Visa Guides: How To Get An Australian Working Holiday Visa

Australia: one of the most beautiful and diverse countries in the world. It’s not hard to see why almost 10 million people flock to its teal-coloured shores each year in search of sunshine, adventure, and mental animals. I am lucky to have lived, worked and travelled around Australia for two years on a working holiday visa. So, trust me, I know just how confusing the visa process can be. Lucky for us, working holiday visas are amongst the simplest to apply for and the perfect launchpad for creating your life in Australia. If you’re here, you probably have loads of questions on how to get an Australian working holiday visa, so I’ve compiled these easy tips on how to apply, any requirements, and cost. 

How To Get An Australian Working Holiday Visa 

Before I go into the specifics I just want to clarify the different types of Australian working holiday visa. These are all classified as the subclass 417 visa. 

Firstly, there is the First Working Holiday Visa which is the one you will apply for if you have not previously been to Australia on a working holiday visa (requirements below). Second is the Second Working Holiday Visa, which you can apply for during your First Working Holiday Visa. This is providing you have completed three months of regional farm work. Finally, there is now the Third Working Holiday Visa, which you can apply for during your Second Working Holiday Visa. This time providing you have completed six months of regional farm work. Confused yet? 

(This is also not to be confused with the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462), which is similar but aimed at citizens of different countries)

To make this a more digestible guide on how to get an Australian working holiday visa, I am going to focus on the First Working Holiday Visa. 

About Australian Working Holiday Visa

The term working holiday refers to being able to fund your holiday to Australia by working while you’re there. If you’re looking at how to get an Australian working holiday visa, it’s good to know some basic facts about what you are allowed/not allowed to do with it. Some benefits of holding a working holiday visa are: 

1. Work to help pay for your holiday 
2. Stay in Australia for 12 months
3. Unlimited re-entries to Australia during the 12 monthss
4. Study in Australia for up to four months 
5. No restrictions on what kind of work you can do (although you can only work for the same employer for 6 months)
6. Have the opportunity to extend your working holiday by completing three months of specified work

General Requirements

Before you think of applying for an Australian working holiday visa, there are a few requirements you need to be able to meet. According to the Australian immigration website, you must: 

1. Hold a passport from an eligible country (you can find the list here) 
2. Be between the ages of 18 & 30 (unless you are Canadian, French, or Irish where it’s up to 35)
3. Apply from OUTSIDE of Australia (meaning you can’t already be in the country) 
4. Not have any dependent children 
5. Not have previously applied 

Cost

Unfortunately, like most extended-stay visas, before your visa is approved you must pay a fee. The updated fee right now on the Australian government and immigration website is sat at $485AUD which works out to be around 250GBP (please check exchange rates as this is subject to change). You must pay this with your application, or it will not be submitted.

Finances

The Australian government also require you to have enough money to support yourself while you are in Australia and have enough money to leave at the end of your visa. This is usually enforced at the border, although I personally have never been asked to show evidence of my finances on any re-entries during my working holiday visas. As a precaution, I would have savings in your account to show in case you do get stopped. The government website advises having about $5000AUD to show you can support yourself. The proof is asked for in the form of a bank statement, or credit card with a similar limit.

Character Requirements

This sounds weird but, everybody who applies for Australian working holiday visas must satisfy the character requirements set out in Section 501 of the Migration Act 1958 (the Act). This includes advising them of any criminal convictions and/or police history. The government does consider all circumstances in a case, but this requires you to be completely honest, otherwise, your application will be refused. You can find the migration act here, and any reasons that you might be subsequently refused a working holiday visa.  

Other Requirements

With all the important requirements out of the way, there are a few other ones which may or may not apply to you. These include: 

1. Meeting the health requirements (which you can find here). If you do not meet these requirements you may be required to gain a medical certificate. 
2. Pay all outstanding debts to the Australian government (this only applies if you have previously lived and worked in Australia)
3. Not have had an Australian visa previously cancelled or rejected 
4. Sign the Australian values statement

How To Get An Australian Working Holiday Visa: How To Apply

Now that you know all the requirements and cost of the visa, it’s time to send off that application! Before applying, make sure you gather up all the documents you need to prove your identity (i.e. a passport and possibly a drivers licence) 

Next, you need to create a free ImmiAccount. 

Once you have your ImmiAccount and all of your documents, it is a fairly straight forward process to apply. Make sure you choose the right visa subclass (subclass 417) and have enough money to pay the fee before submitting (as they will not process your application until you pay). When it’s submitted, note down the transaction reference number for your records, this will come in handy if you need to contact immigration with any issues. 

How Long Does It Take? 

When I applied for my Australian working holiday visa, a decision was given to me via email within a few days. However, all applications have different processing times. Provided you have filled in the application correctly, 75% of applications are given a decision within 36 days. However, your application might take a tad longer if you didn’t provide the correct documents, or if the Australian government require a bit more information from you/need to verify some information. Don’t fret though! As long as you take some care filling out the application and make sure you meet all of the requirements, you shouldn’t have any problems! 

Visa Grant Letter 

Immigration will let you know their decision via letter/email (you can choose your preferred method during the application). Your visa grant letter will include the grant number, the date your visa is valid from (you have 12 months from the visa being granted to enter Australia and activate your visa), and any visa conditions. 

As everything is electronic these days, the visa will be attached to your passport (provided you have a passport that allows you to enter through airport e-gates). This means, when you enter Australia, you shouldn’t have to show a copy of your visa grant letter. Some people choose to have a physical copy of their visa printed with their travel documents, however, I did not do this and opted to show an electronic copy if I was ever asked (which I never was). 

So, there you have it, that’s how to get an Australian working holiday visa! You’re probably going to want to know what to do when you finally get your visa approved and on your way to Australia. You can read my quick tips on how to make the most of your working hoilday visa here. 

If you have any other questions on how to get an Australian working holiday visa, let me know in the comments!