Working Holiday Visas for Australia

The Australia Working Holiday Visa allows working holiday makers to have an extended working holiday in Australia by supplementing their travel funds through incidental employment, and to experience closer contact with a local community in Australia.

A Working Holiday Visa for Australia allows the holder to:

• Stay in Australia for 12 months
• Be in Australia mainly for a holiday, with work being purely incidental and to provide funds for travelling
• Work in Australia, but for no more than 3 months with any one employer unless written permission has been obtained from the Department of Immigration

An applicant must have a return ticket, or show that there are sufficient funds available for a return or onward fare from Australia after their working holiday.

Note also that if a holder of a 417 visa leaves Australia during the 12 month period for any reason the working holiday visa is NOT extended to allow for the period spent outside Australia.

Australia has reciprocal working holiday visa arrangements with 19 foreign countries:

• the United Kingdom
• Canada
• the Netherlands
• Japan
• Ireland
• Korea
• Malta
• Germany
• Denmark
• Sweden
• Norway
• Hong Kong SAR
• Finland
• Cyprus
• Italy
• Estonia
• France
• Belgium
• Taiwan

People who hold valid passports of most of these foreign countries are able to apply for a Working Holiday Visa in any country (except Australia).

Applicants who hold a valid passport from Japan, Korea, Malta, Germany, Hong Kong SAR (or a British National Overseas passport) or Cyprus, must apply in the foreign country which issued the passport.

The reciprocal nature of the arrangements ensures young Australians are also offered similar opportunities for cultural understanding through working holidays overseas.

All Australian Working Holiday visa applications must be made overseas.

Applicants need to be:

• passport holders from arrangement countries
• aged between 18 and 30, and
• without dependent children

Their main reason for coming to Australia should be to holiday; any work they do should be to support themselves while they holiday. They should have a return ticket or sufficient funds for a return or onward fare as well as sufficient funds for the first part of their stay.

Working holiday makers are permitted a stay of 12 months from date of initial entry to Australia regardless of whether or not they spend the whole period in Australia. They are allowed to study or train for up to three months.

Working holiday makers are permitted to do any kind of work of a temporary or casual nature. As the main purpose of the visit is for holiday and travel, work for longer than three months with any one employer is not allowed. Working holiday makers should be paid according to Australian award rates and conditions.