Satisfy Your Craving for Adventure with a Working Holiday Visa in Australia

Spend up to 12 months in Australia getting your tan on, finding adventure, and working to pay for your vacation.

Have you ever wanted to make your way down under and travel to Australia? With the warm climate and endless possibilities of activities, like surfing and hiking, it’s no wonder Australia is one of the top travel destinations for Canadians. But who has the time and money to travel to another country? Well, you can — even if you didn’t think it was a possibility. Thanks to Australia’s Working Holiday program, travelling and exploring Australia is much easier (and more affordable) than you think!

Find out how you can travel in Australia for a whole year without breaking the bank.

What is a working holiday in Australia?

A working holiday is an opportunity for you to visit Australia for an extended holiday and be able to work there to help fund your trip. With a working holiday visa, you can stay in Australia for up to 12 months and do any short-term work to help pay for your holiday, study for up to four months, and travel to and from Australia as much as you want.

If you end up loving Australia, then you can do three months of work in specific industries determined by the government that’ll make you eligible for a second working holiday visa.

Why should you do a working holiday in Australia?

If you’re considering a gap year before you go off to university or college, you’ve recently graduated, or you’re looking for an adventure, you should take advantage of a working holiday in Australia. With this program, you’ll be able to:

• travel and experience a new culture
• gain independence
• add a valuable and interesting experience to your resumé
• earn money while you explore Australia
• discover if Australia is where you want to live and work

Don’t let the name of a working holiday fool you. If your goal is to travel throughout Australia for longer than three months and you already have the funds to do so and don’t want to work, then you don’t have to! Working is not a requirement of the visa. However, if you love your time in Australia and want to stay for up to three years, then you’ll need to complete the specified work requirements of your visa to apply for a second or third working holiday visa.

How do you apply?

So, does this sound like a dream you’d like to achieve? Here’s everything you need to know about how you can apply for a working holiday visa as a Canadian:

Basic eligibility

To be eligible to apply for your first working holiday visa, you must:

• pay the visa application charge of $510 AUD ($460 CAD)
• be 18 to 35 years old
• have a Canadian passport
• apply online from outside Australia
• not be accompanied by dependent children
• not have previously entered Australia on a working holiday visa (subclass 417) or a work and holiday visa (subclass 462)
• have enough money to support yourself in Australia, and leave at the end of your stay (roughly $5,000 AUD or $4,500 CAD )

To find out if you meet all the requirements for a first working holiday visa, be sure to check your eligibility here.

Application process

As a Canadian, you’ll apply for the working holiday visa (subclass 417). As part of the application process, you’ll need to gather the right documents:

• identity documents like a passport and birth certificate
• evidence you have enough money for your stay in Australia (typically $5,000 AUD) and your ticket out of Australia at the end of your stay
• character documents like an overseas police certificate (you’ll be told if you need to provide these documents)
• indicate if you’re nominating someone to receive your correspondence or provide immigration assistance

For more information on the application process for an Australia work holiday visa, check out this step-by-step guide.

Once you’ve completed your application, you can expect your application to have been processed fairly quickly. 75% of applications are processed within seven days.

Once you have the visa, you only have 12 months from the date granted to enter Australia.

What’s the difference between visas?

If you want to stay in Australia longer than 12 months, then you can apply for a second — or even a third — working holiday visa. There are a few requirements you’ll have to meet for each visa. So, check out the differences between the visas:

More information about specified work can be found on the Australian Government’s website.

You’ll find helpful information about working holiday jobs on the Work and Play the Aussie Way website.

What other work visas are there in Australia?

To find out more about other types of Australian work visas, you can visit the Working in Australia page, or if you have skills that Australia needs now, and you want a permanent move, check out Smart Move Australia to find out more.

So, if you’ve got the desire to explore, why not make it the adventure of a lifetime by travelling to and working in Australia? Australia’s relaxed lifestyle and breathtaking natural environment are waiting for you.