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Looking for a Working Holiday Visa? Click here for further information
Created: 14th January 2007
Australia is the sixth largest country in the world, with a landmass the size of the continental United States. To see it properly, you need plenty of time - months rather than weeks. And if you’re going to be here for an extended period, then why not take the opportunity to work in order to supplement your travel funds.
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.
To apply for the Australian working holiday visa you must be over 18 and under 31 years of age, have no dependant children.
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.
Australia has reciprocal Working Holiday Maker arrangements in effect with the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Republic of Ireland, Republic of Korea, Malta, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China, Finland, the Republic of Cyprus, France, and Italy, Belgium, Estonia and Taiwan.
You are allowed to do any kind of work of a temporary or casual nature, and you can work with each employer for up to three months.
- When can I go?
You can travel anytime of the year.
- Do I need a visa?
If you intend to work in Australia you will need a 12 months Working Holiday Visa.
- 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.
- I am 30 years old. Am I too late?
No you are not. You will need to have your visa granted before your 31st birthday -!
- I have already had an Australian Working Holiday Visa. Can I get another one?
No. You can only have one Working Holiday Visa in your lifetime. For more information about other options please see below.
Working Holiday Makers who have worked as a seasonal worker in regional Australia for a minimum of three months while on their first Working Holiday visa, will be eligible to apply for a second Working Holiday visa. Applicants need to demonstrate that they continue to meet the requirements for a Working Holiday visa. These include:- being aged between 18 and 30
- having no dependents; and
- being a citizen of a country named in the working holiday maker reciprocal arrangements
Seasonal work is defined as: picking fruit, nuts and other crops, pruning and trimming vines and trees, general maintenance crop work and other work associated with packing or processing the harvest.
Regional Australia includes anywhere in Australia except Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, the NSW Central Coast, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne or the ACT.
Information about harvest work opportunities in regional Australia can be found at the Harvest Trail Website -
See: Harvest Trail Website
If you intend to apply for a second Working Holiday visa, you will need to provide evidence that you have worked for a minimum of three months as a seasonal worker in regional Australia while on your first Working Holiday visa. Before commencing seasonal work in a regional area, you should obtain a copy of the employment verification form from your nearest DIMIA office, or from the forms section of the DIMIA website.
Tax File Number
You need to obtain one of these before you start earning. If you don’t, you’ll be taxed at the rate of 48.5 per cent - a huge whack out of your wages. As long as you have a TFN, you’ll be taxed at the much lower rate of 29 per cent. To obtain a TFN, go to the nearest Australian Taxation Office with your passport and fill in an application form.
Bank account
Most employers will want to pay your wages directly into a bank, and opening an account is relatively straightforward and painless. You’ll have to provide ID and proof of address. You will then be issued with a bank card which will allow you to make cash withdrawals from ATM (hole-in-the-wall) machines and make payments by EFTPOS (paying for things straight away)
Mobile phones
Handy for making and receiving calls when you’re looking for a job. Mobiles are cheap these days, and you can pick up a pay-as-you-go type for A$100-150, or buy a sim card before you leave.
