Author: Matt and Danielle
20 September 2023
Visiting Australia is a dream for many, and it certainly was for us at one stage. Danielle and I originally had been granted our visa to live and work in Australia in January 2020, because that year was going to be our year!... You know how that turned out. Fast forward 2 years and we were living in Bali when Australia announced it would be re-opening. Our Australia working holiday visa had long since expired, but the good news was that didn't matter. Anyone who had not been able to travel to Australia due to COVID-19, and whose visa had expired, now could reapply and it could be reinstated. This was music to our ears, so we hopped online immediately to apply again!
What is a working holiday visa for Australia? why should you do it? and how can you get a working holiday visa?
Having gone through the process twice, and lived and worked in Australia before, we have you covered. Here is everything you need to know about the process, and why you NEED to do this!
In short, it's...AWESOME! And it does exactly what the name suggests. It's a visa that grants entry to Australia to work and travel. It lasts 12 months, but you can extend it up to 3 years. During that time you can live and work in Australia while also exploring all the incredible places! P.S. There are a lot of them.
It's perfect for anyone wanting to spend at least 1 year in Australia. If you don't quite have the funds ready to travel then no problem, work first and then use the money to explore. Worried about giving up a promising career by spending a year or so travelling? Do the job you do now, or want to do in the future, but in Australia instead. Maybe you spent some time backpacking Asia, and picked up the travel bug but need more money to continue travelling... a working holiday in Australia is the answer to all.
The amazing thing is that almost anyone can apply! The vast majority of countries can apply for and be granted a visa to work, travel around and stay in Australia. All you have to do is apply online but first check the individual requirements for your country.
The Australian Government can make changes to visa requirements, and they differ from country to country. The best thing you can do to make sure you're as up-to-date as possible on what you may need is to always check with the official government website. Being from the UK we have the 417 visa, but there are others too which you can find out all about below:
Previously the 417 Visa for the UK required participants to undertake 88 days of agricultural work (farm work), but this has since changed. You no longer need to do farm work, so you can literally do any job that you are qualified for, or want to do. How awesome is that?! It was also previously only valid until age 30, however, this has been increased to 35. This change has only come into effect for the UK, other countries may or may not have this in effect yet.
You're sold, you want to find a job in Australia and live out your travel dreams. You want to hug a koala bear, take a selfie in front of the Sydney Opera House and dive in the Great Barrier Reef. We get it, we've been there and the good news is it's all within reach.
The process is pretty straightforward, and we have compacted it all into 3 easy to follow steps:
The process is pretty straightforward, and we have compacted it all into 3 easy to follow steps:
Create an Immi account and run through the visa application process. provide copies of all the documents they request (Passport, bank statements, birth certificates etc.).
Pay the fee for your visa
Sit tight and wait for the good news!
It's as simple as that! You'll feel the warm Australian sun on your face in no time.
This will depend on your type of visa. Essentially you can do any job you like from the moment you arrive in Australia, as long as you have the working holiday visa. With that being said, you need to make sure you meet all your visa requirements to be eligible to stay for a second year if you want to. If you work in a cafe for 6 months but your visa also requires you to do 88 days of agricultural work, then you could miss out on your second-year visa. You would have to miss out on any potential travel plans to find somewhere you could complete your 88 days if you wanted to stay longer.
Our recommendation would be to understand your situation as best as you can. If you need to do the farm work then focus on that as your work rather than something else. If you are fortunate enough not to have to do the farm work then Australia is your oyster! The only condition that everyone has is that you cannot work for the same employer for longer than 6 months, and we will get into that very soon.
Having driven a lap of Australia in a campervan I can honestly say it is so easy to find work. There are "help wanted" signs in most store windows, farms are crying out for helping hands and most industries have a people shortage. If you need to undertake your 88 days of farm work then you will not struggle to find an orchard, vineyard, or mango farm that would love to have you onboard.
Danielle and I work remotely as we travel so we didn't need to do any specified work during our first year visa. We did pick up jobs in Busselton, which is a small seaside town in Margaret River in Western Australia. The weather further south looked very bad for the next month at least, and we were heading into one of the best beach regions in Australia. We were making our way towards Esperance in South West WA and didn't want the weather to ruin our trip. We had the time, so we called a few places in Busselton and both found jobs in a matter of days. Danielle did some cleaning in a motel, which meant we got a cheap room that was a welcome break from the van we'd lived in for several months. I called the closest pub, asked if they had vacancies, and started working there less than 1 week later.
The bottom line is there is work in Australia, and it is not difficult to find.
This is an interesting one, because why would you want to go all the way to Australia to work the entire time? Well, it turns out people try to do that. The idea of a working holiday visa is to go to Australia, travel and work. You get to see the amazing country as well as earn the money to do so either before or after your travels. Finding that balance is key because you cannot work for the same employer for more than 6 months. This encourages people to not only work but also go and explore!
If travel isn't on your agenda then you could go from one job to another without any issues. Maybe you're looking to immigrate to Australia, and the travel isn't your reason for being over there. You just have to find multiple jobs rather than one.
You've done most of the hard work. You've gone through the application process, possibly a very long flight and you've finally landed in Australia. What do you need to do when you land to set yourself up for a great year ahead?
Here are a few things that you need to tick off within the first few days of arriving in Australia:
Sim Card - This is a big one for us. Anytime we land somewhere it's one of the first things we do. If you're on your own then we suggest going with Telstra, but if there are more of you then have one person go with Optus. These are the 2 largest providers so having both gives you the best chance of having one person with a phone signal all around Australia.
Bank Account - If you want to get paid then you will need an Australian bank account. There are a few different banks you can choose from, but we went with NAB. This is the most popular bank in Australia so we figured it would give us access to more cash points etc. on our lap.
Tax File Number - If you are planning on working then you need to get a Tax File Number (TFN). You can apply for this for free through the national government website here.
Medicare - This is the national health service in Australia, which is available to all people living there. You need to register. Health Insurance is important regardless of where you are in the world so make sure to do this!
Superannuation - This is a legal requirement in Australia if you are looking to work. Superannuation (or super) is a retirement fund that you pay into. You can claim some of this back if you leave the country, but it is taxed. You can find out more about Superannuation here on the government website, and then you need to choose which company you will go with. We went for Australian Super, the most popular in Australia.
It is a lot of admin, but we promise it is worth it in the long run. Get it all done ASAP so you can start travelling, working and living out your dream life down under.
Your gap year in Australia is going better than you could have imagined. You start thinking that you want to get the ball rolling on getting your second-year working holiday visa. Danielle and I haven't yet applied for our second year as we wanted to go and explore other places first. You don't have to do this immediately after the first year, you can do it anytime as long as you complete the necessary requirements in your first year.
The main things are to make sure that you have done your 88 days (if you need to), and you are still under the age of 31 when applying (unless the age cap is 35). Other than that you already have experience with the visa process and you'll likely get through it much easier than the first time around. You can apply for your second year working holiday visa and spend even more time in Australia. From there you can go for your third year if you want, and then it's onto permanent residency... but we don't have any experience of those yet.
Have we given you the travel bug? Book your flights, accommodation and travel insurance all here.
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