WORKING HOLIDAY VISA

To make things easier, we have come up with a list of the basic criteria needed to be granted a Working Holiday Visa in Australia:

• Age: You must be between 18 and 31 years of age (or 35 years of age for some countries). You can still apply for a visa before you turn 31 (or 36).
• Nationality: You must hold a passport from an eligible country, preferably valid for at least 6 months.
• No children: You cannot be accompanied by dependent children.
• Be outside Australia: You must be outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is granted (except if you’re applying for a second Working Holiday Visa).
• Proof of sufficient funds: You need proof that you have sufficient funds to sustain yourself (generally AUD 5,000) and that you have funds for a return or onward ticket to depart Australia.
• Health: You must meet Australia’s health requirements. 

Note: The Australian Government recommend you have health insurance to cover your stay in Australia. This can be obtained in your home country or in Australia. From the experiences of our previous students, we highly advise applying for health coverage with an Australian provider to speed up claims and admin paperwork. We can help you to find the best coverage that suits your health needs. Contact us for more information.

We strongly advise you to visit the Department of Immigration and Border Protection website to make sure you gather accurate and trustworthy information about all the requirements to apply for a Working Holiday Visa. Download the PDF document that contains the 1150 form to learn more about this type of visa.

If you don’t meet the requirements, don’t panic! You can still work and travel in Australia with a Student Visa. Contact us now to benefit from our free support.

The Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) in Australia is not open to all nationalities. Currently, only 19 countries are eligible for this type of visa.

What if your country isn’t on the list? Don’t panic. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not entitled to come Down Under. There are other alternatives such as the Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462) and the very popular Student Visa (Subclass 500).

Below, there is a list of countries that currently have a reciprocal working holiday arrangement with Australia:

The fee assigned to lodge an application to obtain a Working Holiday Visa through the Australian Government site is $650 (AUD). Work out exactly how much you will be paying in your home country by checking currency exchange rates.

You can extend your Working Holiday Visa for one year. In order to be eligible for a second Working Holiday Visa, you must:

• Have completed 88 days of paid work in a primary sector (construction, fruit picking, farming, etc.) in a rural area* during your first year of Working Holiday Visa.
•  Be aged between 18 and 30 years old (or 35 for some countries).
• Be in Australia when your visa is granted (if you applied onshore).
• Be outside of Australia when your visa is granted (if you applied offshore).

If you are not eligible for a second Working Holiday Visa, other solutions exist to extend your stay in Australia.

There are two ways to lodge an application for a Working Holiday Visa in Australia:

• Online
• By post

Download this PDF form, in which you will find all the documents needed and steps required to successfully lodge your visa application.

The truth is, it depends on several factors. In general terms and assuming you have provided all the documents inquired by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, then the visa grant notice can take between two and four weeks to be issued.

In some other cases, visa applications can take up to eight weeks if there is a presence of a criminal offence or a medical statement pending to confirm.

You have one year to enter Australia from the date that your visa was approved.

Once you put your foot on Australian territory, your visa permit starts its period of validity. Hence, you will have 12 months of stay. Remember that you can leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you wish during the course of your visa.

Working Holiday Visa holders are entitled to do any kind of work regardless of its nature. For instance, you could seek casual, part-time or full-time employment.

However, one important thing to bear in mind before applying for jobs is that this visa has a restriction in terms of work length. Unfortunately, you can’t be employed by the same employer for more than six months.

Therefore, the fact you can only work for a company for no longer than six months makes it difficult for some employers to consider hiring you. This is why many people opt for a Student Visa instead, as you are allowed to work 40 hours every two weeks and your visa can last several years.

Working Holiday Visa holders are also eligible to study in Australia for a period no longer than four months while maintaining the same visa status.

We can assist you to find the right English course, specialized studies or vocational training course.

Contact us today, and let our student counsellors know what you are interested in.