WORKING HOLIDAY VISA
With a Working Holiday visa you can stay in Australia for up to 12 months and take on short-term employment (up to six months with any one employer).
You must arrange your visas several months prior to coming to Australia.
Who can apply?
If you are aged 18-30, haven't previously entered Australia on a working holiday visa, don’t have children, and meet other requirements, you may be eligible to live and work in Australia on a working holiday visa.
Visa options
Working Holiday visa (subclass 417): If you are a citizen of the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Republic of Ireland, Republic of Korea, Malta, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Hong Kong, Finland, the Republic of Cyprus, Estonia, France, and Italy, Belgium, or Taiwan you can apply to be part of the Working Holiday Program.
Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) : If you are studying or have tertiary qualifications and are a citizen of Bangladesh, Chile, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and the USA, you can apply to holiday and work in Australia.
Find out more: www.immi.gov.au.
Extend your stay
If you're a Working Holiday Maker and are employed as a seasonal or construction worker (doing "specified" work) in regional Australia for at least three months, you are eligible to apply for a second Working Holiday visa and can stay for a further 12 months.
Types of "specified work" which may be covered by this visa extension are:
- plant and animal cultivation (e.g. harvesting and/or packing fruit)
- fishing and pearling
- tree farming and felling
- mining
- construction
"Specified" seasonal and construction work in Victoria
Construction and seasonal work is available throughout regional Victoria.
Seasonal work is harvesting and/or packing of fruit and vegetable crops, pruning and trimming vines and trees, thinning and trimming flowers and bunches, and general maintenance crop work.
There’s lots of seasonal work in regional Victoria, especially in the peak season between November and April, and often in the Yarra Valley and Mildura.
For more detailed visa and entry information, visit the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Volunteer work
Work as a volunteer or through volunteer schemes such as Willing Workers On Organic Farms (WWOOF) may qualify you for the additional year extension of the working holiday visa, if the volunteer work falls under a "specified work" category (e.g. fishing, tree farming or construction).
