When we first decided we wanted to work and live in Australia for a while, I just wanted a step-by-step guide to apply for the right working visa. I know there are questions that need answering and what if something comes up but the internet doesn’t have the answer? This is why I have put together the ultimate guide to applying for an Australian Working Holiday Visa based on my personal experience.

Note: This is written for those with UK passports. If you do not hold a UK passport, please see the Australian Government website for details to apply for the correct visa as it differs depending on which country you are from.

At time of writing: 1.85 AUD = £1.

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What is a Working Holiday Visa?

As a UK passport holder, you can apply for a Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) to Australia. This enables you to live and work in Australia for 1 year. You have to pay for this visa and apply online. Not everyone is guaranteed their first working holiday visa. If you do get your visa granted though, it’s a great opportunity to experience living and working abroad.

What you need

When applying for a working holiday visa in Australia, if you’re from the UK, you must:

  • Have a valid UK passport.
  • Go with the intention of treating it as a holiday first.
  • Be between 18 and 30 years old (for some countries the working holiday visa in Australia age limit is 35 years old).
  • Be outside of Australia when you apply.
  • Have not previously held a working holiday visa for Australia.
  • Not be accompanied by dependant children.

Working Holiday Visa Rules

There are rules to follow when on a working holiday Australia visa.

  • You must not be employed by the same employer for more than 6 months.
  • You must not undertake more than 4 months of study.

Applying for an Australian Working Holiday Visa

Where can I apply?

To apply for my working holiday visa to Australia, I used this website – https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login. On this website, you must create an ‘Immi’ account to access the online application.

There are other websites people have used so you can always check online for yourself.

You also have the stress-free option of paying for a company to do it for you such as STA travel. I know friends who have gone through STA Travel and not had to worry about a thing because STA Travel sorted everything for them. When applying for an Australian WHV, follow this WHV for Australia guide and you can do it yourself!

Questions asked on the application

  • You must provide all of your important details such as name, DOB, place of birth, address, occupation, passport details, etc.
  • You will be asked whether you have visited or lived outside of the UK for more than 3 consecutive months (other than Australia). This is where I declared yes because I’d previously visited Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and New Zealand for 5 consecutive months. On the following page of the application, you must write everywhere you have been and the dates of entry/exit. See ‘Delayed Working Holiday Visa’ below for more information.
  • You will then be asked if you work (or intend to work) in health care facilities, childcare settings and about your medical history. This, as the above point, is because they need to determine whether or not you need a medical. See more below.
  • Next, they question whether you meet their character requirements. See their website’s ‘Character Requirement’ page for more information.

How much does it cost?

It cost me 450 Australian Dollars plus service charge. I paid about £250 for the application. I have seen that this fee has now changed. It will cost 485 AUD to apply for a working holiday visa which is about £264.

How long does the application take to come back?

According to their website, Australian government says that:

  • 75% of applications in 13 days
  • 90% of applications in 22 days

Most of the people I know had their visa granted within a couple of days. I know someone who had their visa back the very same day. Once you apply, keep checking your emails for the granted email!

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Delayed Working Holiday Visa for Australia

My Working Holiday Visa took 2 months to come back to me for one specific reason: I needed a medical examination.

I applied and paid for my application on a Saturday morning (15/12/18) and had an instant acknowledgement email. I checked my IMMI account and noticed it said ‘requires health assessment’.

I needed to have a medical examination because I was outside of the UK for more than 3 consecutive months. In 2016, I travelled to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and New Zealand for 5 months in total. Specifically though, I think it was because I went to Vietnam (only for 4 weeks) and Vietnam has a high risk for tuberculosis.

I then had an email on 19/12/18 from the Australian Government advising me of the additional requirements needed. I made an appointment with an approved clinic (luckily only about half an hour away from me). They have a full list of approved clinics on their site.

The medical examination cost me a hefty £269!! I had to have a full medical test and chest x-ray. After going for the medical and having the Doctor sign me off, the visa came back almost immediately.

I received an email that my visa was finally granted on 12/02/2019. Yay!

What is Included in the Australia Working Holiday Visa Medical Examination?

Once you get the message/email that they require further information, you must find an approved centre and book an appointment. When you go to an approved medical centre, the Doctor can access your visa application. I needed to provide a urine sample, have a chest x-ray and a full medical examination by a Doctor where they checked my sight, chest, etc. They may require more from you depending on your application. Once the Doctor confirms you have passed the health requirement, they will confirm in your immi account.

What’s an IMMI account?

An immi account is an account via the Australian Government website and you must create an account in order to apply for your visa online. Once you input your email address, this is where correspondence will be sent as well as your granted visa email.

How long does the visa last?

The 417 visa is a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) that allows you to live and work in Australia for 1 year. Once your visa is granted, you have 1 year from the date to enter Australia. Once you enter Australia your WHV will start and then will expire exactly 1 year later. For example, if your visa is granted on 27/08/2019, you have until 27/08/2020 to enter Australia (I’d enter at least a few days before the exact date just in case). Say you enter on 30/08/2019, you can stay in Australia until 29/08/2020.

Entering Australia

Picture of a plane in the sky
  • Decide where you are going. Do you want to move to Sydney, start working on a farm in Queensland or at a restaurant in Melbourne?
  • You have exactly 1 year from the date your visa was granted to enter Australia.
  • Once you have entered, you have 1 year to work and holiday in Australia.
  • You get multiple entry meaning you can leave and re-enter within that year.
  • Your visa will be digitally assigned to your passport so when you enter Australia it will be on your records. I had my ‘granted’ email printed though, just in case.
  • You must be honest on declaration forms as you were on your visa application. See below for my experience.
  • You must have sufficient funds to cover your time in Australia so ensure you have planned your travel savings well. The amount of money required to enter Australia on a Working Holiday Visa is at least 5000 AUD.
  • You must have a ticket out of Australia or sufficient funds to cover this. Of course, if you’re planning on staying for a year then you won’t have a ticket out of Australia yet.

Declaration Card

When you fly to Australia, you will be given a declaration card to enter Australia. They ask whether you have been to places such as open lake areas, farms, etc. I had visited Borneo for a wildlife safari the week before so I answered yes to this. Entering Australia, I had to go through Quarantine because they wanted to check any items of clothing/shoes that may need to be cleaned. My trainers were cleaned and I was allowed to enter Australia.

Other questions they ask if whether you have over the allowed amount of tobacco, alcohol, whether you have any food and if you’ve been to certain countries in the months prior to arrival.

Read Next: What to Do on Your First Week Moving to Melbourne in Australia

Working Holiday Visa Second Year

If you want to stay in Australia for a second year, you have to do specified work. This is also known as farm work and is what a lot of backpackers do to get their second year visa. Approved industries for specified work include plant and animal cultivation, fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling, mining, construction. To see the full information, refer to their website here.

Note:

  • You must do 88 days of regional work to be eligible to apply for a second year.
  • The 88 days must be signed off by your employer.
  • You must have payslips to prove your work.
  • You must do the work during your first year visa (subclass 417).

Further Queries

If you want to know anything else that hasn’t been included, feel free to contact me on shireen@thehappydaystravels.com and I’ll try to help you find the answer.

Accommodation for first days in Australia

You should book your first few days of accommodation on arrival in Australia. On your declaration card, they ask where you will be staying so you can put the address on this card.

I booked a hostel for the first few nights on arrival through booking.com. Staying in Melbourne, I booked United Backpackers hostel. It was the perfect place to arrive with 24/7 reception, easy to find and easy check-in.

Use the search box below to book a place to stay in Australia.



Booking.com

Getting from the Airport to Accommodation

If you get an Australian SIM card, the best advice I can give you is to download Uber. You can then book an Uber directly from the airport to your accommodation and you know you won’t get ripped off at a high price. If you use my referral code for Uber, we will both get discounts!

My referral code is: shireena1093ui.

Want to Work in Canada? Find out about the Canadian Working Holiday Visa application here.

Australia Blog Posts:

37 Things to Do in Melbourne

How to Do a Road Trip on Great Ocean Road

Melbourne – St Kilda Day Trip 

Street Art in Melbourne

Brunch Review in Melbourne

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