Overview
With a working holiday visa you can stay in Australia for 12 months (and up to three years for some countries) and take on short-term employment (up to six months with any one employer).
You must arrange your visas several months prior to coming to Australia.
Who can apply?
If you are aged 18 to 30 (or up to 35 for some countries), haven't previously entered Australia on a working holiday visa, don't have children, and meet other requirements, you may be eligible to live and work in Australia on a working holiday visa.
With the easing of working holiday visa restrictions in July 2023, the Australian Working Holiday Visa now allows travellers, aged 18 to 30 (and now up to 35 for some countries), to stay in Australia for up to three years and take on a range of short-term employment.
These visas enable travellers to do short-term work to help fund their Australian holiday and study for up to four months within a 12-month period. See immi.homeaffairs.gov.au for details on new working holiday arrangements for UK passport holders.
Visa options
Working Holiday visa (Subclass 417)
For citizens of Belgium, Canada, Republic of 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.
Work and Holiday visa (Subclass 462)
For citizens of Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mongolia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, United States of America and Vietnam.
Check the Department of Home Affairs website immi.homeaffairs.gov.au for visa details.
Extend your stay with "specified work"
If you hold a Working Holiday visa (Subclass 417) and undertake "specified work" in regional Victoria for at least three months, you may be eligible for a second and third 12-month visa.
Note that from, 1 July 2024, UK passport holders can be granted up to three separate Working Holiday visas without having to meet any specified work requirements.
Types of "specified work" currently include:
- tourism and hospitality in northern, remote or very remote Australia
- plant and animal cultivation (e.g. harvesting and/or packing fruit)
- fishing and pearling
- tree farming and felling
- mining
- construction
- bushfire recovery work in declared bushfire affected areas
- flood recovery work in declared flood recovery areas
Check the Department of Home Affairs website immi.homeaffairs.gov.au for more about specified work.
Volunteer work
Volunteering may qualify you for the additional year extension of the working holiday visa, if the volunteer work falls under a "specified work" category. Find out more about volunteering in Victoria.
