Subclass 417 — Working Holiday visa

Who the Working Holiday visa (417) is generally for

General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. The subclass 417 Working Holiday visa is, in broad terms, a temporary visa that lets eligible young travellers from a defined group of partner countries combine a holiday in Australia with the ability to work, usually for a period of up to around twelve months from first entry. In general terms, the program is built around a few core ideas rather than a long list of conditions: - Passport country. The visa is typically open only to passport holders from countries and jurisdictions that have a reciprocal working-holiday arrangement with Australia. The set of eligible countries is defined by the Department and can change, so the official page is the place to confirm whether a particular passport qualifies. - Age. The program is aimed at younger applicants and applies an age range with an upper limit. The exact ages — and the fact that some partner countries are treated differently — are published officially and are not reproduced here; check the official page for the current range. - One applicant at a time. As a rule, each person applies in their own right; family members are generally not added to a single application the way they can be on some other visa types. - Standard requirements. Applicants are typically expected to meet Australia's usual health and character requirements and to show they can support themselves on arrival. - Outside Australia for a first visa. A first Working Holiday visa is generally applied for and granted while the applicant is outside Australia. Extensions are a defining feature of this visa: in general terms, completing a defined period of eligible "specified work" (often regional or in particular industries) during one stay can open the door to a further Working Holiday visa. The rules about what counts as specified work, where it must be done, and how long it must last are detailed and change over time — these are exactly the kind of specifics to confirm on the official page, and a registered practitioner can advise on how they apply to an individual's circumstances. Eligibility is assessed by the Department against the rules in force at the time of application.

Common questions about the Working Holiday visa (417)

Health and character requirements

Like most people who apply to come to Australia, Working Holiday visa applicants are generally expected to meet the Australian Government's health requirement. In broad terms this means being free from any disease or condition judged to be a significant healthcare and community service cost to the Australian community, or that is likely to limit the access of Australian citizens and permanent residents to services that are in short supply. Not everyone is asked to have a medical, but some applicants are directed to complete health examinations, and people who come from a country with particular public-health concerns may be asked for additional tests. Where examinations are required, the results are assessed by a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth. Applicants are also generally expected to meet the character requirement, which is set out in the Migration Act 1958. A person may not pass the character test if, among other things, they have what the law calls a substantial criminal record, or if certain associations or their past and present conduct are of serious concern. As part of assessing character, the Department may check for criminal records and may ask an applicant to provide a police certificate. Because the way police certificates are obtained differs from country to country and can change, applicants are usually directed to the relevant issuing authority for current instructions. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Health cover while you are in Australia

Health insurance is not something every Australian visa treats the same way. For some visa types the Department asks for evidence of adequate health insurance before deciding an application, so applicants are generally advised to check what the specific visa they are applying for requires. Separately from any visa condition, most visitors to Australia do not have access to Medicare, so making private arrangements for the time spent in Australia is strongly encouraged. Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with a number of countries. People from a country that has such an agreement may be eligible for some medical care under Medicare while they are in Australia. People from a country without an agreement who need medical care would generally have to pay the full cost, although travel insurance may cover some of it. Because reciprocal cover does not remove the recommendation to hold private cover, overseas visitors are commonly encouraged to consider Overseas Visitors Health Cover or travel insurance. Visitors remain financially responsible for any health costs they incur that are not covered. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

What the visa costs

The main government cost of applying is the Visa Application Charge, an amount in Australian dollars paid to the Department of Home Affairs when an application is lodged. The current figure is published on the Department's visa pricing pages and is reviewed from time to time, so applicants are generally directed to check the official pricing table or pricing estimator for the amount that applies when they lodge. This government charge is entirely separate from any fee charged by an agent, adviser or other service. Additional government charges can apply in some situations. Where more than one person is included in an application, an additional applicant charge may apply, and a subsequent temporary application charge can apply in some cases. Paying the charge by credit card or PayPal may attract a surcharge. Beyond the Visa Application Charge itself, applicants may face other out-of-pocket costs that are not paid to the Department, such as health examinations, police certificates, and document translation where documents are not in English. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Visa length and processing

Each Working Holiday visa is generally granted for a stay of up to 12 months in Australia. The program is structured around separate visas rather than one long grant: eligible people may hold a first, then a second, and then a third Working Holiday visa, each allowing its own 12-month stay, which can add up to around three years across the separate grants. During the stay there are timing-based conditions rather than fixed calendar dates. A mandatory condition generally limits work to a maximum of six months with any one employer (with some exemptions and a process for requesting permission to work longer), and a separate mandatory condition generally limits study or training to a maximum of four months per visa. Processing times vary and the Department has noted periods of high application volumes that can make Working Holiday applications take longer than usual to finalise. Applicants are generally advised not to arrange travel until they have written confirmation that the visa has been granted, and to check status or respond to requests through ImmiAccount. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Conditions that generally apply to the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417)

Under the Migration Regulations 1994, the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) is granted with two mandatory conditions: condition 8547 and condition 8548. Condition 8547 is the six-month work limitation. Holders can generally work in any occupation or industry, but usually for no more than six months with any one employer unless permission to work longer is requested from the Department. Some arrangements are treated as exceptions to the single-employer limit — for example, working for the same employer in different locations where the work in any one location does not exceed six months, plant and animal cultivation, and certain work in northern Australia. Condition 8548 is the study limitation. It generally means a holder can undertake no more than four months (around 17 weeks) of study or training during the stay, so that study stays incidental to the holiday rather than the main purpose. Workplace-based training is generally treated as employment rather than as study for this purpose, while some correspondence or online courses provided from overseas may fall outside the limit. The conditions that actually apply to any particular grant are set out in the visa grant letter and can be checked through the Department's VEVO service. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Eligibility factors for the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417)

The subclass 417 program has three stages — a first, second and third Working Holiday visa. Each is a separate application with its own criteria, and a first visa is generally applied for from outside Australia, with the applicant also needing to be outside Australia when the decision is made. For a first visa, applicants are generally assessed on holding a passport from a country or jurisdiction with a reciprocal working-holiday arrangement with Australia, and on being within the program's age range (commonly 18 to 30, with a higher upper age of 35 for some partner countries). The eligible-country list and the age limits are set by the Department and can change. Applicants generally must not have previously entered Australia on a Working Holiday (subclass 417) or Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa. Applicants are also generally asked to show they have enough money to support themselves during the stay plus a fare to leave Australia, and to meet Australia's health and character requirements. The program is intended for a holiday, with work and study incidental to it — the Department points people whose main purpose is work or study toward other visa options. Unlike skilled visas, this visa does not involve a points test, a skills assessment, an occupation list, or employer sponsorship or nomination, and family members cannot be included in the application. Second and third visas generally require completing a set period of eligible "specified work" in specified industries and locations — broadly three months (a minimum of 88 calendar days) of specified work while on the first visa to become eligible for a second, and six months (a minimum of 179 calendar days) while on the second visa to become eligible for a third. What counts as specified work, and which locations qualify, is defined by the Department and is updated over time, and some passport holders may have separate arrangements. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Family members and what the visa allows after grant

Family members generally cannot be included in a Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) application. Each person applies in their own right, and a holder cannot be accompanied by dependent children in Australia on this visa. This is a temporary visa. After grant, the holder must generally first enter Australia within 12 months of the date the visa is granted — the Department does not extend or defer that timeframe. The period of stay, up to 12 months, generally begins on the date of first entry, and the holder can generally leave and re-enter Australia any number of times during that 12-month stay period. During the stay the holder can generally work (subject to the six-month single-employer limit) and study for up to four months. Access to Medicare is not automatic. Australia has reciprocal health care agreements with a number of countries that can give visitors access to some medically necessary care, but whether this applies depends on the holder's country, and the Department strongly encourages private health insurance because holders are personally liable for their healthcare costs in Australia. The subclass 417 is a temporary visa and does not itself provide a direct pathway to permanent residence. Completing eligible specified work can, however, support eligibility for a further (second or third) Working Holiday visa. Holders are generally expected to comply with all visa conditions and to keep their contact details up to date with the Department. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Common refusal reasons and review at the Administrative Review Tribunal

Applications of this type are commonly refused where an applicant does not meet a core requirement — for example, not holding an eligible passport, being outside the age range, or (for a first visa) having already entered Australia on a Working Holiday or Work and Holiday visa. Insufficient evidence of funds, or not meeting the health or character requirements, are also common factual grounds. For second and third visas, a frequent factual reason for refusal is insufficient or unsatisfactory evidence that the required specified work was completed in an eligible industry and location. If a decision is unfavourable, merits review at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) may be available. The decision letter states whether a review right exists and the time limit to apply. Time limits are set by law, are strict, and generally cannot be extended, so the date and deadline in the decision record are the ones that apply. An application fee applies to review of a migration decision made under Part 5 of the Migration Act 1958 (currently AUD 3,727). That fee may be reduced to 50% where the Tribunal is satisfied that paying the full fee would cause financial hardship, and 50% of the fee paid is generally refunded if the decision is set aside, varied, or remitted to the Department. On review the Tribunal reconsiders the decision and can take new information into account; it can affirm, vary, or set aside the decision and remit it to the Department. This is a neutral description of the process, not a prediction about any particular case. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Costs for the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417)

The main government cost is the Visa Application Charge (VAC), set by the Department. For a first Working Holiday visa the base VAC is AUD 840. For a second Working Holiday visa and for a third Working Holiday visa the base VAC is AUD 1,000 each. These government charges are always separate from, and shown distinctly from, any service or platform fee. Because family members cannot be included in this application, there are no additional applicant charges for adults aged 18 and over or for children under 18, and there is no second-instalment VAC for this subclass. The Visa Application Charge is generally non-refundable, including where the application is refused or withdrawn. A non-refundable card-payment surcharge may also apply depending on how the charge is paid. Other costs can arise separately from the VAC and are generally paid to third parties rather than to the Department — for example health examinations by a panel physician (where required), police or character certificates from the relevant authorities, and biometrics collection where requested. This visa does not involve a points test or a skills assessment, so there is no skills-assessment fee for it. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.