Australian Working Holiday Visas

WHO CAN COME?

Fully vaccinated travellers with one of the below visas (or listed here) can now travel to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption.

VISA INFORMATION

Applications for the following VISA’s are now being accepted:

AUSTRALIAN WORKING HOLIDAY VISA (SUBCLASS 417)  

A Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa is a temporary visa allowing young adults a working holiday in Australia for a stay of up to 12 months from the date of first entry to Australia, regardless of whether or not you spend the whole time in Australia.

Age 18-30: Belgium | Republic of Cyprus | Denmark | Estonia | Finland | Germany | Italy | Japan | Republic of Korea | Malta | Netherlands | Norway | Sweden | The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Taiwan (other than an official or diplomatic passport) | Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (including British National Overseas passport holders)

Age 18-35: Canada | France | Republic of Ireland | Denmark* | Italy* (*as of 1 July 2022)

For full details of the Australian Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417), including eligibility criteria, please visit The Department of Home Affairs Australian Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417) page.

AUSTRALIAN WORK AND HOLIDAY VISA (SUBCLASS 462) 

An Australian Work and Holiday Visa is available for tertiary-educated people from 26 participating countries (now includes Switzerland). The visa provides similar opportunities to the WHM visa scheme but has additional criteria such as specific education requirements and a functional level of english language.

Participating Countries: Argentina | Austria | Chile | China, People’s Republic of | Czech Republic | Ecuador | Greece | Hungary | Indonesia | Israel | Luxembourg | Malaysia | Peru | Poland | Portugal | San Marino | Singapore | Slovak Republic | Slovenia | Spain | Thailand | Turkey | Uruguay | United States of America | Vietnam | Switzerland | Brazil* | Mongolia* (*as of 1 July 2022)

To learn about the requirements for the Australian Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462) please visit The Department of Home Affairs Australian Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462) page.

SECOND & THIRD WORKING HOLIDAY VISA 

Fallen in love with the Australian way of life and wish you could stay longer?

As a previous or existing subclass 417 or subclass 462 visa holder, you may be eligible to apply for a second Working Holiday visa, which will allow you to stay for an extra 12 months, if you have worked in any regional primary industry - for example, farm work or tourism & hospitality in northern, remote or very remote parts of Australia, or in other critical sectors - for three months (88 days). To ensure the work you are undertaking and the regional area of Australia is eligible under the guidelines please visit subclass 417 and subclass 462 pages, depending in your existing visa, for specified work information.

Visa holders may also be able to apply for a third-year visa if 6 months of specified work in specified regional area during the second year has been completed. Click on your VISA for more - Subclass 417 and Subclass 462.

STUDENT VISAS 

Alternatively, if you plan to undertake study while in Australia, the Department of Home Affairs has a Student Visa available.

Was your WHM visa affected by COVID-19?

From 1 July 2021 to 31 December 2022, holders and former holders of a WHM visa whose who were previously unable to come to Australia or had to leave early because of COVID-19 will be able to apply again for a visa with the visa application charge (VAC) waived – find out how here.

Latest Australian Government announcements

In addition to the above, from 19 January 2022 to 19 April 2022, WHMs who arrive in Australia can apply for a full refund of the VAC ​for their WHM visa. This will apply to WHMs who already have a visa, as well as those who are granted a new visa, and who travel to Australia within this timeframe. For full details click Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program.

Click for recent announcements regarding Student Visa holders.

WHAT'S NEXT?

You've organised your visa, so what else do you need to do? Check out YHA's tips & advice for getting the boring BUT ESSENTIAL admin in place before you head down under for the experience of a lifetime. If you want to skip to good stuff and see what work opportunities are out there, Y-Jobs (our dedicated tourism and hospitality jobs board) is a great place to start!

Information last updated 5 April 2022

While every effort has been made to ensure correct information, YHA Australia does not take responsibility for any errors or omissions or any loss or inconvenience suffered by any person resulting from information published on this page.

YHA encourages all travellers to Australia to check Government pages for the most up-to-date information - click here.