How to Get an Australia Working Holiday Visa (for Brits)

If you’re a Brit and looking into taking a trip Down Under to work and travel, then the best visa for you is probably the Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417).

I’m going to keep this short and simple because, from experience, if you’re reading something like this then you’re probably in the midst of a lot of research and could do without any unnecessary information and waffle. Here’s all you need to know…

[FYI – this is just a basic checklist for the ‘average Joe’. If you have any health issues, criminal convictions or anything like that then check out the Australian Government Dept. of Immigration and Citizenship website for the fine print.]

Who’s it for?

• Anyone wanting to travel and work in Australia on a short term basis
• Anyone aged 18-30 years old (must have turned 18, but not 31 on date of entry to Australia)

Main features

• Allows you to enter Australia within 12 months of your visa being granted
• Allows you to stay in Australia for 12 months, starting from your date of entry into the country. (You can leave and re-enter the country as many times as you like, but any time spent outside Australia does not extend the length of the visa.)
• Allows you to do any kind of work, however you can only work with the same employer for up to 6 months
• Allows you to study for up to 4 months. (Any longer and you need a Student Visa.)

Eligibility

• You must be outside Australia when you apply and when your visa is granted
• Must not have previously had any type of Working Holiday Visa for Australia
• Must not have any dependent children
• Must hold a passport from a participating country (The UK is one – huzzah!)
• You must have sufficient funds to support yourself and a bank statement to prove it. (Apparently AU$5000 is termed as ‘sufficient’ but I’m not sure how strictly this is enforced… I’ll let you know!)
• Must have an onward ticket out of Australia or enough money to buy your ticket home. (Again, I’ll let you know!)
  

How to apply

First of all you need to have these details handy: name, DOB, passport number, passport issue/expiry date, country of issue, issuing authority/place.

Secondly, grab your credit card. The WHV costs AU$235 which works out at about £150ish depending on the conversion rate.

Once you’ve got all that then head to the Australian Government Dept. of Immigration and Citizenship website by clicking HERE and fill out your application. Simples!

I applied for mine at about 9pm and was accepted by 11am the following day so, as long as you have a straight-forward application, it shouldn’t take too long too long to be confirmed.

Next step? Get planning your adventure!!!