sophiesquiggle Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Hi there! I'm planning to go backpacking in Oz in july and I need some advice about the Working Holiday Visa. Basically I just wondered if you have to apply/buy one through the official government site or is there a cheaper way? I got chatting to someone about it in the pub and they were certain you could get visas for free(???) however I'm pretty sure this is a load of bull, but I'm planning to apply tonight so just wanted to be sure!! Cheers xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 You go through the immigration website. That is the best way to apply. And tbh if you go elsewhere they only stick an admin fee on top of the cost. http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/ The WHV is not free that's for sure. But its still a cheap visa and easy to apply for online and providing there is nothing about your application to give them concern its usually approved within a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonorange Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Yep, thats a load of bull. The cost for a WHV is $365 All the info you need is here:> http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/ I'm fairly sure that you can do whatever work you like, but that'll only allow you to stay for 12 months. This what the department says: "A first Working Holiday visa cannot be extended beyond the 12 month validity period. However, if you have completed three months of specified work in regional Australia on your first Working Holiday visa you may be eligible to apply for a second Working Holiday visa." Simply put, specified work in regional Australia means working where they tell you to work, normally on a fruit farm on something similar. After that, you're free to do whatever work/travel you like and you get the option to extend the visa for another 12 months when your current one is about to expire. But you'd then have to do another 3 months specified work in regional Australia to qualify for the extension. But 6 months fruit picking is a small trade-off for the eligiblity to remain there for 24.... Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophiesquiggle Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 thanks!! applying on thursday! can't wait 8) will probably have a few Q's further down the process! cheers xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebourvellec Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Hi there! I'm planning to go backpacking in Oz in july and I need some advice about the Working Holiday Visa. Basically I just wondered if you have to apply/buy one through the official government site or is there a cheaper way? I got chatting to someone about it in the pub and they were certain you could get visas for free(???) however I'm pretty sure this is a load of bull, but I'm planning to apply tonight so just wanted to be sure!! Cheers xx Only the e-visitor visa is free, but only allows you to stay in Australia for 3 months at a time. The WHV is the one you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PositivePixie Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Yep, thats a load of bull.The cost for a WHV is $365 All the info you need is here:> http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/ I'm fairly sure that you can do whatever work you like, but that'll only allow you to stay for 12 months. This what the department says: "A first Working Holiday visa cannot be extended beyond the 12 month validity period. However, if you have completed three months of specified work in regional Australia on your first Working Holiday visa you may be eligible to apply for a second Working Holiday visa." Simply put, specified work in regional Australia means working where they tell you to work, normally on a fruit farm on something similar. After that, you're free to do whatever work/travel you like and you get the option to extend the visa for another 12 months when your current one is about to expire. But you'd then have to do another 3 months specified work in regional Australia to qualify for the extension. But 6 months fruit picking is a small trade-off for the eligiblity to remain there for 24.... Good luck. You only have to do the 88 days regional, primary production (eg fruit picking) work, over the course of the 12 months of your original whv, you don't have to do 6 months, and it doesn't have to be at any specific time or in a block - as long as it totals 88 days and is signed off by the farm boss and eligible, you would qualify for a second whv, should you want one (ie you don't have to have it, but seems silly not to lol) You can only work for any one employer for a max. 6 months in total, across the two visas (or one visa if you don't qualify/want a second), the age restrictions are still in place for the second visa as well. hth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 You only have to do the 88 days regional, primary production (eg fruit picking) work, over the course of the 12 months of your original whv, you don't have to do 6 months, and it doesn't have to be at any specific time or in a block - as long as it totals 88 days and is signed off by the farm boss and eligible, you would qualify for a second whv, should you want one (ie you don't have to have it, but seems silly not to lol) You can only work for any one employer for a max. 6 months in total, across the two visas (or one visa if you don't qualify/want a second), the age restrictions are still in place for the second visa as well. hth Yep, you only do it once. People in pubs tend to know a little bit about a lot and not a lot about what you need to know I'm afraid. They will have been thinking of the bog standard 3 month tourist visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tickled Pink Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Get the regional work done early on, then you'll know the second year visa is in the bag and you can relax and enjoy! We have seen people on here leave their regional work until pretty much the last minute, then discover they can't just walk into a job, and then lost out because they ran out of time to do it. If you do it at the start, even in a couple of stints, you will escape this risk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalis Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Tickled Pink is spot on. Get your second year qualifying work, or at least the bulk of it out the way ASAP. Saves a lot of hassle down the line. Also, means you are not pressurised to take jobs with cowboy farmers/hostels (and I don't mean that in the good sense) and there are a lot of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebourvellec Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Get the regional work done early on, then you'll know the second year visa is in the bag and you can relax and enjoy! We have seen people on here leave their regional work until pretty much the last minute, then discover they can't just walk into a job, and then lost out because they ran out of time to do it. If you do it at the start, even in a couple of stints, you will escape this risk! This is good advice, the 2nd WHV had just been announced when I was there, so was not an option for me, but least if you get some work at the start of your WHV you can space out the 3 month regional work. I did almost 4 weeks at a banana farm as a de-leafer on my WHV, where is no way that I could have made it through 3 months there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PositivePixie Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Yet another 'listen to tickled pink' here! 5am starts, working all day, in hot hot sun with trees that fight back is a b*tch....a few days here, a few days there...god only knows how anyone manages it for 87 days straight!,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalis Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Yet another 'listen to tickled pink' here! 5am starts, working all day, in hot hot sun with trees that fight back is a b*tch....a few days here, a few days there...god only knows how anyone manages it for 87 days straight!,. Few do in all fairness...most either get signed off a few weeks early or put the number in an hope for the best.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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