A Complete Australian Working Holiday Visa Guide

Having an Australian working holiday visa can be an effective option for you because it helps international visitors cover all the major costs during their stay. Besides working, you can also enrol in a relevant course for a temporary period. Working Holiday Visa 417 and Working Holiday Visa 462 are the two visas available in this category, and each of them has different specifications.

So, you should be very careful at the time of application. Go through this blog to understand the difference between them.

What is the Australian Working Holiday Visa?
The working holiday visa is mainly designed for young individuals who intend to spend a year in Australia for a working holiday.

After your visa application gets approved, you can enter Australia and stay here for a maximum of 12 months.
During your stay, you can leave Australia and return here as many times as you want.
In the 12 months, you will be allowed to work for 6 months under the same company and study in an Australian university for 4 months.

Basic eligibility criteria of the Working Holiday Visa 417

To apply for the 417 Visa in Australia, you have to meet the following eligibility criteria.

Your age must be between 18 and 30. However, if you come from Canada, Ireland, or France, the maximum age limit will be 35.
You should be from an eligible country and hold a valid passport.
There should be no dependent children accompanying you.

What are the three different streams under Visa 417?

There are three streams under Visa 417, which are discussed here.

First Working Holiday Visa

You can apply for this visa to achieve your first extended Australian holiday if you are from an eligible country and 18 to 30 years old. For French, Irish, and Canadian citizens, the age limit is extended up to 35 years. The details of this stream are as follows.

Your passport should be from an eligible country.
With this visa, you can work in Australia to cover all the trip costs.
If eligible, you will be able to apply for a second working holiday visa.

Second Working Holiday Visa

For this stream, your age must be 18 to 30 if you are from an eligible country except for Canada, France, and the Republic of Ireland. In addition, you should also hold a first working holiday visa at the time of application. The specifications are as follows.

This visa gives unrestricted permission to work in any sector.
While applying, you should have completed at least 3 months of specified work on Subclass 417.
If you are applying onshore, you should hold a valid visa. You will also be eligible if your last visa expired less than 28 days ago.
If eligible, you can proceed with applying for the third working holiday visa.

Third Working Holiday Visa

Individuals who currently hold or have held a second working holiday visa can apply for this stream. The eligibility criteria for this stream are as follows.

Your age should be between 18 and 30 if you come from an eligible country or jurisdiction except for the Republic of Ireland, Canada, or France.
If you are applying inside Australia, you have to hold a valid visa, or the last visa should have expired not more than 28 days ago.
You should have worked for 6 months on Visa 417.

This stream also allows the holders to do any work in Australia.

Basic Eligibility Criteria of the Work and Holiday Visa 462

The Visa Subclass 462 eligibility criteria are pretty similar to that of the Visa Subclass 417. The requirements are mentioned below.

Your age should be between 18 and 30.
You must be a citizen of an eligible country and hold a valid passport.
For this visa also, you should have no dependent children accompanying you on your trip to Australia.

What are the three different streams under Visa 462?

Like the Subclass 417 Visa, this visa also has three streams under it.

First Work and Holiday Visa

International individuals 18 to 30 years old can apply for this visa to get an extended holiday in Australia and work here to cover various trip costs. To be eligible, you should be from an eligible country. The entitlements are mentioned below.

You are allowed to do any work in Australia.
When eligible, you will be able to apply for a second work and holiday visa.

Second Work and Holiday Visa

For this stream,

You should be from an eligible country and have a valid passport.
Your age should be 18 to 30 years.
You should have completed 3 months of specified work on Visa 462.
For an onshore application, you must have a valid visa. If the last visa has expired not more than 28 days ago, you can also be eligible.

If eligible, you can make your application for a third work and holiday visa.

Third Work and Holiday Visa

Individuals 18 to 30 years old, coming from an eligible country, and having a second work and holiday visa can apply for this third stream. In addition, you should have also completed 6 months of work with the Subclass 462 Visa. This stream also has no working restrictions.

Differences Between The Two Visas

Though both the visas serve the same interests, there are some significant differences between the two. While making the application, keep these differences in mind. An experienced migration agent from Perth can also help you with it.

The difference in the eligible countries

For the two visas, there are two different lists of eligible countries. So, before making the application, you must check each list on the official website of the Australian Department of Home Affairs.

The difference in educational requirements

You will need no educational qualification for the Working Holiday Visa Subclass 417. However, if you apply for the 462 Visa, specific academic criteria must be met, depending on your country of passport.

You must have a tertiary educational qualification or have completed at least 2 years of undergraduate study at the Australian university. Tertiary academic qualifications include graduate diplomas, higher degrees, graduate certificates, etc.

However, there are some exceptional cases that you must be aware of. A Thai applicant should have finished military service or must provide proof of exemption from military service. If you are coming from the USA, a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education or an equivalent qualification will be necessary.

Support letter requirement

For the Work and Holiday Visa 462, you will need to show a letter of support from your home country’s government. Citizens of the US are exempt from this condition. But you will not need to think about it if you apply for the Working Holiday Visa 417.

The difference in English language proficiency requirement

For the Visa Subclass 462, you should have functional level skills in English. This requirement is not applicable in the case of the Working Holiday Visa Subclass 417.

The difference in processing times

The 417 Visa processing time is 4 to 6 months, depending on the number of applications submitted at a given time. On the other hand, the 462 Visa takes much less time (39 to 66 days) to process.

Final Words

For professional guidance in every step of the application, you can seek assistance from a Registered Migration Agent Perth. Top-rated migration firms may help you with the references.