Are you a broke backpacker but is Australia on top of your travel bucket list? Don’t skip it even though it’s less affordable than traveling in Asia. Just enter the country with a Working Holiday Visa. This travel visa is a real bless for backpackers. It allows you to work and travel down under for at least one year.
In this blog you can read about how to get one of these blessed Working Holiday Visas and how to extend it with a second year. Also some other arrangements that need to be made and handy tips about how to find a job are covered.
How to apply for a Working Holiday Visa?
The terms and conditions that are required to gain a Working Holiday Visa are listed below:
- If you want to apply for a Working Visa a minimum age of 18 is required. The maximum age to request for this visa is 30.
You can still enter Australia on a Working Holiday Visa at the age of 31 as long as you make sure that you submitted your application on the age of 30. - You need to be outside Australia when you submit the visa request.
- It is not allowed to request for this visa if you entered Australia on a Working Holiday Visa before.
- For the application you need a passport that is valid for the duration of your stay. Your passport also needs be valid for at least six months when you submit the application.
- You are obligated to have 5000 AUD on your bank account. This does not have to be an Australian bank account. Notice that you can be asked for a bank statement.
- The visa application can be placed maximum 12 months before the enter Australia.
- With the working holiday visa you have permission to work up to 12 months in Australia. Within these 12 months you can unlimited leave and re-enter Australia.
- You can work legally in Australia but with a maximum of six months for the same employer.
- The visa will cost you 440 AUD if you are submitting your application via the Australian Government.
- You are not allowed to have (dependent) children during your stay in Australia.
- Depending on your health situation, you may have to undergo a medical examination.
Click here to apply online for the Australian Working Holiday Visa –Subclass 417
After you online submitted your visa request you will receive (normally within a couple of days or sometimes even at the same day) a message with an approval or disapproval. From the day that your visa is approved you got one year the time to enter Australia.
How to extend your Working Holiday Visa with a second year?
If you can’t get enough of the Aussie lifestyle make sure to extend your visa. The requirements to qualify for this second Working Holiday Visa are summed up below:
- You need to meet all the same requirements as for the first Working Holiday Visa (see above)
- You cannot have had more than one Working Holiday Visa in the past.
- You did at least 3 months specific work during your first year in Australia.Voluntary work is not sufficient anymore. It should have been paid work and you need to able to show wage slips.
- You can apply for a second year visa from inside and outside Australia. However if you applied for the Visa in Australia you need to be here as well when the visa is granted.
The cost is equal to the first Working Holiday Visa (440 AUD) if you apply via the Australian Government. The second year visa is also marked as the subclass 417.
If your visa extension is not yet approved, your current visa will be transferred into a Bridging Visa. This visa gives you the same rights as with the regular Working Holiday Visa. The only difference is that you are not able to leave and re-enter Australia with this visa.
Open an Australian Bank Account
If you entered Australia on a Working Holiday Visa and you are planning on working, you need to open an Australian Bank Account. It is free, opened within no time and it has a lot of advantages. The main benefits of it are listed below:
- You don’t need to use your credit card from home.
- Australian companies are able to pay you.
- You are able to buy stuff online.
- It makes the procedures much easer in case you lose your card.
- You are able to do cheap money transfers from home to Australia.
- You can withdraw money with low interests.
The most common banks of Australia are: Commonwealth, ANZ and Westpac.
You can open your new Australian Bank Account online or by visiting the bank that you prefer.
Get a Tax File Number
Besides an Australian Bank Account it is also recommended to apply online for a personal Tax File Number (TFN). Even though it is not obligated it is better to have one so you will pay less tax. Don’t forget to add your Tax File Number to your bank account once you received it.
Click here to apply for your personal tax reference number.
The tax rate that applies for as a Working Holidaymaker is 15% over the first $37.000 of your income. All your earning above this amount will be taxed by the normal rates.
Tips for your job search
Now you are completely set and ready to start working, the next step is finding a job! Several handy tips that will help you with your job search are mentioned below:
- Gumtree is probably the first website that will be mentioned among travelers if you ask them advice on how to find a job. You can create a free account and directly respond on work adds. To foster your job search it is also recommended to place your own add in which your skills and availability are mentioned. This way employers can approach to you in case you match their criteria. Download the Gumtree app to check job openings and messages immediately on your phone.
- Other websites that are worth checking out are Seek and Search Job
- Well known platforms for backpacker / traveller jobs are Jobs4travellers and backpackerjobboard
- Go to fruitpickingjobs if you want to pick fruits in exchange for money.
- If you want to do voluntary work at an Organic farm, check out WWOOF. In Australia it is possible to gain a unique experience by working as a WWOOFer on an organic farm. WWOOF stands for Willing Workers on Organics Farms. As a volunteer you are helping out the farmers 4 to 6 hours a day in exchange for food and lodging. Click here to find out more about this worldwide movement of organic farmers.
- Another way to find a work to choose a working hostel as your accomodation. In exchange for your stay the hostel will actively help you to find a job through their contacts with local organizations. Often the better working hostels can be found in the smaller towns since thats where the farms are located.
- In case you want to start working as a teacher, it is mandatory to register yourself at the Teacher Registration Board. The website that you need to visit for your registration depends on the state that you want to teach in
- Notice that it is mandatory to have a RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) certificate if you want to fulfil a position that requires you to serve alcohol. Make sure that this certificate is approved at the moment you start applying for a job otherwise there is a chance that they won’t hire you.
