Under the conditions of a first Australian Work and Holiday visa (either subclass 417 or 462) working holidaymakers are entitled to spend one year working and travelling around Oz.
But is one year really enough time to enjoy a working holiday in Australia?
After all, it’s an entire continent! With bustling cities and sights to see sprawled right across the country, 12 months is hardly enough time to sample the complete wallaby experience.
So it’s little wonder that so many working holidaymakers are keen to extend their stay ‘down under’.
Firstly, there are some general conditions you must meetSpecified paid workWhat counts as ‘specified paid work’ in Australia?When should I submit my application?
Fortunately, if you want to remain in Australia for longer than your first working holiday visa allows, you can apply for a second-year extension visa.
To be eligible for this visa there are a number of conditions that you must meet.
Let’s take a closer look at these terms.
Firstly, there are some general conditions you must meet
You have to be between 18 and 30 (inclusive) years old
You must have complied with all the conditions of your first Work and Holiday visa
You must not have previously held more than one Work and Holiday visa
You must still be eligible for the first working holiday visa (for example – you don’t have a criminal record, you’re not in breach of any Australian immigration rules, you’re in good health)
You must have a valid passport with at least 6 months left until renewal
You must have sufficient funds to support yourself when you arrive in Australia
You have completed 3 months of specified paid work in regional Australia while on your first Work and Holiday. More below
Apply for your Australian working holiday visa extension today
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Specified paid work
In order to qualify for a visa extension, you must have completed three months of specified paid work in regional Australia while on your first year Work and Holiday visa. A postcode list of eligible areas to work in regional Australia can be found here.
What counts as ‘specified paid work’ in Australia?
There are many different industries you can work in to become eligible for a second-year visa including:
Plant and animal cultivation
Cultivating or propagating plants, fungi or their products or parts
General maintenance crop work
Harvesting and/or packing fruit and vegetable crops
Immediate processing of animal products including shearing, butchery in an abattoir, packing and tanning
Note: Secondary processing of animal products, such as small goods processing and retail butchery is not eligible
Immediate processing of plant products
Maintaining animals for the purpose of selling them or their bodily produce, including natural increase
Manufacturing dairy produce from raw material
Pruning and trimming vines and trees
Felling trees in a plantation or forest
Planting or tending trees in a plantation or forest that are intended to be felled
Transporting trees or parts of trees that were felled in a plantation or forest to the place where they are first to be milled or processed or from which they are to be transported to the place where they are to be milled or processed
Fishing and pearling
Conducting operations relating directly to taking or catching fish and other aquatic species
Conducting operations relating directly to taking or culturing pearls or pearl shell
Mining
Coal mining
Construction material engineering
Exploration
Metal ore mining
Mining support services
Oil and gas extraction
Other non-metallic mineral mining and quarrying
Construction
Building completion services
Building installation services
Building structure services
Heavy and civil engineering construction
Land development and site preparation services
Non-residential building construction
Residential building construction
Other construction services
Apply for your Australian working holiday visa extension today!
Evidence of specified work
In order to apply for a visa extension, you will need to provide evidence of the specified work that you have completed.
417 visa subclass holders will need to have an Employment Verification Form 1263 completed by each eligible employer during your first 12 months in Oz. You can download this form here.
Meanwhile, if you’re a 462 visa subclass holders will need to have an Employment Verification Form 1464 which is completed by every eligible employer you have had during your first 12 months in Oz. You can download this form here.
Filling in the form should not be a problem for any regional Australian employer operating in one of the above industries. With that said, it’s always a good idea to check before beginning work that the employer is willing to complete the form.
When should I submit my application?
It’s a good idea to apply for your extension as early as possible. Of course, you will need to complete three months of specified work before you can submit your application.
The processing time for this visa is between three working days and three weeks from the day your documents arrive with the embassy.
If you are in Australia and your first visa is about to expire, you will be granted a bridging visa after your extension application is submitted. The bridging visa will be valid until your application is assessed.
Apply for your Australian working holiday visa extension today!
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