Introduction

The Working Holiday Maker Visa Program provides a once only opportunity (now with provision for a second visa subject to meeting certain requirements) for a person aged between 18 and 30 from one the following countries to holiday in Australia and to supplement their travel funds through incidental employment:

United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Republic of Ireland, Republic of Korea, Malta, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China, Finland, the Republic of Cyprus, France, and Italy, Belgium, Estonia and Taiwan.

In addition, Australia is negotiating working holiday maker arrangements with a number of other countries.

Travelers from Chile, Thailand or Turkey may apply for the apply for a Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462).

Working holiday makers must hold a passport of one of the above countries which has a reciprocal arrangement with Australia.

The visa allows a stay of up to 12 months from the date of first entry to Australia, regardless of whether or not you spend the whole time in Australia.

From July 2006, the Government also announced that backpackers will be able to work with the same employer for up to 6 months. Prior to this date this date backpackers were limited to a maximum of 3 months with individual employers.

Any kind of work of a temporary or casual nature is allowed, but not for more than 6 months with the one same employer.

Working holiday visas can be obtained by making an application on the Internet or by lodging a written application at an overseas visa office.

From November 2005, Working Holiday Maker visa holders in Australia who have completed at least 3 months seasonal harvest work in regional Australia will be able to apply for another 12 month Working Holiday Maker visa.

From July 2006, backpackers who work in primary industries such as fishing, pearling, shearing, butchery and forestry, will also be able to apply for the 12-month extension. This will be a major boost to rural and regional industries, particularly those who are heavy users of backpacker labour to meet seasonal workloads.

The working holiday maker scheme has grown from less than 50,000 people a year in the mid 1990s to more than 104,000 in 2004-05. This number is expected to increase in 2006-07 and 2007-2008.

Working Holiday Maker visa holders will be allowed to apply for a Skilled Independent Regional visa while still onshore, providing a pathway to permanent residence

The Level 1 Service (US$99) allows for a professional assessment of your visa eligibility and preparation of a written document containing all the advice, information, application forms and support to successfully manage a Working Holiday Maker visa application. This is our most popular service and many clients have successfully utilised this affordable alternative to traditional migration consultancy.

This service also comes with our ongoing email support and a free 30 minute telephone conversation. Our email support is now unlimited. It is our interest to ensure our clients are satisfied with our service, and if successful in migration know they can rely on us for any help and support they may need to make the transition to Australian life as easy as possible.

Please complete the Online Assessment and make payment for our Working Holiday in Australia Service so that we can analyse your profile, determine your eligibility, advise further on how to secure an Australian Working Holiday Visa and show you how you can make the most of your stay in Australia. Payment can be made by credit card on our secure website. For alternate payment options please contact This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it