Visa
Document in Progress
Basics
After having read all About Australia and checked out our Australia Map, you should finally be convinced that Australia is a "must see" destination. The next question is probably "what should I do now?"
One of the first steps is to get a visa. Visas are very easy to obtain but if you plan to stay longer than just for a short holiday you should know a few things about the various possibilities.
In any case, unless you are from Australia or New Zealand, you need to have a valid visa to enter Australia!
Although you need a valid visa to enter, Australia is considered by many countries as equivalent to "visa-free". This is mainly due to the fact that since 2001 you can apply for visas online.
Before applying for your visa
Renew your current Passport
It may seems too obvious, but make sure your current passport doesn't expire anytime soon. We recommend that your passport does not expire for at least one year after the date you intend to depart on your travel.
We have seen many backpackers who were sure to only stay for a few months in Australia and ended up staying much longer than they thought. You will save yourself a lot of unnecessary headache and cost if you do the right thing from the beginning. We assume that you prefer enjoying the sun at the beach instead of chasing consulates.
Visa types
The following types of visa are available:
Working Holiday Makers
The Working Holiday and Work & Holiday Programmes provide opportunities for people between 18 and 30 to holiday in Australia and to supplement their travel funds through incidental employment. You can stay up to 12 month in Australia and can extend it to 24 months. Find detailed information about this visa type further below.
As a backpacker you will be mostly interested in obtaining a Working Holiday Visa.
Tourists
For people to visit Australia for holiday, sightseeing, social or recreational reasons, to visit relatives, friends or for other short-term non-work purposes.
Students and Trainees
For people to study, train or undertake an apprenticeship in Australia.
Workers
For skilled workers who have qualifications and/or experience in particular occupations required in Australia.
Business People
For people who want to come to Australia for a business-related visit, or to establish or develop a business.
Unfortunately they are not available to all countries, in which case you would be looking at a Tourist or Student Visa.
Below you will find everything you need to know about Working Holiday Visas, Tourist Visas and Student Visas. We follow changes in legislation and visa application procedures regularly and update our information accordingly (current status: April 2006). Check on www.immi.gov.au if you need information about other visas not explained here.
First Working Holiday Visa (WHV - subclass 417)
Overview
This is definitely the visa with the most benefits to backpackers. You can stay up to two years in Australia and you can work to supplement the cost of your trip.
Unfortunately this visa is only available to you if you have a valid passport from one of the following countries:
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 United Kingdom
Further countries (USA etc.) are currently in negotiations but there is no official confimation or implementation dates available yet. We'll keep you up to date with the latest news.
There is also a special WHV subclass 462, for tertiary educated people from Chile, Iran, Thailand, Bangladesh and Turkey to holiday up to 12 months in Australia. Please check www.immi.gov.au for details)
Benefits
With a Working Holiday Visa you can:
- stay in Australia for 12 months from the date of initial entry to Australia
- extend your stay to 24 months with a "Second Working Holiday" visa (further details below)
- do any kind of work of a temporary or casual nature (basically anything), for a maximum of 6 months with any one employer (you can work for as many employers as you wish, as long as you don't have the same job/employer for more than 6 months)
- study or train for up to 4 months
- travel into and out of Australia as many times that you want (eg. you can go to New Zealand and come back. Note: Any time spent outside Australia while on your first Working Holiday visa does not extend the length of the visa.).
Requirements
To be able to apply for your First Working Holiday visa you must:
- be outside of Australia and not have previously entered Australia on a Working Holiday Visa, and
- be aged between 18 years and 30 years (not turned 31) at the time of the visa application,and
- have a valid passport of one of the following countries: 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 United Kingdom, and
- have no dependent children, and
- not be applying more than 12 months prior to your intended travel to Australia
Cost
The current charge for a Working Holiday Visa is A$ 185.00 (approximately 115 Euro)
Check our currency converter for accurate conversion and adittional currencies).
How to apply
Second Working Holiday Visa
You can extend your first working holiday visa by another 12 months with a Second Working Holiday Visa while you are still in Australia on your First Working Holiday visa.
You can also apply for the Second Working Holiday Visa after you returned home from your first trip.
Requirements
The basic requirement like age, valid passport etc. are the same as for the first visa. In addition to this, you must
prove that you have worked as a seasonal worker in regional Australia for a minimum of 3 months while holding your first visa.
This basically means that you have to provide proof in writing that you have worked for a total of 3 month as a seasonal worker.
This work doesn't have to be done in one go, you can add up working days from several employers. This work doesn't have to be paid work either, for example the WWOOF scheme (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) can also count toward the three month of seasonal work.
Please note the "regional" aspect. You won't find any eligible work for the 2nd visa in major cities like Sydney, Melbourne etc..
You will find details about what seasonal and regional is on the form you will have to submit. You can find this form at http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1263.pdf
Best practice is to check with an employer if the work is elegible (and then double check).