Is a WHV Visa for you? YES! It's for everyone!!

[leggyblondebird]

[h=2]Hello fellow Aussie lovers![/h]I am still new here but I thought I would share my welcome post here and get a topic going on something I feel pretty strongly about.

 

I know some people do not know whether the WHV is worth doing or whether they should just have a holiday. Well I think it really is worth doing. I mean, apart from a splash of cash, what do you really have to lose? Better to come out here able to stay for a whole year and decide to only do a couple of weeks than to come out for a couple of weeks and never want to leave!

 

Below is a little snippet of my story. Feel free to ask any questions you may have about my experience. Sorry if this is a duplicate as you have read my welcome post, but if not then enjoy!

 

I have been in Australia on a WHV since 27th December 2012. I love every minute of the experience and intend to keep living this dream for the rest of my life. I now have an Aussie boyfriend so I will be applying for a partner visa before the end of my second year WHV.

 

I found getting my second year visa really easy. I spent three and a half months working on a stud farm in Upper Lansdowne, NSW. It was fantastic and I really enjoyed the experience. I am a very outdoorsy person but prior to coming to Australia I spent three years working as a PA and event planner so it was certainly a change to not be in an office! I worked long days, around 6am-11pm and did it all for free, just doing some babysitting for pocket money, but I loved it all. I was a real part of the family and even long after leaving, I still keep in good touch with the family I lived with. I had no previous experience with horses either, and I was the only farmhand and single handedly ran the place a lot! We had 30 horses, 40 organic beef cattle, lots of chickens, three cats and a dog. There were also the two children that I helped take care of around the farming for my pocket money, so it really was an incredible learning experience and I really felt like I had given a lot back to the country for the amazing experiences it continues to provide me with. I also really felt that I had earned my second year visa. It was nice to feel like I deserved it so much!

 

So now I am temping with a local council and saving to make a life with my boyfriend. We have been seeing each other since I arrived here and officially became a couple in September 2013, so this September we can apply for the partner visa and I will be able to stay. I stayed with him and his family a lot before and during my farming, then moved in properly mid-July 2013 and have been living there and working in the area ever since. I am a little concerned about the partner visa application, but we are building up a good bundle of evidence so we shouldn’t encounter too many problems, I am hoping.

 

I joined here for advice (both giving and receiving) and just a general feel for a community in a similar position, to talk about all the awesome aspects of this wonderful country. And to say that if you have ever tried to call IMMI…my gosh! I called four times and each time waited for half an hour before giving up. I finally got through 15 minutes into the fifth attempt. I was just trying to find the answer to a question regarding exact work limitations as the VEVO documents are so vague. Got there in the end though, and I will hold that woman to her answer!

 

Anyway, that’s a little about my experience here. I continue to explore the place by regular long drives, walks and camping trips with my boyfriend and just keep falling further and further in love with the country. I know this is where I want to be.

 

I look forward to meeting lots of you and finding out about all of your experiences.

 

Feel free to chuck any questions my way.

 

Hattie.

[calNgary]

Hi Hattie

Thanks for sharing your story and lots of luck with your future.

 

Cal x

[Guest51810]

Great post!

[Londongal76]

Hi Hattie and welcome!