Hi, guys. Simon here from Go Study Australia, and I wanna give you some information on your second working holiday visa, as it can be a little bit confusing. Now, every year, hundreds and thousands of people from all over the world come to Australia on a working holiday visa, whether it be the 417 visa or the 462 work and holiday visa. It’s an amazing program that allows you to live, work, and study for up to one year in Australia. But it’s possible that you can get your second year by undertaking what we call 88 days of farm work. I’m gonna give you some information on the 88 days of farm work so you can start looking at whether it’s something you’d like to take on or look at other options.

Now, if you think about it, you’ve got one year in Australia on a working holiday visa, and you are going to need to undertake a minimum of 88 days of farm work in order to get a second working holiday visa. That farm work needs to be undertaken in a specified regional area. So, it’s important that you check the postcode of your employer to make sure that you satisfy those requirements. If you undertake work in an area that is not regional, you will not be eligible for your second working holiday visa. Also, if you undertake work in a, uh, job that is not approved, you will not be eligible. So, just going onto a farm and working as an au pair or as a nanny is not enough. You actually need to be undertaking agricultural work.

And next, there’s actually a minimum requirement for how much you need to earn per day or per hour in order for you to satisfy the requirements. These constantly change, so it’s important you check the immigration website to make sure that your farm work is going to give you what you need. I want you to be very, very careful. Many farm work experiences pay by the basket. So, if you’re picking strawberries, you get paid by the weight and number of baskets that you submit. Now, if you don’t submit enough baskets to satisfy the minimum earning rate, you will not qualify for your second working holiday visa. So, you must make sure that you enter into the right workplace agreement with a farm that is going to look after you and help you out. It’s really important you understand this.

Also, it’s important to know that the type of contract you are on while working on a farm will determine your eligibility to meet the 88 days requirement. If you’re on a full-time contract, then 88 days, you’re fine. You’re sweet. But if you’re on a casual contract, those 88 days do not cover weekends, time off, holidays, and even days when it’s raining and you can’t work. We’ve heard multiple stories about people who have gone onto farms expecting to be, uh, working 88 days, but instead they’ve had to work up to 180 days because of days off and wet weather. Do you really want to give up half of your entire working holiday visa working on a farm, staying in your hostel while it’s raining? No. Nobody does.

So, make sure you check out the contract and make sure it’s gonna work to your benefit. Do the research, talk to people about their experiences, and don’t go for the first farm that you find. We hear multiple stories of international workers being ripped-off and exploited, because the farmers know they need to be there. You can take control, you can take power by doing your research and seeking professional advice.

Go Study Australia can give you free support and advice on your working holiday experience. We actually have a ton of free guidebooks and resources that can help you find the right farms and help you find what to look for when negotiating your contract. If farm work’s not for you and you don’t want to spend this time on a regional area, not a problem. You can take on a student visa. It’s actually what we specialize in. You can get free support and advice from our team at Go Study Australia on the best courses, the best prices that will allow you to study, live, and work in Australia for two years up to five years, however long your visa’s going to be valid. The best thing is you can also work with the same employer for more than six months. The working holiday visa limits you to working with one employer for six months, with a couple of exceptions. But on a student visa, you can stay with the same employer for as long as your visa is valid.

If that sounds cool to you, come have a chat with us. If you want more information about the working holiday visa and farm work, jump on our website and download our guidebooks. It’s really important that you do your research to make sure that you have an amazing experience. If it’s all too hard, we’ve got the advice, we’ve got the support, and we can give you some help. We’ll see you down under real soon. Contact us at Go Study Australia today. Bye.