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The following visas are for people aged between 18 and 30 or 35 (eligible passport holders) from arrangement countries to have an extended holiday supplemented by short-term employment.

Working Holiday Visa

The Working Holiday (Subclass 417) visa allows people to holiday in Australia and supplement their travel funds through incidental employment.

You could qualify for this temporary working holiday visa if you:

  • Hold a passport from an eligible country
  • Aged between 18 and 30 years old or 35 years old (for some countries)
  • Apply online from outside Australia (first visa)
  • Not be accompanied by any dependents during your stay in Australia
  • Not have previously entered Australia on a Subclass 417 visa or Subclass 462 visa (first visa)

Eligible countries (aged 18-30) include:  Belgium, Republic of Cyprus,  Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan (other than an official or diplomatic passport).

Eligible countries (aged 18-35) include:  Canada,  Denmark, France, Republic of Ireland, Italy, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (including British National Overseas passport holders).

You may also be eligible to apply for a second and third Working Holiday (Subclass 417) visa if you meet certain visa eligibility criteria.

If you would like more information in relation to the Working Holiday (Subclass 417) visa please contact Lisa Vorbach today on 0416 084 889 or lisa@travellingsouth.com.au.

Work and Holiday Visa

The Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) visa allows people to holiday in Australia and supplement their travel funds through incidental employment.

You could qualify for this temporary work and holiday visa if you:

  • Hold a passport from an eligible country
  • Aged between 18 and 30 years old (before you turn 31).
  • Not be accompanied by any dependents during your stay in Australia.

Eligible countries include:  Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkiye, Uruguay, United States of America, and Vietnam.

You may also be eligible to apply for a second and third Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) visa if you meet certain visa eligibility criteria.

If you would like more information in relation to the Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) visa please contact Lisa Vorbach today on 0416 084 889 or  lisa@travellingsouth.com.au.

Ballot Process for Mainland China, India and Vietnam

On 6 June 2024, the Department of Home Affairs and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade released further details on the Work and Holiday Program initiatives for Mainland China, India and Vietnam.  For the year 2024/2025, the government will implement a visa pre-application (ballot) process for nationals of Mainland China, Vietnam and India under the Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) visa program.

The aim is to provide an equitable, streamlined and transparent means of randomly selecting applicants from partner countries, where the number of registrations significantly exceeds available slots in a year.

From 16 September 2024, the pre-application (ballot) process for certain Subclass 462 visa applicants will commence.  This ballot process requires applicants who have not previously held a Subclass 462 visa and are citizens of specified countries (Mainland China, India, and Vietnam) to be randomly selected before they can submit a formal visa application.  The ballot registration fee is A$25, in addition to the visa application fee of A$650.

To participate in the ballot process, certain applicants must meet specific visa criteria.  They must be selected through the ballot system and hold a valid passport from one of the specified countries.  Once selected, proposed applicants must submit their visa applications before the deadline outlined in the official notice.

Condition 8547 (Work Limitation)

​​​Visa Condition 8547 applies to anyone in Australia who holds any kind of WHM visa (Subclasses 417 and 462), regardless of when you arrive, or holds a Bridging visa with condition 8547 imposed, unless you fall within one of the exemptions below.

Exemptions to Conditi​on 8547

From 1 January 2024, until further Government decisions, you can work for the same employer in Australia for more than 6 months without asking permission if your work is:

  • in different locations and work in any one location does not exceed 6 months
  • in plant and animal cultivation anywhere in Australia
  • in certain industries, including aged care and disability services, fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling, construction and mining, in northern Australia only (see Northern Australia)
  • natural disaster recovery work
  • in critical sectors, including agriculture, food processing, health, aged and disability care and childcare, anywhere in Australia
  • in the critical sector of tourism and hospitality anywhere in Australia.

For any other situations not covered above, you must ask for our permission to work longer than 6 months with one employer.

Meaning of ‘one employer’

The ’employer’ is the business or organisation for which you are working directly.

If you are referred by an agency or labour hire supplier to a business, you can work for 6 months for that business.  The same agency or labour hire supplier can refer you to another business where you can work for another 6 months.  You cannot stay in the same position in the same location with one employer for more than 6 months by using different employment agencies, business affiliates or sub-contracting arrangements.

Workplace-based training is considered to be work.  You are able to undertake workplace-based training with the same employer for up to 6 months.

Calculating 6 months

The 6 months starts from the day you start work.  It includes full-time, part-time, casual, shift and voluntary work.  It is based on the length of time that has passed since you started working, not how many hours or days you have worked.

The condition applies separately to each visa, including bridging visas.  This means that the 6 month period starts again when you are granted a new WHM visa and/or when a Bridging visa comes into effect while you are waiting for your application to be processed.

Work in different locations

You do not need to ask our permission to work with the same employer for up to 12 months if you work in different locations and work in any one location does not exceed 6 months.

For example, you can:

  • work for two hotels in the same chain at different premises
  • work for independently-owned franchises in different workplaces
  • work for State and Territory schools and health care facilities at different addresses
  • work at two different orchards owned by the same business with the one ABN (Australian Business Number)
  • work for a subsidiary company (owned by the same parent company) but the ABN on your payslip is different
  • work for different businesses (separate legal entities with different ABNs) owned by the same employer
  • be self-employed and provide services to the same business for more than six months as long as that business is not the only business you provide services to during that time
  • work for independently-owned franchises, even though they operate under the same business name
  • work from home or work remotely, during COVID-19

Natural Disaster Recovery Work​​​

From 2 February 2024, Working Holiday Makers are able to count paid or volunteer work for natural disasters recovery work.  This includes work in declared areas affected by cyclone or other severe weather, as ‘specified work’ to apply for a second or third WHM visa.  Working Holiday Makers must have carried out this work from 31 December 2021 in declared disaster affected areas.  The Department will continue to recognise bushfire recovery work carried out since 31 July 2019 and flood recovery work carried out since 31 December 2021.

For more information on the new extended specified work arrangements for Working Holiday (Subclass 417) visa and Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) visa holders please contact Lisa Vorbach today on 0416 084 889 or lisa@travellingsouth.com.au.