There are numerous types of visas to go to Australia. Before you begin your research, it’s very important to first define the purpose of your trip. You can travel on vacation, live a season and take an English course while you visit the country, study a specific professional course, or just go to work, the paths are many.
One of the most popular types among backpackers is the Working Holiday Visa, a temporary visa ideally suited for young people who want to travel and work in Australia for a year. As the land of the down under isn’t cheap to live in, you will probably need to work hard and save funds to travel around and make fun plans.
To make it easier about what the Working Holiday Visa in Australia involves, here we selected all you need to know about it and check if that really suits you, go ahead and read it down!
What is the Working holiday visa about?
With the Working Holiday Visa you can enjoy Australia and work for a year to fund your travels and make the plans you want.
What is the visa name?
Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) and Working & Holiday visa (subclass 462). Those are the best visa options to combine work and travel in Australia. They aim to encourage young people from partner countries to go to Australia.
What is allowed?
- Stay in Australia for up to 12 months, with the possibility of an extension.
- Work in Australia, generally for up to six months with each employer
- Study for up to 4 months
- Leave and re-enter Australia any number of times while the visa is valid
What is the length of stay?
Up to 12 months, with the possibility to apply for another 12 months.
What are the requirements?
- Be at least 18 but and no more than 31 years of age
- Apply online from outside Australia
- Not be accompanied by dependent children
- Not have previously entered Australia on a subclass 417 or 462 visa.
- For the subclass 417:
- You must be citizen from Belgium, Canada, Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (including British National Overseas passport holders), Republic of Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom.
- You must have enough money to support yourself while you are in Australia and leave Australia at the end of your stay.
- Meet the health requirement.
- Meet the character requirement.
- Not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused.
- Sign the Australian values statement.
- For the subclass 462:
- You must be citizen from Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, China, People’s Republic of Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, USA, Uruguay, and Vietnam.
- Have a tertiary qualification or have completed 2-3 years of undergraduate university study.*
- You must have proven at least Functional English.*
- You must give us a letter of support from your government.*
- You must have enough money to support yourself while you are in Australia and leave Australia at the end of your stay.
- Meet the health requirement.
- Meet the character requirement.
- Not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused.
- Sign the Australian values statement.
* Depending on the country, more information immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
What is the cost?
The application cost is $450 AUD.
What is the processing time?
Varies between 20 days to 4 months.
What can I do if I want to stay in Australia longer than a year?
1. Apply for a second Working Holiday Visa
You can extend your Working Holiday Visa for one year. To guarantee that you must:
- Have completed 88 days (3 months) 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
- 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)
It’s a good idea to decide early on if you want to stay in Australia for two years and organize yourself on finding farm work beforehand. Even though it can be tough for some, you will probably enjoy the experience and take the positive side of it, it’s part of the journey.
2. Apply for a Student Visa
If you want to stay longer, applying for a student visa is another great option. During your first year, stay alert for everything that crosses your path and possible skills you’d like to develop, so when the time arrives, you will already know what to do and make a conscious decision about the course type and duration. Here we leave complete info about the student visa and life in Australia.
Which types of work can I do with the Working holiday visa?
There is no restriction about the types of positions you can work on while on a Working holiday visa as you will be legally allowed to work full-time in any industry. It will all depend on your skills, previous work experiences, eventual graduation and English level.
The options are many and Australia has a pretty active workforce and strong market, it’s worth it to have a look at the most in-demand jobs in the country.
Being fluent in English is not essential to start working, there are many alternatives to start working while you are learning and get used to the language.
Here we leave you some websites to look for job opportunities in Australia:
We hope this article was useful and cleared some of your doubts about the Australian Working holiday visa. If you still have questions, leave us a comment below and we will get back to you asap.
If your decision is going to Australia, our Puravida agents will assist you in every step. Contact us now and we can discuss types of visa, courses, accommodation and everything else you need.
We see you in Australia, mate!
Georgia Carajeleascov
A nature lover and curious at heart always looking for the next trip and cultures to see. A marketing specialist with digital and strategy skills, helping brands to develop their soul and presence.