The so-called ‘Working Holiday visa’ and ‘Work and Holiday visa’ are popular among young travellers (18 to 30 or 35 years) who want to visit Australia for a longer period of time. These visas allow you to stay in Australia for up to one year. You may apply for them up to three times.

A year in Australia: an extraordinary experience

The Australian government is convinced that travelling and working abroad for a year is a life-changing experience. Therefore, they decided to introduce a special visa type in 1975: the Working Holiday visa. The purpose of this visa is to encourage young people around the world to come and discover Australia. By now, more than a million young people from more than 40 countries have travelled to Australia on a Working Holiday visa.

The Working Holiday Maker programme

Currently, Australiaʼs Working Holiday Maker programme consists of six different visa types. These are divided into two subclasses of visas, each of which can be applied for three times.

Working Holiday or Work and Holiday

There is a ‘Working Holiday visa’ (subclass 417) and a ‘Work and Holiday visa’ (subclass 462). The nationality of a traveller determines which of these two visa types they are eligible for. The tables below show which subclass you are eligible for if you are a national of a European country.

The first, second and third visa

Both the Work and Holiday visa and the Working Holiday visa consist of three visa types: the first, second and third visa within each subclass. Each type allows its holder to a stay in Australia for up to one year, but there are slight differences in the requirements.

Be sure to make a road trip during your stay in Australia

Activities in Australia on a Working Holiday visa

Working in Australia

Working is never the only or the most important goal during the adventure in Australia, but it is an ideal opportunity to learn about the Australian life and to earn some money at the same time. The Working Holiday and Work and Holiday visas allow you to work in all sectors of the Australian economy. It does not matter whether you use the first, second or third visa within the subclass. Keep in mind that you usually may not work for the same employer for more that 6 months.

The Working Holiday and Work and Holiday visas allow you to work anywhere in Australia. A second visa is only available to those travellers who worked for at least three months in certain sectors, including agriculture, forestry, livestock farming, construction or fishing. To apply for the third visa, you have to work in those sectors for at least half a year in total. When choosing work in Australia, carefully check whether it officially belongs to the listed sectors. These can vary depending on the region and year.

Travelling

Above all, the year in Australia should be fun. Therefore, take sufficient time to discover all corners of the country. A visit to Melbourne and Sydney is almost always a good idea. But also consider the southern island of Tasmania, known for the Tasmanian devil, among other things. Look for Uluru in the Australian outback, or visit one of the many other national parks in Australia.

Studying in Australia

A Working Holiday visa allows you to study for up to four months in Australia. This is one month longer than the three months you are allowed to study on an eVisitor visa. If you want to study in Australia for a longer period, you can apply for a specific student visa.

Requirements of the Working Holiday visa Australia

Age limit

Most travellers can apply for a Working Holiday Visa before their 31st birthday. However, an exception applies to travellers with British, Danish, French, Irish or Italian nationality. Nationals of those countries may submit their application until they turn 36. The age limit only applies to the moment the application is submitted, not for the stay in Australia. Work and Holiday visas have an age limit of 30 years, regardless of nationality.

Sufficient savings

If you want to make use of a Working Holiday visa, you must be able to prove that you have sufficient financial resources to pay for your stay and return trip. Despite the possibility of working in Australia and thereby generating income, you have to prove that you have at least 5000 Australian dollars in your bank account.

Health, character and travel history in Australia

As with all other visas for Australia, a number of basic requirements must be met. Applicants may not be in debt to the Australian government, they must be in good health and have a good character. The page on the visa requirements contains more information about what this means. Finally, the applicant is ineligible if they have submitted a visa application for Australia in the past which got rejected.

High cost and lengthy processing time
It may take a long time before your Working Holiday visa is issued. It may take a few weeks before an application is approved. The cost of AUD 650 (GBP 330 or EUR 400) per person is also rather high.

If you do not intend on staying in Australia for more than three months and do not intend to work there, it might be better to apply for a tourist visa ffor Australia. You can apply for the visa on this website for only £24.95. The tourist visa is issued in 5 days on average.
Apply for the Australia tourist visa now

Warning: the tourist visa is not a bridging visa

Did you apply for a Working Holiday visa, are you waiting for it to be issued, but want to travel to Australia already? In that case, you should not apply for a tourist visa. If you apply for a tourist visa, you will overwrite the application for your Working Holiday visa, which will cost you a lot of time and money. You are also not allowed to apply for a Working Holiday visa if you are currently in Australia on a tourist visa.