Working holidays in Australia

The visa allows a young visitor to stay in Australia for up to 12 months from the date of first entry to Australia, regardless of whether the visitor spends the whole time in Australia. The visa holder must validate the visa (enter Australia) within a year of issue. The holder may enter and leave Australia as often as they wish within the validity of the visa. Time spent outside of Australia is lost and cannot be re-claimed towards the one year validity period of the visa.{{cite web|url=http://www.visabureau.com/australia/working-holiday.aspx|title=Working Holiday in Australia: Frequently Asked Questions|publisher=Australian Visa Bureau|accessdate=2009-04-14}} Although the relevant visa sub classes allows the holder to work in Australia, Australian federal law restricts employment in the Australian Public Service to Australian citizens only. Non-Australian citizens may work as contractors to government, but cannot work directly for government in any capacity and must be eligible for any relevant security classifications required (which, paradoxically, requires Australian citizenship to be granted a security classification. Departmental heads of agencies can waive this requirement, however only in special circumstances).{{cite web |title=Public Service Act 1999 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016C00420 |website=Federal Register of Legislation |date=5 March 2016 |accessdate=21 July 2019 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Clearance Subject : FAQ : Department of Defence |url=http://www.defence.gov.au/AGSVA/FAQ/clearance-subject.asp |website=Australian Department of Defence |accessdate=21 July 2019 |date=6 February 2014}}

The visa allows the visitor to work in Australia, but employment should be 'incidental' to travel and of a temporary or casual nature. People working in Australia on a working holiday visa are entitled to the same pay and work conditions as Australian residents and citizens. The cost of the visa is $635 (AUD).{{Cite web |title=Working Holiday visa |url=https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417 |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=Australian Government Department of Home Affairs}}

An Australian working holiday visa is available to overseas passport holders from countries with which Australia has a reciprocal agreement.

{{Columns-list|colwidth=30em|* Visa subclass 417

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• Visa subclass 462
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Other important conditions are that the person:

• is aged between 18 and 30 inclusive (18 to 35 for British, Canadian, Danish, French, Irish, and Italian passport holders){{Cite web|url=https://pvtistes.net/en/working-holiday-visa-to-australia-whats-new-in-2018-19/|newspaper=pvtistes|title=Working Holiday Visa to Australia — What's new in 2018-19

|date=July 2019}} and does not have any dependent children.

• is able to show sufficient funds for a return or onward fare as well as sufficient funds for the first part of their stay. A sufficient amount is regarded as being a minimum of A$5,000 (£2,600), although the amount may vary depending the length of stay and how much traveling is intended during that stay. A return or onward ticket or the funds for a fare to depart Australia if travelling on a one-way ticket is also necessary.{{Cite web|url=https://www.visafirst.com/en/australian-visas/australia-working-holiday-417-first-year-visa/|title=Australia Working Holiday Visa | Apply for 417 Visa}}
• is of good character and of good health.

The application for the first working holiday visa must be made outside of Australia – in most cases this can be from anywhere outside Australia. However, the following passport holders must lodge their application in the country or region that issued their passport:
Republic of Cyprus, Ecuador{{Cite news|url=http://www.telemundodenver.com/noticias/mundo/Jovenes-turistas-ecuatorianos-podran-trabajar-en-Australia-411162185.html|title=Jóvenes turistas ecuatorianos podrán trabajar en Australia|newspaper=Telemundo Denver|language=es|access-date=2017-01-19}} HKSAR (including British National Overseas), Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malta, and Taiwan. These countries have a few extra requirements.{{Cite web|url=http://www.australia.com/en/planning/working-holiday-visa.html|title=Working Holiday Visa Australia (417 & 462) - Tourism Australia|last=Australia|first=Tourism|date=2016-10-25|website=www.australia.com|language=en|access-date=2017-07-06}}

As most working holiday visa agreements are based on reciprocity, Australian citizens can also obtain working holiday visas in any of the partner countries{{Cite web|date=2022-07-01|title=These 45 Countries Offer Working Holiday Visas to Australians|url=https://workingholiday.au/working-holiday-visa-countries/|access-date=2022-12-29|website=Working Holidays for Aussies|language=en-AU}} except China{{Cite web|last=Trade|first=corporateName= Department of Foreign Affairs and|title=Australian Embassy in|url=https://china.embassy.gov.au/bjng/WorkandHolidaysc462FAQ.html#13._Will_Australians_be_able_to_apply_fo|access-date=2021-09-16|website=china.embassy.gov.au}} and Switzerland.{{Cite web|date=2022-01-09|title=Australians Can Now Move to Switzerland Without a Visa|url=https://workingholiday.au/australians-switzerland-without-visa/|access-date=2022-12-29|website=Working Holidays for Aussies|language=en-AU}}

Other conditions for the visa holder generally include:

• their work should be incidental to travel, with the main purpose for the visit being tourism.[https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/first-working-holiday-417#About How this Visa Works] Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection
• the visa holder must not work for the same employer for more than 6 months, unless in more than one location.[https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/first-working-holiday-417#About How this Visa Works: Working] Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection
• the visa holder must not study for more than 4 months.[https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/first-working-holiday-417#About How this Visa Works: Studying] Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection
• the visa holder is required to meet health criteria, and depending on circumstances, may need to undertake a medical examination which may include a chest x-ray, HIV, Hepatitis B and/or Hepatitis C test.[https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/meeting-our-requirements/health Eligibility: Health Requirements] Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection
• the visa holder must have access to sufficient funds to support themselves for the initial stage of the holiday. Generally, A$5,000 may be regarded as sufficient, but the amount may vary depending on the length of stay and the extent of travel.[https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/first-working-holiday-417#Eligibility Eligibility: Financial Requirements] Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection
• the visa holder should also have a return or onward ticket or the funds for a fare to depart Australia.

An Australian working holiday visa is normally a one-year, once in a lifetime entitlement for eligible visitors. However, since 2005, working holiday visa holders can extend their stay in Australia by another year by applying for a second working holiday visa. The extension is available only to those who had worked as a seasonal worker in specified industries (primarily agricultural or in hospitality) in regional Australia [https://pvtistes.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2nd-3rd-whv-differences-english.png How to obtain a 2nd and 3rd Working Holiday Visa] pvtistes.net for a minimum of three months during their first visa period. Applications for a second Australian working holiday visa can be made in or outside Australia.

Typical work to qualify for the second working holiday visa includes farming, pearling, construction and other specified work in a regional area. Backpackers on the working holiday visa have become an essential part of workforces in many farming communities due to the specified work requirement.{{cite journal |last1=Barry |first1=Kaya |last2=Iaquinto |first2=Benjamin Lucca |last3=Azeredo |first3=Rafael |title=From tourists to essential workers: The multifaceted presence of backpackers in rural Queensland, Australia |journal=Journal of Rural Studies |date=December 2024 |volume=112 |pages=103469 |doi=10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103469 |bibcode=2024JRurS.11203469B |doi-access=free }} However, specified work has become controversial. This is because some backpackers have claimed they have been mistreated on farms and lived in poor conditions in working hostels.{{cite web|url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/web-stories/free/newsmail-bundaberg/why-backpackers-are-warning-off-bundaberg|title=Why are backpackers warning off Bundaberg|publisher=Courier Mail|accessdate=24 July 2022}} In 2019, The Guardian reported the exploitation that some backpackers have endured such as: being paid as little as $4 an hour, working in unsafe and gruelling conditions and reports of sexual abuse.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/sep/26/88daysaslave-backpackers-share-stories-of-farm-work-exploitation|title=#88daysaslave: backpackers share stories of farm work exploitation|work=The Guardian|date=25 September 2019|accessdate=24 July 2022}} Many of these claims have been supported by empirical evidence.{{cite journal |last1=Barry |first1=Kaya |title=Momentarily immobile: Backpacking, farm work, and hostels in Bundaberg, Australia |journal=Geographical Research |date=February 2021 |volume=59 |issue=1 |pages=46–55 |doi=10.1111/1745-5871.12445 |bibcode=2021GeoRs..59...46B |hdl=10072/398225 |hdl-access=free }} A study conducted in 2020 found that just under half (42.5%) of the sample of working holiday makers (n.573) had experienced exploitation during their working holiday, and that much of this exploitation had occurred during the specified work period.{{cite journal |last1=James |first1=Donna |title=Precarious labour geographies of working holiday makers: querying sustainability |journal=Tourism Geographies |date=2 October 2024 |volume=26 |issue=7 |pages=1053–1071 |doi=10.1080/14616688.2024.2366488 }} In response to the low pay, from 28 April 2022, it was announced that fruit pickers on farms who would usually be on a piece-rate agreement must be guaranteed a minimum hourly rate of $25.41.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2022-04-08/fruit-and-veg-pickers-minimum-wage-arrives-this-month-/100975464|title=Fruit and veg pickers' minimum wage arrives this month and then we'll see the true cost of food|publisher=ABC|date=7 April 2022|accessdate=24 July 2022}}

From 1 July 2024, UK citizens will be exempt from the specified work requirement if they wish to apply for a second (or third) working holiday visa in Australia.{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Matt |date=2024-04-20 |title=The Ultimate Guide to Australia's Working Holiday Visas |url=https://workingholiday.au/australia-working-holiday-visas/ |access-date=2024-05-05 |website=Working Holidays for Aussies |language=en-AU}}

As of 1 July 2019, working holiday visa holders who undertake six months of specified work (for example: fruit picking or construction) in a specified regional area during their second year may be eligible for a third-year visa.{{cite web| url = https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/third-working-holiday-417| title = Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) Third Working Holiday visa}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417 Working Holiday Visa] for citizens of Belgium, Canada, Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan and United Kingdom.
• [https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462 Work and Holiday Visa] for citizens of Argentina, Austria, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, the US and Vietnam.

Category:Visa policy of Australia

Category:Employment of foreign-born people

Category:1975 introductions