Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417)

General Information

People aged 18 to 30 years (i.e. you must have turned 18, but not turned 31, at the time of your visa application) who are interested in a working holiday in Australia of up to 12 months may apply for a working holiday visa.

Visa Validity

A working holiday visa is valid for 12 months after the date of entry. If you wish to stay in Australia for longer than 12 months, in some cases you will be able to apply for a second working holiday visa.

Entitlements

During your stay you will be allowed to work for short periods of time as a means of supplementing your funds as you travel through Australia. In some cases, carrying out "Specified Work" in "Regional Australia" for up at least three months will enable you to apply for a second working holiday visa.

If you are granted a working holiday visa, you may:

• enter Australia within 12 months of the visa being granted
• stay in Australia for up to 12 months
• travel to and from Australia as long as the visa is valid
• study for up to 4 months
• work for up to six months with any one employer

If you return to Australia on a second working holiday visa, you can work for a previous employer for up to six months.

Visa Eligibility

A working holiday visa will allow you to enter Australia within 12 months of grant. Note this cannot be extended or deferred. You can stay in Australia for up to 12 months, you may leave and re-enter Australia as often as you like as the visa allows multiple entry while the visa is valid. You may work in Australia for up to six months with any one employer and you may also study for up to four months.

1st Working Holiday Visa: Requirements & Eligibility

There are a number of requirements that must be met in order to be eligible for your first working holiday visa. The applicant must:

• be outside Australia at the time of application and when the visa is granted
• be between 18 and 30 years (inclusive) of age at the time of application
• apply within 12 months of intended travel to Australia
• not have previously entered Australia on a Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) or a Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462)
• not have dependent children accompany them at any time during their stay in Australia

Important:Your age will be determined according to your age in Australia (Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST)). It is not advised to delay your application until you are nearly 31 years of age.

Should you wish to have a dependent child accompany you during your stay in Australia, you should apply for a tourist visa. If you have dependent children who will not accompany you during your stay in Australia, you must apply using the paper application form. This application can not be processed online.

See here for Working Holiday Visa paper application

To be eligible to apply for a working holiday visa you must hold a passport from one of the following countries:

2nd Working Holiday Visa

2nd Working Holiday Visa: Requirements & Eligibility

There are a number of requirements that must be met in order to be eligible for your second Working Holiday Visa. You can apply for this visa if you hold a valid Working Holiday Visa, or you can apply at a later date.

The following list includes general requirements. The applicant must:

• have completed 3 months of designated work in regional Australia (there is no requirement to carry out further specified work on the second visa)
• be between 18 and 30 years (inclusive) of age at the time of application
• apply within 12 months of intended travel to Australia if applying from abroad
• not have previously entered Australia on a Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462)
• not have dependent children accompany them at any time during their stay in Australia

Should you wish to have a dependent child accompany you during your stay in Australia, you should apply for a tourist visa. If you have dependent children who will not accompany you during your stay in Australia, you must apply using the paper application form. This application can not be processed online.

Visa Costs

Important: Visa application fees are constantly changing and may be subject to an amendment. Changes usually occur on 1st July of each year.

Financial Requirements

For the initial stage of your holiday, you will be required to have access to sufficient funds to support yourself. The amount may vary depending on the duration of your stay, however, generally $5000 will be deemed to be enough.

In addition, you will also be required to have a return ticket or an onward ticket to another destination.

You may be asked to demonstrate any required evidence of an onward ticket.

Additional Factors

Health Requirements

There are certain health criteria that must be met by all applicants. In some circumstances you may need to undergo a medical examination. Tests include chest x-ray, Hepatitis B and/or Hepatitis C and HIV.

A decision on your visa application can only be made after the required examinations have been completed.

The cost of any health examination is not included in the visa application fee.

Note: The results for certain examinations can take a number of weeks to be processed, please take this into consideration before planning your journey.

Health Insurance

Some countries have a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia. If your country does not have this reciprocal agreement, you are not covered by the Australian national health scheme. In this case medical treatment is likely to be extremely expensive, we therefore recommend that you seek either health insurance to cover your stay or to take out travel insurance which covers medical costs in the case an emergency.

To find out whether your country has a reciprocal health agreement with Australia, please contact your local authority.