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What Work and Holiday visa work and Holiday visa lets you do
This visa allows you to:
You must be outside Australia when you apply for this visa.
There is an annual limit to the number of Work and Holiday visas issued to each country. No applications will be approved once this limit is reached and you should wait until the following year to lodge an application. The visa programme year starts on 1 July each year.
For Bangladesh, the People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Thailand and Turkey, the immigration office outside Australia that processes applications from nationals of those countries can tell you how many visas are available.
For Argentina, Chile, Portugal and Uruguay you need to contact the Americas Service Centre. For Poland, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Spain you need to contact the Europe Service Centre.
You need a valid passport issued by an eligible country for this visa. If you plan to get a new passport, you should do so before applying for your visa. Your visa is linked to the passport number you use in your application. If you get a new passport after you have lodged your application, give the details of your new passport to one of the department of immigration and border protection offices.
You might be able to update your passport details using ImmiAccount.
The visa application charges are listed in Fees and charges.
You could have to pay other costs, such as the costs of health assessments and police certificates, or any other certificates or tests. You are responsible for making the necessary arrangements.
You might be able to get this work and Holiday visa if you:
In addition to the above requirements you must provide evidence that you:
In addition to the above requirements you must:
If you are already in Australia and want to extend your stay, you need to apply for a second Work and Holiday visa before your current visa expires and before you have turned 31 years of age.
You must meet certain health requirements. The health examinations you need will depend on your personal circumstances, including your period of stay, country of citizenship, time spent in another country during the last five years and your intended activities in Australia. The results of your health examinations are generally valid for 12 months.
You are responsible for all your health costs while you are in Australia. You will not be covered by Australia’s national health scheme (Medicare) unless your country has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia.
We recommend that you take out health insurance each time you travel to Australia.
You must meet certain character requirements. You must be prepared to provide a police certificate from each country you have lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after you turned 16 years of age. Do not arrange for police certificates until we ask you to.
You must have no outstanding debts to the Australian Government or have arranged to repay any outstanding debts to the Australian Government before this work and Holiday visa can be granted.
You might be asked to provide biometrics (a scientific form of identification) as part of the application. Countries and visa subclasses included in the biometrics program has more information.
You can apply for this work and Holiday visa if you hold a passport from:
Depending on the passport you hold, the education requirements could be slightly different.
If you are from Argentina, Bangladesh, the People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Turkey, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain or Uruguay, you must hold a tertiary qualification or have satisfactorily completed at least two years of undergraduate university study.
If you are from Chile, you must hold a tertiary qualification or have satisfactorily completed or have been approved to do a third year of undergraduate university study.
If you are from Israel, you must hold a secondary school (high school) qualification and have completed mandatory military service or be legally exempt from military service.
If you are from Thailand, you must hold a diploma or degree qualification from the specified list of eligible qualifications included in Form 1208 Application for a Work and Holiday Visa (192 KB PDF).
If you are from the United States of America, you must hold a secondary school (high school) qualification.​
Note: The educational requirements only apply to first Work and Holiday visa applicants.
If you are applying for a first Work and Holiday visa, you must provide evidence that you have at least functional English. This can be:
If you are applying for a first Work and Holiday visa, you must include a letter of support from your home government with your application. This letter does not guarantee you a place in the Work and Holiday visa program.
The following agencies issue letters of support:
If you are from Israel, the People’s Republic of China or the United States of America you do not have to provide a letter of government support.
If you are a Malaysian citizen you need to provide a Malaysian Good Conduct Certificate, which can only be applied for online by selecting the ‘e-Consular’ link on the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
To apply for a second Work and Holiday visa, you must have already completed three months of specified subclass 462 work in northern Australia. This work must have been completed while on your first Work and Holiday visa and must have been undertaken after 18 November 2016 in order to be counted towards your three months specified subclass 462 work total.
Specified subclass 462 work is work that is undertaken in a ‘specified’ field or industry in a designated area in northern Australia. See the section on Northern Australia below to check the postcode list of designated areas of northern Australia.
All specified subclass 462 work must be remunerated in accordance with the relevant Australian legislation and awards. Voluntary work will not be accepted for the purpose of applying for a second Work and Holiday visa. See Evidence of payment for specified work for more information.
Approved industries for specified work include:
Specified work is any type of work described in the list below:
Specified subclass 462 work:
Note: Eligible work undertaken in the tourism and hospitality industry must appear in the department’s list of tourism and hospitality occupations, which is based on Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) codes. See the section on Tourism and hospitality occupations for the complete list of eligible occupations in tourism and hospitality industry.
Examples of eligible specified subclass 462 work in agriculture:
Examples of ineligible specified subclass 462 work in agriculture:
Applicants can find specified subclass 462 work vacancies in the same way as they would find other job vacancies, such as through employment pages in newspapers, the Internet and job placement service providers. Vacancies specifically for plant and animal cultivation can be found on the Harvest Trail website.
Note: Not all vacancies advertised on the Harvest Trail website will qualify an applicant for a second Work and Holiday visa.
Applicants should ensure that the vacancy meets the definition of specified subclass 462 work listed above and that the work will take place in an eligible postcode of northern Australia. See the section on Northern Australia below to check the postcode list of designated areas.
‘Three months’ means a period equivalent to three ‘calendar’ months, which is taken to be a minimum period of 88 calendar days.
You do not need to do your three months’ work all in one go, or all with one employer. You are free to spread the work over the period of your stay in Australia. You can also work for longer than the required minimum of three months.
The three month specified subclass 462 requirement may be met in a variety of ways, for example:
You cannot complete your specified subclass 462 work requirement in a total period of less than three calendar months.
Work can be either:
The shortest period that might be counted towards the specified subclass 462 work requirement is one normal day of work (for that industry and role). Applicants cannot count a long day of work as more than one day of specified subclass 462 work. For example, if the industry’s standard day is six hours long, working a 12 hour day does not count as two days of specified work.
In circumstances where the applicant is employed by more than one employer at the same time, they may only count each calendar day of work completed once towards their 3 month specified subclass 462 work requirement.
Full time workers can count sick days only during periods where they were in paid employment and entitled to sick leave or covered by a workers compensation scheme. In these situations, supporting evidence must be provided by the employer.
Applicants who were prevented from obtaining employment because of injury or seasonal circumstances cannot count any time they were unable to work towards the three month period. For example, cyclones interrupting harvest activities.
If the Work and Holiday visa holder applies for a second Work and Holiday visa, they will need to provide evidence that they have satisfied the specified subclass 462 work eligibility requirement. Acceptable evidence of specified subclass 462 work (completed while on their first Work and Holiday visa) includes original or certified copies of the following:
Note: Providing a completed Form 1464 and additional forms of evidence will allow a Work and Holiday visa application to be assessed more quickly. Ensure that all information provided is correct. Contacting third parties to verify the claims of applicants for second Work and Holiday visas is a standard component of second Work and Holiday visa application assessments.
Providing a false or misleading declaration or fraudulent evidence for any visa application can result in the application being refused or cancelled. If the applicant’s visa is cancelled they may be prevented from lodging further applications and be excluded from Australia for a period of three years.
Eligible occupations are listed on Tourism and hospitality occupations for the purposes of Australia’s Working Holiday Maker Programme.
Cleaning work is not eligible specified subclass 462 work, unless it meets the definition of Commercial Housekeeping (ANZSCO code 811411) in a hotel, motel or other accommodation operation.
Retail work is not eligible specified subclass 462. For instance, work in a souvenir shop, gift shop or duty free shop would not be eligible.
If you have worked in the northern Australia in tourism and hospitality or agriculture, forestry and fishing can apply for a second Work and Holiday visa.
Defined areas | Postcodes inclusive |
Northern Territory | Entire Territory |
Queensland (all areas north of the Tropic of Capricorn) | 4699 to 4707 4709 to 4712 4717 4720 to 4721 4723 to 4728 4730 4732 to 4733 4735 4737 to 4746 4750 to 4751 4753 to 4754 4756 to 4757 4798 to 4800 4801 to 4812​​ 4814 to 4825 4828 to 4830 4849 to 4850 4852 4854 to 4856 4858 to 4861 4865 4868 to 4888 4890 to 4892 4895 |
Western Australia (all areas north of the Tropic of Capricorn) | 0872 6537 6642 6646 6701 6705 6707 6710 to 6714 6716 6718 6720 to 6722 6725 to 6726 6728 6740 6743 6751 6753 to 6754 6758 6760 6762 6765 6770 |
You cannot include a dependent child in your application for a Work and Holiday (Temporary) visa (subclass 462).
A dependent child cannot be with you at any time while you are in Australia.
Your partner can come to Australia with you, but they will need to apply for their own visa.
This information explains what you need to do to apply for a Work and Holiday (Temporary) visa (subclass 462).
You need to provide documents to prove the claims you make in the application. The documents are listed in the Document checklist.
Some documents could take some time to obtain. You should have them ready when you lodge the application to reduce any delays in processing.
First Work and Holiday visa – If you are from the USA you can apply for a first Work and Holiday visa online.
Second Work and Holiday visa – Applicants from all countries can apply for a second Work and Holiday visa online.
You must provide all relevant documents and pay the visa application charge by credit card when you apply.
You should provide an email address that we can use to communicate with you about your application.
First Work and Holiday visa
Only applicants from the USA can apply online.
Applicants from all other countries, as well as those from the USA who cannot apply online, should use the Form 1208 Application for a Work and Holiday Visa (192KB PDF).
You must provide all relevant documents and pay the visa application charge when you apply.
If you are from the USA, lodge your first Work and Holiday visa application at any one of the immigration offices outside Australia.
If you are from Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, Indonesia, Israel, Thailand or Turkey lodge your first Work and Holiday visa application at the Australian Immigration office of your country of passport.
If you are from Malaysia lodge your first Work and Holiday visa application in person at the Australian Visa Application Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
If you are from the People’s Republic of China lodge your first Work and Holiday visa application in person and by appointment at an Australian Visa Application Centre in China. Further information on appointment and application requirements is available on the Australian Embassy Beijing website.
If you are from Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia or Spain lodge your first Work and Holiday visa application at the Australian Immigration office in Berlin, by post or courier.
If you are from Uruguay lodge your first Work and Holiday application at the Australian Immigration office in Buenos Aires.
Second Work and Holiday visa
If you cannot apply for a second Work and Holiday visa online, lodge your paper application at the Brisbane Office in Queensland using the Form 1208 Application for a Work and Holiday Visa (380KB PDF). Note: You can lodge this application by post only.
Please refer to preparing your application, for information on:
After you have lodged your application and documents, we will acknowledge that we have received your information.
If you have applied online you can track and manage your application using ImmiAccount.
We have visa processing times for each visa.
Your application could take longer if you need character or health checks (including x-rays), if you need to provide more information, or if your application is incomplete.
Do not make arrangements to travel to Australia until you are advised in writing that you have been granted a visa.
You can provide more information to us, at any time until a decision is made on the application. If you want to correct information you provided, use:
We could also ask you for more information. You will have to respond by a set date. After that date, we can make a decision about your application using the information that we have.
If you applied online, you can provide additional information, including Form 1023, using ImmiAccount.
If another person gives the department of immigration and border protection information that could result in you being refused a visa, we will usually give you the opportunity to comment on the information.
You might also be interviewed. If you are asked to attend an interview in person, bring your passport or other identification and any requested documents to the interview.
You must tell the department of immigration and border protection if your circumstances change. This includes a new residential address, a new passport, or a pregnancy, birth, divorce, separation, marriage, de facto relationship or death in your family.
You can use the following forms:
If you applied online, you might be able to update your address and passport details using ImmiAccount.
If you do not provide the department of immigration and border protection with the details of any new passport issued to you, you could experience significant delays at the airport and may be denied permission to board your plane.
You can withdraw the application by advising the department of immigration and border protection in writing at any time before we make a decision about your application. To do this, you must send the department of immigration and border protection a letter or email requesting the withdrawal. Your request must include your full name, date of birth, date of application, and file reference number/transaction reference number (if known). The visa application charge cannot be refunded.
If the visa is granted, we will let you know:
If the visa is not granted, we will let you know:
You must provide documents to support your application for this visa.
Use the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) document checklist to make sure your application is complete.
With this visa, you can:
If you are outside Australia, the 12-month stay period on your Work and Holiday visa will start if you enter Australia:
Once the 12-month stay period starts, it cannot be delayed or deferred.
If you hold a Work and Holiday visa on which the stay period has not started and want to enter Australia on another visa, you should:
This will allow you to avoid accidentally using your Work and Holiday visa.
To cancel your Work and Holiday (Temporary) visa (subclass 462), contact the immigration office where your visa was processed.
If you want to cancel your Work and Holiday visa to claim superannuation, refer to Accessing superannuation benefits–Former temporary residents.
The Work and Holiday visa lets you stay in Australia for 12 months. Any time spent outside Australia after the 12-month stay on your visa starts does not extend the length of the visa.
You might be able to apply for a different visa to extend your stay only if your visa is not granted with a ‘no further stay’ condition. You will be advised of this in your visa grant letter. Holders of visas without this condition can apply for a limited number of other visas while in Australia. You should contact your nearest immigration office in Australia to discuss your options.
This visa allows you to:
Australia has a compulsory superannuation scheme. You are entitled to access your retirement savings (superannuation) when you leave Australia. Accessing superannuation benefits–Former temporary residents has more information.
You must comply with all visa conditions and Australian laws. Your dependent children cannot be with you at any time during your stay.
If you hold a Working Holiday (subclass 417) or Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa, the main purpose of your visit must be for an extended holiday. You can do any kind of work over the course of your 12 month stay in Australia, however the conditions of your visa limit you to a maximum period of six months work with any one employer, unless you’ve been given permission by the Department of Home Affairs (www.homeaffairs.gov.au) to work longer.
See: Working in Australia — six months with one employer
You can study in Australia for up to four months. Four months means 17 weeks of actual study.
Holidays and orientation periods do not count. However, weekends, public holidays and non-teaching periods prior to exam period are counted.
You must tell the department of immigration and border protection if your circumstances change. This includes a new residential address, a new passport, or a pregnancy, birth, divorce, separation, marriage, de facto relationship or death in your family.
Please report changes in your circumstances via ImmiAccount. If you are not able to use ImmiAccount, you can use the following forms:
If you do not provide the department of immigration and border protection with the details of any new passport issued to you, you could experience significant delays at the airport and may be denied permission to board your plane.​​​​​
If you applied online, you might be able to update your address and passport details using ImmiAccount.
Source: The Australian Department of Home Affairs (www.homeaffairs.gov.au). Please visit www.border.gov.au to get updated information.
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