Work and Holiday Visa Australia
This is a great visa which allows eligible people aged 18 to 30 years old (inclusive) to have an extended holiday in Australia and work at the same time to help fund their trip.
You have to have citizenship of one of these countries to be eligible: Argentina, Austria, Chile, China, People's Republic of, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, United States of America, Vietnam.
First Work and Holiday Visa
With This Visa You Can:
- Do short-term work in Australia to help pay for your holiday
- Study for up to 4 months
- Travel to and from Australia as many times as you want
- *Do 3 months of specified work to become eligible for a second Work and Holiday visa
To Be Eligible For This Visa You Must:
- Hold a passport from an eligible country
- Be 18 to 30 years old (inclusive)
- Apply from outside Australia
- Not be accompanied by dependent children
- Not have previously entered Australia on a subclass 417 or 462 visa
- Meet the education requirement
- Have a certain minimum level of English language skills
- Have a letter of support (for some countries)
WORK RULES:
You can do any kind of work on this visa. Usually, you can only work for the same employer for 6 months.
EDUCATION REQUIREMENT:
You must:
- Have a tertiary qualification OR
- Have completed 2 years of undergraduate university study
These are acceptable tertiary qualifications:
- Degrees
- Graduate certificates
- Diplomas
These qualifications are not acceptable tertiary qualifications:
- Certificates
- Senior Secondary Certificate of Education
- The education requirements for Chile, Israel, USA, Malaysia and Thailand are slightly different.
LEVEL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE:
You must have at least Functional English. You have Functional English if you meet one of the following:
- You are a citizen of the United States of America; OR
- You have completed a relevant approved English language test or assessment; OR
- you have undertaken relevant education
LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM YOUR GOVERNMENT:
In your application you must include a Letter of Support from your Government (or alternative as stated below) if you are from:
Czech Republic (letter of introduction from your tertiary institution), Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Malaysia (Good Conduct Certificate), Peru, Poland, San Marino, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, Vietnam
You do NOT need a Letter of Support if you are from the following countries:
Argentina, Austria, Chile, Israel, People's Republic of China, Portugal, Spain, Singapore, the United States of America
ANNUAL VISA LIMIT:
Every year the Australian Government grant a limited number of first Work and Holiday visas to applicants from each eligible country except the United States of America. The program year begins on 1 July and ends on 30 June. When the limit or cap has been reached then no more applications can be lodged until the next year
There is no cap on the second or third Work and Holiday visas.
HOW LONG YOU CAN STAY IN AUSTRALIA:
- The Working Holiday visa is a temporary visa.
- You must enter Australia within 12 months of the date of grant of the visa.
- The visa becomes active on the date you enter Australia. Once you have entered and the visa is activated, you can:
- Stay in Australia for up to 12 months
- Leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you like in that 12 months
Second Work and Holiday Visa
To be eligible for a 2nd Work and Holiday Visa you must do 3 months of specified work on your 1st Work and Holiday Visa.
Approved industries for specified work include:
- plant and animal cultivation in northern Australia and other specified areas of regional Australia
- fishing and pearling in northern Australia only
- tree farming and felling in northern Australia only
- tourism and hospitality in northern Australia only
Examples of eligible specified work in plant and animal cultivation:
- picking fruits on an orchard
- feeding and herding cattle on a farm
- horse breeding and stud farming
- conservation and environmental reforestation work
- zoo work involving plant or animal cultivation
Examples of eligible specified work in tourism or hospitality:
- a chef in a restaurant
- a dive instructor
- a tour bus driver
Examples of ineligible specified work in tourism or hospitality:
- cleaning work in a restaurant
- driving a school bus
- working as a sales assistant in a souvenir shop
Third Work and Holiday Visa
To be eligible for a 3rd Work and Holiday Visa you must do 6 months of specified work on your 2nd Work and Holiday Visa.
Applying for a Work and Holiday Visa
The Work and Holiday visa application can be a complex process. It can take weeks to prepare an application, and the processing time can be about 4 to 6 weeks, although times vary. If you do not meet all of the eligibility criteria, or fail to provide the Government with all of the required documents, your application will be refused.
Contact Us
At Australian Visa Advice (AVA) we have an exceptionally high success rate. Our detailed knowledge of the law and years of experience preparing literally 100’s of applications can take the stress, confusion and high risk of failure out of the visa process. We have even obtained visas for clients who have had their previous applications refused because they have either tried to obtain it themselves and not submitted a sufficient application, or used unqualified and inexperienced migration agents.
So, if you are thinking of applying for a Work and Holiday visa yourself but are finding it difficult, why not get some personalised help from one of our experienced Migration Agents. Feel free to contact us at AVA by clicking the button below or emailing us at info@aussievisas.net Once you contact us we will be happy to provide you with a free assessment to determine your visa needs. You can then decide you want to get us to guide you through the process.