Working Holiday Maker (WHM)
Australia's reciprocal Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program has been fostering stronger links between young people from Australia and around the world since 1975. This visa lets people 18 to 30 years old (or 35 years old for some countries) have their first extended holiday in Australia and work here to help fund their trip. If you apply for the visa when you’re still 30, but turn 31 before the application has been approved, the visa may still be granted. The WHM program now includes over 40 partner countries or jurisdictions in two visa subclasses, the Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa and the Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa.
How do I get a Working Holiday visa for Australia?
To get the Working Holiday visa, you must
hold a passport from an eligible country or jurisdiction.
be 18 to 30 years old (or 35 years old for some countries)
apply online from outside Australia.
not be accompanied by dependent children.
not have previously entered Australia on a subclass 417 or 462 visa.
What is the difference between Working Holiday Visa 417 and 462?
Both allow non-Australians to come to Australia on a working holiday, but they do have slight differences.
Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa requires an educational certificate meeting the education requirement, while Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa does not have education requirements.
Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa requires a letter of support from your government (if required for your country) whereas a 417 does not. You must give them a letter of support from your government if you are from: Ecuador, Greece, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Malaysia (Good Conduct Certificate), Mongolia, Peru, Poland, San Marino, Slovenia, Thailand, Turkey.
Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa also requires proof that you have functional English, while Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa does not require you to show functional English. Proving functional English can be done in a few ways: Hold a valid passport issued by the USA, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland; A successfully completed English Bagrut exam at the level of 3 study units and you are a citizen of if holding an Israeli passport; IELTS – An average band score of at least 4.5 (or equivalent).
Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa is limited to a yearly cap for each country, while visa 417 has no such limitations.
Working holiday (subclass 417) visa
Introduced in 1975, the Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa is a temporary visa for young people who want to holiday and work in Australia for up to 12 months. During their 12 month stay, 417 visa holders can work as much or as little as they choose in full-time, part-time, casual, paid or voluntary work. However, the work is restricted to a period of six months with any single employer.
Working holiday (subclass 417) visas are open to people with passports from Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. Today, the largest numbers of entrants under this visa subclass continue to come from the UK, followed by young people from Taiwan, Germany, South Korea and France.
Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa
In 2003 the Howard Government began to develop a Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa category with additional requirements for young people from countries that had not already entered into Working Holiday (subclass 417) partner agreements. Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visas are open to people with passports from: Argentina, Austria, Chile, China, People’s Republic of, Czech Republic, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, USA, Uruguay, Vietnam. The highest number of citizens granted this visa are from the US.
Is your country of passport listed above? If yes, keep scrolling down for more information. If not, contact us to find out more options for holiday or working visas.
How do I apply for Working Holiday Maker?
Before you begin your application, check to make sure that applications are still open for your country of passport. The Department of Home Affairs website gives up to date information on the status of country caps.
To apply for WHM, you need to either go online, create an ImmiAccount and fill out the details or attach the following documents to your paper application. You may be asked for a number of documents during your application process, such as:
The pages of your passport showing your name, personal details and passport issue and expiry dates.
A copy of your birth certificate showing both your parents’ names.
Evidence of funds (usually AUD $5,000). On top of your savings, you should have a return air ticket or enough funds to pay for a flight home.
Depending on your country of citizenship, you may also be required to provide:
Character documents, including military records, but someone will contact you if they’re needed.
Proof of English language proficiency
All documents you attach to your application must be in English. Those that aren’t have to be supplied with a translation that includes the translator’s details. You’ll need clear, colour scans or photographs of each of these documents. If a document has more than one page, it should be saved as a single file.
You must pay AUD495 for your working holiday visa. Until the correct visa fee is paid, your application won’t be processed by the Immigration Department. Make sure that you submit the fee correctly via your ImmiAccount.
Can I apply for a second Working Holiday visa?
If you wish to stay longer and continue your working holiday, you may be able to apply for a second Working Holiday visa which will allow you to stay for an extra 12 months. Anyone holding a Working Holiday (subclass 417) or a Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa may be eligible to apply for a second and third year working holiday visa if they meet the requirements for certain work in a specified area in Australia. Check to ensure the work you are undertaking and the regional area of Australia is eligible under the guidelines, as specified work eligibility differs between subclass 417 and subclass 462 visas. You can apply for a second Working Holiday Maker visa either while you still have your first visa or at a later date.
Where can I find a job in Australia?
WHMs gravitate to Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria for work, mainly for agriculture jobs, but hospitality and tourism jobs also figure strongly. The remainder of jobs were spread across other sectors such as construction and mining, sales and marketing and others. The most common jobs reported were crop farm worker, waiter and bar attendant/barista.
Most WHMs were paid between $15 and $30 per hour. Here are a list of the best Australian job search engines (or job boards):
Seek. Australia’s largest employment marketplace. So, make sure to create a seek profile and browse the site’s large database.
Australian Government Job Search. It’s the second leading resource for job seekers in Australia.
Adzuna. Bringing every job into one place so you can find yours. Includes features such as find local salary and hiring trends.
CareerOne. Upload your CV to create a profile in seconds and find jobs based on your skills, experience and desired job criteria.
Indeed. Australian page of the online portal which lets you upload your resume and search by city and job title.
What can you do to increase your chances to stay in Australia after the completion of your Working Holiday Maker?
The working holiday scheme is a temporary program for young people. You cannot get a permanent visa via a Working Holiday visa. However, the program is increasingly providing a pathway to further employment under other visa categories, such as the Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) visa, which may in time lead to permanent residency in Australia. Enrol in some Diploma courses that could lead to potential employment and sponsorship, meaning courses that could get you an occupation listed on the STSOL or MLTSSL, or even ROL.
