working Holiday visa.

If you are in Australia, not on your first Working Holiday visa, you are eligible for a 12 month stay from the date the second Working Holiday visa is granted.

Application for 2nd Working Holiday visa outside Australia:

You must enter Australia within 12 months of the date the second visa is granted

You can stay in Australia for 12 months from the date you enter the country.

Accompanying family

You cannot include family members in your application for this visa. If a family member or partner wants to come with you to Australia, they must apply for their own visa to Australia.

Working

You are permitted to do any kind of work in Australia. However, you can only work with the same employer for up to six months. After six months you need to change employers. The 'employer' is the business for which you are working directly.

You are allowed to work with each employer for up to 6 months and cannot work for longer than 6 months in the same position, in the same location, doing the same work. The 6 month work limitation applies to full-time, part-time, casual or shift work.

You cannot stay in the same job beyond 6 months by using different employment agencies, business affiliates or sub-contracting arrangements.

If you intend to work in your own occupation, you should check if you need to be registered or licensed by contacting the relevant assessing body in Australia.

If your main reason for coming to Australia is to work, you should consider the type of visa intended for work purposes, such as a business visa. As mentioned before, the Working Holiday visa refers to working as a means of supplementing your travelling costs.

Extending the work limitation

In exceptional circumstances, it may be possible to extend the period of work with one employer to longer than six months. An extension may be allowed for a very short period of time and only if there is sufficient justification to grant it.

For example: you are required to finish a specific project or task and you have applied for a sponsored visa with work rights in Australia.

Requests should be submitted in writing to the department and should be accompanied by a letter of support from the employer.

Access to Retirement Savings

You are entitled to access your retirement savings (superannuation) when you leave Australia. The Australian Taxation Office website provides more information on accessing this money.

Studying

You can study or train for a maximum of four months. If you study with one education provider while on your first Working Holiday visa, you can return to the same education provider for a further four months on your second Working Holiday visa.

If you wish to study for a longer period in Australia, you may be able to apply for a student visa.

Extending your stay

You must depart Australia when your visa ends, unless you apply for another type of visa to extend your stay. A first Working Holiday visa cannot be extended beyond the 12 month validity period. However, if you have completed three months seasonal work in regional Australia on your first Working Holiday visa, you may be eligible to apply for a second Working Holiday visa.

There are other visa options for remaining temporarily or permanently in Australia at the end of your working holiday. However, your eligibility depends on your circumstances and intentions.

Note: If you apply for a Tourist visa while in Australia on a Working Holiday visa, it can only be granted in exceptional circumstances, such as being unfit to travel.

Health Insurance

You should have adequate health insurance to cover your stay in Australia.

Private health funds cover you for treatment as a private patient in private or public hospitals and can include some services such as dental and optical services. The costs and types of cover vary widely so if you decide to get private health insurance, it is important to check the details carefully before you take out the policy.

First Working Holiday Visa Eligibility

To be eligible for your first Working Holiday visa, you must meet a number of requirements:

You must be outside Australia when you apply and, when your visa is granted.
You must not have entered Australia on a Working Holiday visa before.
You must be aged between 18 and 30 years (inclusive) at the time of applying.
You must be applying no more than 12 months before you intend to travel to Australia.
You must not have dependent children
You must hold a passport for a country or region participating with Australia in the Working Holiday Maker programme.

Health requirements

All applicants are required to meet health criteria. Depending on your circumstances, you may need to undertake a medical examination which may include a chest x-ray, HIV, Hepatitis B and/or Hepatitis C test.

All required health examinations must be completed before a decision can be made on your visa application.

If you need a medical examination, the cost is not included in the visa application charge (fee) you pay when you lodge your application.

Character requirements

To be granted this visa you must meet character requirements. For example, your application may be delayed or denied if you have a criminal history.

Financial requirements

You must have access to sufficient funds to support yourself for the initial stage of your holiday. There are no strict rules as each case is assessed on its own merits. Generally, AUD$5,000 may be regarded as sufficient, but the amount may vary depending on your length of stay and the extent of your travel. You should also have a return or onward ticket or the funds for a fare to depart Australia.

You may be asked to provide evidence. Evidence may include a certified copy of a bank statement and an air ticket out of Australia.

Extending your stay

To be eligible for a second Working Holiday visa, you must have completed three months seasonal work in regional Australia while on your first Working Holiday visa.

Second Working Holiday Visa Eligibility

To be eligible for a second Working Holiday visa, you must meet a number of requirements:

You must have completed three months of seasonal work in regional Australia while on your first Working Holiday visa.
You must be aged between 18 and 30 years (inclusive) at the time of applying.
If applying from outside Australia, you must be applying no more than 12 months before you intend to travel to Australia.
You must not have any dependant children.
You must hold a passport for a country or region participating in the Working Holiday Maker programme.
You must also meet health, character and financial requirements as required for a first working holiday visa. See above.

Seasonal work

Seasonal work is any type of work that is seasonal in nature or that is undertaken as the employee of a primary producer, including:

Plant and animal cultivation
Cultivating or propagating plants, fungi or their products or part
Immediate processing of plant products
Maintaining animals for the purpose of selling them or their bodily produce, including natural increase
Immediate processing of animal products including shearing, butchery, packing and tanning
Manufacturing dairy produce from raw material
Fishing and pearling
Conducting operations relating directly to taking or catching fish and other aquatic species
Conducting operations relating directly to taking or culturing pearls or pearl shell
Tree farming and felling
Planting or tending trees in a plantation or forest that are intended to be felled
Felling trees in a plantation or forest
Transporting trees or parts of trees that were felled in a plantation or forest to the place where they are first to be milled or processed or from which they are to be transported to the place where they are to be milled or processed.

Note: The work does not need to be paid work. Work undertaken as a volunteer or through the Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) scheme can also count toward the three months of seasonal work.

How to calculate seasonal work

'Three months' means three 'calendar' months. Work can be:

In one block with one employer or
In separate blocks with one employer or a number of employers.

The work must be full time work. The days and hours worked should equal the standard for a full working day or week for that employer, that region and that industry.

Evidence of seasonal work

Acceptable evidence of seasonal work (completed while on your first Working Holiday visa) includes:

Original or certified copies of payslips, group certificates, payment summaries, tax returns or employer references and/or a completed employment verification form.

Important: To be eligible for a second Working Holiday visa, applicants must complete at least three months of seasonal work in one of the regional postcode areas.

Visa Conditions

You must comply with all your visa conditions while in Australia on a Working Holiday visa. In addition to the work and study limitations, a number of additional visa conditions may also be imposed on your first or second Working Holiday visa by a decision officer. A breach of any of these conditions may result in your visa being cancelled and you may have to leave Australia.

Processing time

Most visas are processed and issued within 48 hours, although some may take longer than this for various reasons at the discretion of Australian Immigration.
Note: If additional processing is required such as medical requirements, it may take up to four weeks.

Interview requirements

You will be contacted if you are required to attend an interview at the Australian Embassy closest to you. You may be requested to bring your passport and other supporting documentation to the interview.

Visa Granted

When your visa is granted, we will email you a Notification of Grant letter via your nominated postal or email address. Please keep this letter as it contains:

Your visa grant number
The validity date of your visa
The visa conditions.

Visa Not Granted

If your visa is not granted, we will forward you a notification letter from the department advising you of:

The reasons for the refusal
Our review rights
The time limit for lodging an appeal.

Your rights for a review of the decision differ, depending on whether you lodged your application in or outside Australia.

If you lodged in Australia, the refusal letter advises you of your review rights and the time limit for lodging an appeal. If you lodged outside Australia, you have no right for a review of the decision.

Notifying change of passport details

Your visa (if granted) is linked to the passport number used in your application and you must use the same passport to travel to Australia.

If your passport has expired, been stolen, lost or damaged after your visa is granted and before you arrive in Australia, you must arrange for the issue of a new passport. Once you have received your new passport, you must advise the department of the new details (passport number, issue and expiry dates).

If you fail to advise the department of your new passport prior to your travel, you may be refused or delayed entry until your identity and claims to enter Australia have been checked.

Visa labels

If you are granted an electronic visa, you will not have a visa label placed in your passport as the visa is linked electronically to the passport details provided in your visa application. Note: It is advisable that you keep a copy of your visa grant notification with you when you travel.

You do not need to have a visa label in your passport unless the department places this condition on your visa. You will be advised of this requirement in your visa grant notification letter. However, any Working Holiday visa holder who chooses to, may have a visa label placed in their passport (for example, to show evidence to employers that you have work rights).

To have a visa label inserted in your passport, you have several options:

1. If you arrive at Sydney Airport, you can have your visa label printed before you leave the airport. When your passport is stamped on entry, ask for directions to the Visa Label desk.

2. You can send your passport (with a stamped, self-addressed, registered envelope) by registered mail to:
GPO Box 1496
Hobart, Tasmania, 7001
Australia

3. Once you arrive in Australia, you can go to any departmental office to have your visa label printed.

If you have any further questions about the Australian Working Holiday Visa you may contact us at Go Workabout by emailing info@goworkabout.com