Working Holiday Visas for Australia – Find out if you’re eligible

If you’re under the age of 35 a working holiday visa would likely be your first port of call for Australia. Here are the ins an outs to help you ascertain whether or not you meet the requirements. If you have any intention of remaining in Australia beyond a year, or even if you’re unsure, read the full article carefully as Australia requires regional work – and they won’t let you stay if you don’t complete it!

Australia Working Holiday 417 Visa

An Australian Working Holiday 417 visa (sometimes colloquially called a Backpacker Visa) allows you to be able to live, work, and travel inside Australia for up to 12 months. It’s the perfect visa for traveling the country while earning some work experience and money to continue your travels! People aged between 18 and 30 (or 18-35 for Irish, UK, French, and Canadian passport holders) and who want to go on a working holiday to Australia can apply for this. You can study for up to 4 months on this visa. To apply for this, you’ll need to meet eligible criteria, such as:

• You have a valid passport from an eligible country (see list below)
• Your passport is valid throughout your time in Australia
• You will not have a dependent child with you while you are in Australia
• It is your first Australian working holiday visa
• You have enough money to support yourself in Australia (AUD 5,000)
• You are of good health and character

Which passports qualify for a working holiday visa?

At the time of application, you must be within the eligible age limit for your passport country. Here is the list of passports that Australian Home Affairs accepts for a 417 visa and the age bands:

• Republic of Ireland – 18 to 35 years
• United Kingdom and Northern Ireland – 18 to 35 years
• Belgium – 18 to 30 years
• Canada – 18 to 35 years
• Republic of Cyprus – 18 to 30 years
• Denmark – 18 to 35 years
• Estonia – 18 to 30 years
• Finland – 18 to 30 years
• France – 18 to 35 years
• Germany – 18 to 30 years
• Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (including British National Overseas passport holders) – 18 to 30 years
• Italy – 18 to 35 years
• Japan – 18 to 30 years
• Republic of Korea – 18 to 30 years
• Malta – 18 to 30 years
• Netherlands – 18 to 30 years
• Norway – 18 to 30 years
• Sweden – 18 to 30 years
• Taiwan (other than an official or diplomatic passport) – 18 to 30 years

If you apply for the visa while you are 35 (or 30), but turn 36 (or 31) before Australian Immigration has made a decision, they stipulate that they will still grant you the visa.

Second year visa for Australia

• First and foremost, this visa is only available to people who have completed 3 months, or 88 days of specified work (also known as regional work) in listed regions in the country while on their original working holiday visa. See below a breakdown of what type of work qualifies.
• There is a postcode list (scroll to the bottom of the link) that you should check to ensure your specified work employment is in the right area/region in Australia so that it’s counted towards your 88 days for the 2nd year visa.
• You will need to provide evidence of this work on a Form 1263 – Employment Verification form.
• You can apply for it while still inside Australia or after you left
• The processing time for this visa ranges between 3 days to 3 weeks usually, once the forms arrive with the embassy.
• UK regional work exception: From 1 July 2024 – Regional work requirements will be dropped for UK passport holders for 2nd and 3rd year Working Holiday Visas.

Third year visa for Australia

This visa allows you to extend your stay for another year.

• Again, you can apply for it while inside Australia or after you have left.
• You can travel to and from the country while on this visa
• You’ll need to have completed 6 months or 179 days of specified work to secure this visa (UK passport holders exempted from January 2024)
• The eligibility and application procedures are identical to the 2nd year visa

What work qualifies as specified work?

The following industries and areas are approved for specified work:

• Tourism and hospitality in northern or remote and very remote Australia, from 22 June 2021
• Plant and animal cultivation in regional Australia
• Fishing and pearling in regional Australia
• Tree farming and felling in regional Australia
• Mining in regional Australia
• Construction in regional Australia
• Bushfire recovery work in declared bushfire affected areas only, after 31 July 2019
• Flood recovery work in declared flood recovery areas only, undertaken on or after 1 January 2022, for applications lodged on or after 1 July 2022
• Critical COVID-19 work in the healthcare and medical sectors anywhere in Australia, after 31 January 2020

Read more about jobs that qualify as regional work.

How to apply for your Australian Working Holiday Visa (417)

NexVentur has partnered with 417 specialists VisaFirst to bring you a seamless visa application process.  With more than 15 years of visa processing experience and over 50,000 visa inquiries a year, it’s safe to say they know a thing or two about securing Australian visas and will ensure your application is filled in correctly!

Apply online here

How NexVentur can help you:

As recruitment and relocation specialists, NexVentur can assist you in finding the right job plus we’ll help get you there. Our services include:

• Recruitment in Ireland and Australia
• Arranging your visas
• Assisting with professional registrations
• Flights with extra baggage, fare savings and other perks
• Setting up your overseas bank account
• Setting up your Australian Tax File Number (TFN)
• Money transfer
• Mortgages
• Assisting with move logistics
• Relocation advice – all members of our team have relocated at least once in our lives, so we know how it feels and the challenges you face.

Book your free consultation now and let’s help you get started on your next adventure.