Working Holiday Visa

A Working Holiday Visa is a great opportunity for those aged 18 – 30 to enjoy a one year stay in Australia with limited working rights for the duration.

There are a number of countries that the Australian Immigration Department has a reciprocal working agreement with, those that hold valid passports in these countries can reside in Australia for a period of up to 12 months, you may also be eligible to obtain a further 12  month visa if you undertake 3 months of specified regional work.

To qualify for a working holiday visa, you must fulfill the following criteria as set out by the Australian Immigration Department:

• You must be aged 18 and under 30 years of age
• You must be outside Australian when applying
• You must hold a valid passport from one of the reciprocal working holiday countries with at least 6 months left on your passport
• Meet minimum standards of health
• Be of good character
• You should have sufficient funds in your account to support you whilst travelling, $5000 is deemed acceptable, however this can vary depending on your length of stay
• You will also need to hold a return ticket home

Be mindful when you are booking your flights to Australia that the application for a Working Holiday Visa can take some weeks to process, depending on your circumstances.

To apply for this visa, you must hold a valid passport from a country involved in the Working Holiday Program with Australia. Eligible countries are:

Second Working Holiday Visa

To apply for a second Working Holiday (Temporary) visa (subclass 417), you must:

• have complied with all the conditions on your first Working Holiday visa
• have not previously held more than one Working Holiday visa
• have completed three months of specified work in regional Australia while on your first Working Holiday visa.

If you are already in Australia, and wish to remain onshore, you should apply for a second Working Holiday visa before your first Working Holiday visa expires.

Note. If you do not hold a passport from one of the above countries you may be eligible are to apply for the Work and Holiday visa, if you hold an appropriate passport and meet the relevant Educational, English and other criteria that applies to this program.

You can apply for a Work & Holiday Visa, if you hold a passport from:

You might be able to get this visa if you:

• are at least 18 but have not turned 31 years of age at the time you lodge your application
• will not be with a dependent child while you are in Australia
• have enough money to support yourself on a working holiday (about AUD 5000)
• have enough money to buy a return or onward travel ticket at the end of your stay
• have not previously entered Australia on a Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) or a Working Holiday visa (subclass 417)
• meet the educational requirements
• have functional English
• have a letter of support from your government (except applicants from the USA and the People’s Republic of China)
• meet character and health requirements
• are a genuine visitor.

Education

Depending on the passport you hold, the education requirements could be slightly different.

If you are from Argentina, Bangladesh, the People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Turkey, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain or Uruguay, you must hold a tertiary qualification or have satisfactorily completed at least two years of undergraduate university study.

If you are from Chile, you must hold a tertiary qualification or have satisfactorily completed or have been approved to do a third year of undergraduate university study.

If you are from Thailand, you must hold a diploma or degree qualification from the specified list of eligible qualifications

When you visit Australia on a working holiday visa you have the right to work and study. However, you are only eligible to work for a maximum period of 6 months for any one employer (unless you obtain approval to extend).

You can carry out 4 months or study or training while on your working holiday visa.

If you carry out at least 3 months of specified work, you can apply for a second working holiday visa and extend working holiday in Australia for an additional 12-month period.

On a working holiday visa, you are eligible to travel freely throughout Australia, and leave and return any number of times for the duration of your visa.

Unlike most work visas, you are not able to bring family members on the working holiday visa, the visa is limited to the individual applying for it.

Once your working holiday visa has expired you must leave the country, unless you have performed 3 months of seasonal work and have already been approved for a 12-month extension or if you have discussed other options with a G&Associates Agent.

Some working holiday visa holders who have worked may find their employers want to extend their term of employment, this is where they could look at transferring the employee onto 457 visa and sponsoring them to stay in the country.

Call G&Associates today and speak with one of our qualified migration agents and find out your eligibility and suitability to migrate to Australia.  We assess each and every person on their individual circumstances, and give you the best possible advice based on the most up to date Australian Immigration legislation we have available to us.

G&Associates is an international migration company; our Australian offices are Point Cook based.

No matter what your circumstances we can assess your eligibility for migration to Australia whether it be for a temporary or permanent stay. If you would like expert and affordable advice tailored to your individual circumstances, simply complete a No obligation Free Visa Assessment. One of our experienced, registered migration agents will be in touch with you to advise you of your options. Alternatively come to our Gold Coast or International based offices for a confidential chat.