Australia’s Working Holiday Visa Program

Australia has two visa subclasses which make up the Working Holiday Visa Program. These are the Working Holiday (Subclass 417) Visa and the Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) Visa. Both visa types provide an opportunity for young people to stay in Australia for one year while working in regional areas with the option to apply for a second year if eligible.

What is the difference between the ‘Working Holiday’ Visa and the ‘Work and Holiday’ Visa?

Both visa types under the Working Holiday Visa Program are very similar and your eligibility largely depends on your country of passport. If you hold a passport from any of the below countries, you may be eligible for a Working Holiday (Subclass 417) Visa:

– Belgium
– Canada
– Republic of Cyprus
– Denmark
– Estonia
– Finland
– France
– Germany
– Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
– Republic of Ireland
– Italy
– Japan
– Republic of Korea
– Malta
– Netherlands
– Norway
– Sweden
– Taiwan (other than an official or diplomatic passport)
– The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

If you hold a passport from any of the below countries, you may be eligible for a Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) Visa:

– 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
– Uruguay
– United States of America
– Vietnam

There are several additional eligibility criteria such as health and character requirements to meet in order to apply for these visas under the Work and Holiday Visa Program.

Applying for a second year under the Working Holiday Visa Program

Applicants for a second year under the Working Holiday Visa Program will need to have undertaken three months of ‘specific work in regional Australia’ as approved by the Department of Home Affairs while on their first visa. Our migration agents at Immigracious can help you understand if you meet the eligibility requirements to apply for a second year.

How Immigracious can assist you

To find out if you are eligible for a Work and Holiday Visa or a Working Holiday Visa and how our migration agents assist with each step of the visa process, you may find our free visa assessment helpful. Simply contact Immigracious on 6185 2770 or hello@immigracious.com.au

You may also wish to read about the Government’s decision to relax Working Holiday Visa Program restrictions from July 2019. Read our article on this here.