Changes to Australian Working Holiday Visas

Here’s a summary of the key points from the news update:

• Working Holiday Makers (WHMs) in Australia can work for the same employer for longer than six months without permission from 19 January 2022 to 30 June 2023.
• WHMs who undertake paid or volunteer flood recovery work in flood-affected areas can count it as ‘specified work’ for applying for a second or third WHM visa, with the option available from 1 July 2022.
• The number of places available for WHMs from countries with which Australia has a capped Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa arrangement will increase by 30% for the 2022-23 program year.
• The age limit for Italian and Danish WHM applicants increased from 30 to 35 years on 1 July 2022, with reciprocal arrangements for Australian citizens.
• Annual caps for the Work and Holiday visa arrangements for Austria, Hungary, and the Slovak Republic increased on 1 July 2022.
• Reciprocal Work and Holiday arrangements commenced with Brazil and Mongolia on 1 July 2022, and Switzerland joined the program on 1 January 2022.
• Indian citizens aged between 18 and 30 will be able to apply for a Work and Holiday visa to visit Australia for one year, with up to 1,000 visas available each year, as part of the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement.
• Work undertaken in the tourism and hospitality sectors in northern, remote or very remote Australia can count as specified work towards a second or third WHM visa from 5 March 2022.
• The Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement is expected to introduce new arrangements for UK citizens applying for a Working Holiday visa within two years of entering into force.