Australia Working Holiday Visa
The working holiday visa provides a young person with a 12 months stay in Australia and enables them to have incidental employment to supplement their stay.
The Working Holiday Program provides opportunities for people between 18 and 30 to holiday in Australia and to supplement their travel funds through incidental employment.
Bonus! If you obtain a Working Holiday Visa through Visas4oz we offer free access to a registered migration agent to help you stay in Australia. Working with our migration agent while you are in Australia can help you remain in Australia on a more permanent basis.
- Am I eligible for a Working Holiday Visa?
You must:
- Be aged between 18 and 30 years at the time of application
- Hold a valid British or Irish passport
- Have no dependent children
- Have not previously entered Australia on a Working Holiday Visa
- Meet health and character requirements; and
- Be outside of Australia at the time of the visa grant
- To be granted a Working Holiday Visa, you must also agree that:
- Your main reason for coming to Australia is to holiday (any work should be incidental to supplement funds).
- You will not undertake studies or training for more than three months; and
- You will leave Australia at the end of your authorized stay.
- Work Conditions
- Working holiday makers are permitted to do any kind of work in Australia. However, work for longer than six months with any one employer is not allowed.
To be eligible for your first Working Holiday visa, you must meet a number of requirements.
General requirements
You must:
- be outside Australia when you apply and, when your visa is granted.
- not have entered Australia on a Working Holiday visa before
- be aged between 18 and 30 years (inclusive) at the time of applying
Important: Your age will be determined as the age you are in Australia at the time your application is lodged (Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) or the Australian Eastern Daylight Savings time (AEDST)). Because of this time difference you are advised not to wait to lodge your application until you are about to turn 31, as the system will take the current date in Australia as your application date.
- be applying no more than 12 months before you intend to travel to Australia.
- hold a passport for a country or region participating with Australia in the Working Holiday program
Health requirements
All applicants are required to meet health criteria. Depending on your circumstances, you may need to undertake a medical examination which may include a chest x-ray, HIV, Hepatitis B and/or Hepatitis C test.
All required health examinations must be completed before a decision can be made on your visa application.
If you need a medical examination, the cost is not included in the visa application charge (fee) you pay when you lodge your application.
Health examination requirements are outlined on Form 1163i.
Note: The required health examinations are outlined under the heading 'Stay of greater than 3 months, up to and including 12 months'.
Health insurance
Medical treatment in Australia can be very expensive. As a tourist, you are not covered by Australia's national health scheme, unless there is a reciprocal health care agreement between Australia and your country. Health care for visitors to Australia is explained on the Medicare Australia website.
See: Medicare Australia Health Care for visitors to Australia
It is recommended that you take out health insurance for the duration of your stay in Australia. You can obtain health insurance through a health insurance provider or travel agent in your country of residence.
For more information about private health insurance:
See: PrivateHealth.gov.au – Cover for overseas visitors
Character requirements
To be granted this visa you must meet character requirements.
See also: Character and Penal Clearance Requirements
Financial requirements
You must have access to sufficient funds to support yourself for the initial stage of your holiday. Generally, AUD$5,000 may be regarded as sufficient, but the amount may vary depending on your length of stay and the extent of your travel. You should also have a return or onward ticket or the funds for a fare to depart Australia.
You may be asked to provide evidence. Evidence may include a certified copy of a bank statement and an air ticket out of Australia.
Extending your stay
To be eligible for a second Working Holiday visa, you must have completed three months specified work in regional Australia while on your first Working Holiday visa.
For more information on the eligibility criteria for a second Working Holiday visa.
See: Applicant: Second Working Holiday visa
Australian Values Statement
You must declare that you will respect Australian values and obey the laws of Australia. For this visa, the values statement is included in the general declaration section of the application form. When you sign the application form it means you will also be signing the values statement. You will not be required to have read the Life in Australia book, but may do so if you wish.
You are also encouraged to gain an understanding of Australia, its people and their way of life, before applying for this visa.
See: Australian Values - Overview
More Information on Australian Working Holiday Visa
Cost: £20 + $230
This cost is made up of;
- Visa Fee. Australian High Commission processing fee of AUD$230 per person (£100.00 based on exchange rates valid 29/05/2008). This fee must be paid with a credit or debit card and will be shown on your bank statement as DIMIA Working Holiday Visa 230AUD.
- Visas4oz.co.uk Service Charge £20 per visa. No additional fees apply for medicals, extra documents etc.
To apply for a Australia Working Holiday Visa, please print and complete our application form by clicking here.
Once complete, post it to the address shown on the form together with your payment information. If you need any assistance completing the form, please call us on 01270 842 670.
Alternatively, if you don't have access to a printer, please e-mail your address details to info@visas4oz.co.uk or phone 01270 842670 and we will post you an application form.
Please note:
- Your visa application will take up to 10 days to process.
- If you have previously held a Working Holiday Visa, check out your options here