The Working Holiday Australia Visa also called the WHV Australia, is the most preferred way to work and travel Australia.
The WHV Australia program is the perfect strategy for having an extended stay in Australia. It presents a golden opportunity to travelers and backpackers to earn an income for supplementing their travel funds
To be able to work and base yourself for an extended period of time makes living and getting around a lot more affordable and interesting.
The WHV Australia program gives you the opportunity to really experience life down under, to immerse yourself in the culture, and to meet locals and form lifelong friendships.
In terms of a gap year in the country, the ability to gain new skills by performing different and unusual jobs, or by volunteering on worthwhile projects, can look great on any CV.
How to Get Your Working Holiday Australia Visa:
There are actually two WHV Australia categories, subclass 417 and subclass 462, and it depends on which country you come from.
Firstly, the Working Holiday Maker Visa (Subclass 417) is available to people from:
- United Kingdom
- Belgium
- Canada
- Republic of Cyprus
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Hong Kong
- Republic of Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Republic of Korea
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Sweden
- Taiwan.
Secondly, the Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462) is for people from:
- USA
- Chile
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Thailand
- Turkey
This visa scheme is also for people aged 18 to 30 who want to work and travel to Australia for up to 12 months. This work visa allows you to supplement the cost of your holiday through periods of temporary or casual employment.
What Is A Working Holiday Visa?
A working holiday visa is a permit which gives you permission to undertake employment in the country issuing the visa, for the purpose of subsidizing their travels. The intention of the program is to encourage cultural exchange and understanding.
The agreements are often reciprocal in nature but not always. There are very low barriers to entry, however, there are some requirements depending on the agreement.
Below are some General Requirements for the Working Holiday Australia Visa:
Age limits:
- You must be minimum 18 years old but not more than 30.
- If you are a Canadian or Irish citizen, then age limit ranges from18 to 35.
Length of employment:
- You can enter the country at any time within 3 months from your visa grant date.
- You can work and travel anywhere in Australia for up to a period of 12 months.
- You can also Leave and re-enter as much as you like within those 12 months.
Proof of funds:
You must have sufficient funds to pay your daily needs for at least the first three months and for return airfare tickets. Generally, it is around 5000 Australian dollars.
Police Report:
You must have to submit the police verification report.
Medicals:
You must have to submit medical reports as per the guidelines of the Australian government.
Visa fee:
As of now, it is Approximately 235 dollars.
Other Requirements:
- You must have to declare your education status.
- You must have to submit medical test reports as per the Australian rules.
- You must apply for the WHV Australia visa from outside of the country only.
- You can’t have entered the country on a WHV program before.
- You must apply no more than 12 months before you intend to travel to the destination.
- You must have a valid passport for the country or region participating in the working holiday visa schemes.
The Best Thing About Having A Working Holiday Visa
Employers don’t have to go through any paperwork hassle to sponsor you. Without authorization to work, your employer would usually need to prove that they were unable to find a suitable candidate after advertising the job for X amount of time. Even then, immigration may deny the application if they deem that the position is not highly-skilled enough. As you can imagine, it’s not worth the hassle for them. So even if you’re qualified, a prospective employer will avoid interviewing you over a candidate with authorization to work.
The best thing about having a working holiday visa is that you are ready and able to work immediately. A working holiday visa levels the playing field for you.
How A Working Holiday Can Advance Your Career
If you want to know why choosing a working holiday visa is a great option for backpackers, then keep reading. Having international work experience is invaluable because it shows that you are resilient, adaptable to change and skilled at intercultural communication.
When that international work experience is in your chosen profession, the benefits are exponential. There is a perception that only the best get to work overseas and that is often the case with intra-company transfers. Therefore, any sort of overseas experience in our field will look great on your resume.
We live in a global marketplace, so any experience which portrays us as such is an advantage.
TIP: Make sure to get references before you leave your overseas employer, as tracking them down later can be a hassle. LinkedIn is an excellent tool for this. I will dedicate a future article on this.
As form July 2023, due to the high demand for workers to help with Australia’s harvest (farm work), anyone who works three months or more in an agricultural position can qualify to Renew Their Visa for the 2nd Year… a great bonus!
This WHV Australia scheme allows you the right to short-term employment and the opportunity to work and travel in Australia for up to two years (if you qualify for your renewal). It’s issued electronically, and there is no need to have a 3rd party to apply on your behalf – as it’s very straightforward.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you get a new passport after you have processed your application for a visa, then you must advise the application department of your new passport before you arrive in Australia. Otherwise, you may experience problems or delays as the Visa is linked electronically to your passport.
