Working Holiday (Subclass) 417 visa - (Temporary)

The working holiday visa is a 12 month visa that can only be applied for from outside Australia, you must be between the ages of 18-30, be single or married with no children and have a passport from the list of countries that have a reciprocal working holiday arrangement with Australia :

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, United Kingdom.

If you hold an American passport or a passport from another country not on this list you can apply for a Work and Holiday visa.

The other criteria for a Working Holiday visa are:

Your main reason for travel to Australia is for a holiday and any work that you do in Australia is only temporary just to help fund your holiday. You must also be able to show that you have a good chance of finding temporary employment to support yourself while on holiday in Australia.
You must have a return ticket or sufficient money for a return ticket and a genuine intention to return to your home country at the end of your visa.

Second Working Holiday Visa

If during your first 12 month visa you have completed at least 3 months of specified regional work in specific regional parts of Australia, you can then apply for an extension for an additional year (12 months) on your working holiday visa.

You must have previously held a subclass 417 visas in Australia.

if in Australia, hold a substantive visa or your last substantive visa expired less than 28 days ago
hold a passport from an eligible country or jurisdiction
be 18 to 30 years old (or 35 years old for some countries)
have undertaken 3 months of specified subclass 417 work
not be accompanied by dependent children

Third Working Holiday Visa

If during your second 12 month visa you must have completed 6 months of specified subclass 417 work, you can then apply for an extension for an additional year (12 months) on your working holiday visa.

You must have previously held 2 subclass 417 visas in Australia.
if in Australia, hold a substantive visa or your last substantive visa expired less than 28 days ago
hold a passport from an eligible country or jurisdiction
be 18 to 30 years old (or 35 years old for some countries)
have undertaken 6 months of specified subclass 417 work
not be accompanied by dependent children

Approved industries and areas for specified work

The following industries and areas are approved for specified work:

tourism and hospitality in northern or remote and very remote Australia, from 22 June 2021
plant and animal cultivation in regional Australia
fishing and pearling in regional Australia
tree farming and felling in regional Australia
mining in regional Australia
construction in regional Australia
bushfire recovery work in declared bushfire affected areas only, after 31 July 2019
flood recovery work in declared flood recovery areas only, undertaken on or after 1 January 2022, for applications lodged on or after 1 July 2022
critical COVID-19 work in the healthcare and medical sectors anywhere in Australia, after 31 January 2020

In support of the Government's continuing initiatives to address the current labour shortages in Australia, the Department is temporarily applying flexibility to the specified work requirement, giving greater weight to the specified work industry. This means that work which supports the ongoing operations of a specified industry in an eligible postcode may be accepted.

Cost Visa Application Charge (VAC) is $635 for the primary applicant.

(VAC’s are updated and correct as of the 10th May 2024).

Visa Conditions:

Maximum 12 months stay in Australia with multiple entry and exits.
Maximum of four (4) months study during your holiday.
*Maximum of six (6) months with any one (1) employer *(depending on your occupation (Au pairs & others) and in exceptional circumstances you may be to apply for a waiver of the 6 month employer restriction. There are also other exemptions available.

Work and Holiday (Subclass) 462 visa - (Temporary)

This visa is for young people who want to holiday and work in Australia for up to a year.

The criteria for this visa are very similar to the 417 visa except for the eligible countries and no extension possible and annual limits on the amount of visas issued. You need to be at least 18 up to 30 years of age and you must not have any dependent child with you at any time during your stay in Australia.

You are also restricted to working for the one employer for a maximum period of 6 months, however, depending on your occupation (Au pairs & others) and in exceptional circumstances you may be to apply for a waiver of the 6 month employer restriction. You can also study for up to four months.

The countries eligible for this visa are:

Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, China (People's Republic of), Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, USA, Uruguay and Vietnam.

You can apply for a second Work and Holiday visa if you have worked for three months in northern Australia in tourism and hospitality or agriculture, forestry and fishing.

Cost Visa Application Charge (VAC) is $635 for the primary applicant.

(VAC’s are updated and correct as of the 10th May 2024).