Before we get into what an Australia working holiday is, you should know that this page may contain affiliates. However, I will never recommend resources which I do not find helpful or useful to myself. For more information on what this means please see my Disclaimers and Policies page.
Plus, which Australian holiday visa subclass should Canadians be looking at?
If you have been doing some research on Australian Working Holiday Visas then you may have noticed two different, but similarly worded visas. The Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417) and the Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462). While, these are similar in the idea they do have some very important differences. So you may be wondering, what is the difference between an Australia “Working Holiday Visa” and a “Work and Holiday Visa”…? And which one is right for you?
Australia Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417)
This visa allows individuals between the ages of 18 – 30 years old come to Australia for a period of up to year (In 2018, this became extended to 35 years old for Canadian and Irish citizens). Those who have received this visa may be eligible for a second visa pending completion of three months of farm work during their first visa (This is a very important point for those who think they may at any point want a second visa).
Countries eligible for this visa are:
- Belgium
- Canada
- Republic of Cyprus
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Hong Kong
- Republic of Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Republic of Korea
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Sweden
- Taiwan
- United Kingdom
Requirements:
- Applicant must be between the ages of 18-30 years old (Except Canadian and Irish citizens who now have until age 35. Hooray!). However, you can enter the country up until your 31st birthday.
- Eligible passport- so, not expired and from one of the countries listed above.
- You cannot have had a previous visa under subclass 462 (We will discuss that momentarily).
- There can be no dependent children accompanying you.
- You must have a suitable amount of money to support yourself ($5000) and buy a return ticket home.
- Good character. So essentially, no criminal records.
- You cannot have outstanding debts to the Australian Government. Plus, if you want to get a second year visa, try not to incur Australian debts.
What This Visa Allows:
- Multiple entries. In other words, you are allowed to exit Australia and re-enter provided these travels occur while the visa is still valid.
- Work during the visa but not with the same employer for more than 6 months.
- Up to four months of study.
- You are allowed to remain in Australian for up to 12 months.
- Tourism. Therefore, you can travel as freely as you want within Australia and supplement your travel funds with work.
Cost:
- $450 AUD
The expectation on this visa subclass is that you are mostly travelling Australia and working as needed to supplement your travels. Most importantly, this is what Canadian citizens will be applying for. Conveniently, I have written about how to apply for a working holiday visa.
For more information in general, check out the Australian government’s website.
Australia Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462)
Firstly, this very similar visa is for individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 years old who wish to work and travel in Australia. Those who hold this visa may be able to obtain a second one pending completion of three months of work in Northern Australia during your first visa.
A noteworthy point is that there is an annual limit on applications accepted per year for this type of visa. The visa year is July 1.
This visa is for people from:
- Argentina
- Austria
- Chile
- China, People’s Republic of
- Czech Republic
- Hungary
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Luxemborg
- Malaysia
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United States of America
- Uruguay
- Vietnam
Requirements:
- Applicants must be between the ages of 18-30 years old.
- Eligible passport- So, not expired and from one of the countries listed above.
- You may not have previously had a visa under subclass 417 (Discussed above).
- Unfortunately, no dependent children.
- Meet education and English requirements. These may vary depending on your passport.
- You must have the support of the government in your home country.
- You must have a suitable amount of money to support yourself. For instance, $5000 and enough to buy a return ticket home.
- Must be of good character. Therefore, no criminal records.
- You cannot have outstanding debts to the Australian Government.
What This Visa Subclass Allows:
- Firstly, multiple entries. Again, this means you are allowed to travel to additional countries and come back to Australia within your year.
- Secondly, work during the visa but not with the same employer for more than 6 months.
- Thirdly, tourism. So, you can work and travel around.
- In addition, you may study for up to four months.
- Finally, you can remain in Australia for up to 12 months.
Cost:
- $450 AUD
The expectation again is that you are building cultural ties and working to supplement travels. For more information visit the Australian Government’s website.
Therefore, as we can see, one of the major differences is your citizenship. Depending on what your citizenship is you will have different requirements for applying. The other differences between the two visas are italicized under Subclass 462. That being said, I believe the application website will help direct you to apply for the appropriate visa. As such, there is a limited possibility of you applying for the wrong one.
Final Note: Canadian citizens apply for the Australia Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417).
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Am I forgetting something? Or, do you have more questions? Please feel free to leave them in the comments or contact me.
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