Australia’s Working Holiday (subclasses 417 & 462) program offers young travelers the opportunity to explore the country while funding their adventures through short-term employment. Recent changes have extended the age limit for certain nationalities, allowing more individuals to take advantage of this unique experience.
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Age Limit Increased to 35 for Some Nationalities
Countries with age increased
This is great news for travellers over 30 years old from a few countries! Indeed, the age eligibility for applying for an Australian Working Holiday Visa expanded to 35 years for some nationalities!
- In 2018, Working Holiday Visa Australia age limit increased to 35 years for Canadian and Irish citizens.
- In 2019, it was France that announced the same change !
- Since 2022 the age limit for Italian and Danish citizens wanting to work and travel in Australia has also increased by five years – from 30 to 35 years of age. Australian citizens up to the age of 35 will also benefit from reciprocal arrangements with Italy and Denmark.
- And finally, since July 2023, the age limit increased to 35 years for UK passport holders!
Migration Act Extract
Those changes can be seen in Schedule 1—Countries or regions, passport conditions and age requirements in the instrument Migration (Arrangements for subclass 417 visa applications) Instrument (LIN 22/051) 2022 and Migration (Arrangements for subclass 417 visa applications) Amendment Instrument (LIN 23/047) 2023.
It is also noted on the immigration website under the ‘age condition’ for a WHV.
Australian legislation clearly defines the age limit for Working Holiday visa makers :
(2) The applicant:
(a) holds a working holiday eligible passport of the kind, or of one of the kinds, specified in a legislative instrument made by the Minister for the purposes of this subclause; and
(b) is aged at least 18 and no more than:
(i) 35; or
(ii) if a younger age is specified in the instrument mentioned in paragraph (a) for the kind of passport the applicant holds—that younger age.
Therefore if no age is specified, it means that the age limit is 35 years old.
Other partner countries (such as Germany) are still in the process to amend the bilateral Working Holiday Maker agreement expanding the eligibility age to 35.
In Summary: 🧑🎓 Who Can Apply Up to Age 35?
As of 2023, citizens from the following countries can now apply for a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) up to the age of 35 (inclusive):
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- France
- Ireland
- Italy
- Denmark
For all other eligible countries, the age limit remains at 30 years.
For UK Passport Holders 🇬🇧
The UK – Australia Free Trade Agreement has entered into force and the age limit for UK passport holders has been increased to 35 since July 2023.
With the agreement, UK passport holders are able to:
- apply for a Working Holiday visa between the ages of 18 and 35 years inclusive since 1 July 2023
- can be granted up to three separate Working Holiday visas without having to meet any specified work requirements. These arrangements apply to all Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa applications lodged by UK passport holders on or after 1 July 2024.
UK passport holders, including those who previously entered Australia on a Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa using a different eligible passport, do not have to meet the specified subclass 417 work requirement when applying for a second or third Working Holiday visa on or after 1 July 2024.
More info : UK – Australia FTD
Key Points About the Age Limit
- Application Timing: You must apply for the WHV before your 36th birthday.
- Visa Granting: It’s acceptable if the visa is granted after you turn 35, as long as the application was submitted before your 36th birthday.
- Multiple Visas: Eligible individuals can apply for up to three WHVs, each requiring specific regional work (UK passport holders exempted).
Extending Your Stay: Second and Third WHVs
People currently on a Working Holiday Visa in Australia (subclasses 417 or 462) and over 30 years old, are eligible to apply for a second or third year visa if they are from France, Ireland, Canada, Italy, Denmark and UK.
For Subclass 417 visa holders, you’re eligible to apply for a second year if you have completed three months (or 88 days) of specified work in regional areas of Australia during your first year visa. This work often includes farming, fishing, mining, and construction. Holders of a second Subclass 417 visa can apply for a third year by undertaking six months of specified work in specified regional areas during their second year.
For Subclass 462 visa holders, a second year is possible if you complete three months (or 88 days) of specified work in northern Australia in certain industries, including tourism and hospitality, agriculture, forestry, and fishing. As with the 417 visa, a third year is possible for 462 visa holders who complete six months of specified work during their second year.
Benefits of the WHV Program
- Work Opportunities: Engage in various short-term jobs to fund your travels.
- Cultural Exchange: Experience Australian culture firsthand.
- Travel Flexibility: Explore Australia’s diverse landscapes and cities.
- Extended Stay: Possibility to extend your stay up to three years with additional regional work.
Charles, the paragraph after the one you quoted says July/August/September:
The Procurement Bill in the other place still has a substantial amount of work to be done, and doubtless it will return here with amendments. That being the case, I suspect it would be rash to assume that it would pass before late May at the earliest, especially since the Session is to run longer. The Procurement Bill brings its provisions into force two months after the Bill itself is enacted, so in my view we could be in July at the earliest, and maybe in August or September, before the relevant provisions and the repeal take effect.
It should still take a few months (hopefully by July)
There isn’t really a TL:DR version I’m afraid. But it was said during a discussion about an amendment. Best thing is to Ctrl+F part of it if you want more context. It was fairly early on in the meeting.
I had to leave NZ after a month in 2020 so I hope they will me apply again for the remaining 2 years if their changes come into force before Australias.
Hopefully
Wow…
It’s a constant guessing game as to what the UK government will do
Lots of ‘ifs’ and no concrete dates. Same as what the last 2 years have served up since the announcement of this age change
Here’s a quote from one of the members of HoL from the Committee Stage on Jan 23rd:
“We can see the timing a little more readily now: all being well, we should complete the passage of this Bill and I hope it might reach Royal Assent if not by the end of February then certainly very early in March.”
This obviously isn’t a guarantee but might give some idea of what to expect.
https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2023-01-23/debates/827759EE-8659-4204-BB1A-FA1618AF7B5F/Trade(AustraliaAndNewZealand)Bill
Also that link you posted, care to post a TL:DR version? I doubt anyone is going to read through that
I am in the same boat waiting for the age to increase. I see NZ will be “no later than 2024” – does anyone know if you’ve already had a year visa for NZ then you will be able to go back for the remaining 2? I know Aus are implementing this but can’t see it anywhere for NZ. Just trying to get options.
Hi Emma, yes age limit should definitely increase by 2024 for NZ. No more details regarding the agreement itself… it is quite logic to think it will follow the same path as Australia…
Thanks for the advice but it looks like NZ has a labour shortage too.
https://www.laprensalatina.com/new-zealand-seeks-out-over-75000-foreign-workers-to-bridge-labor-shortage/
For anyone interested in New Zealand:
They passed their United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement Legislation Bill in mid-November 2022 so the UK-NZ trade deal should enter into force within a month of the UK passing the Trade Bill too.
Looks like we’re going to have double the visa options!
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/bills-and-laws/bills-proposed-laws/document/BILL_125280/united-kingdom-free-trade-agreement-legislation-bill
That’s good news! I mean I’ll get a visa in either Australia or New Zealand, whichever comes first haha
Good for you British, but I’d advise against going to New Zealand. There’s a reason why there’s over 1m new Zealanders in Australia, the job situation overall over there is very weak
There generally aren’t announcements between one stage and the next. They carry out a stage and then there is silence until the date of the next is announced. Anything relevant to the bill itself won’t be reported until the stage is complete.
As Jonny said it could take up to two weeks so I’d wait till end of next week.
Ridiculous time frame
Just a reminder: the Australian Joint Standing Committee on Treatise (JSCOT) started their review of the FTA in March 2022 and took so long that it wasn’t completed before the election which the then-government decided to hold before completing their side of the deal for some reason. The new government then didn’t convene a new JSCOT until July 2022 after which they promptly went on holiday. They also took another two week holiday during a scheduled two week sitting period for the JSCOT because the Queen died and then finally got around to issuing their report in November.
I’m not saying this to defend either side, it feels like they’ve both taken a long time to get this deal finished. I think it feel that way because I’m waiting for something that will personally benefit me though. They’ve both passed other bills that have taken similar, equally long, amounts of time in the last year and I haven’t felt remotely frustrated by it. This deal is very close to EIF now, all we have to do is wait a little bit longer.
All quiet on the progress of the FTA since the 23rd. Nothing I can find anywhere
Lee
There’s no mention of specified work just that you can currently only work for one year but that will be extended to three under the new scheme.
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/about-visa/united-kingdom-working-holiday-visa
So does this mean both age range and no farming for 3 years before the end of the year ?
I wouldn’t trust any site as gospel at the moment, until its officially announced
From the NZ immigration site:
“Both sides are committed to the improved scheme being in place no later than 2024.”
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/media-centre/news-notifications/the-united-kingdom-and-new-zealand-have-agreed-to-enhance-their-existing-youth-mobility-scheme-and-working-holiday-scheme
Yikes
Committee stage complete!!
Hopefully report stage date soon!
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/uk-push-for-more-maori-pasifika-to-access-holiday-visa-scheme
Mentions at the bottom of this article, New Zealand visa changes may happen before the end of this year….. Surely Australia will see this as competition?
These amendments should have been put in place in the HOC.
People in the HOL have agendas and know they can stall things. These “assessments” are just one way of doing that.
They know as soon as this deal is in place Brexit is complete and there will be no going back. Some people in some quarters don’t want that.
The report stage is said to usually be 2 weeks after committee stage but doesn’t usually take as long as it does in HOC.
To be fair, we are at the report stage/third reading already this month.
It’s going light speed compared to when it was in HOC.
Fingers crossed guys!!
Yeah, hopefully this stage will go quickly.
Taking the opportunity to make these amendments makes sense if I’m being honest. The FTA might benefit me personally but there’s not a lot of good evidence that it will benefit the majority of British people. Wanting assessments of it’s impact that can inform future trade deals seems reasonable.
Fingers crossed it doesn’t hold up play too much, as we know HOL can play funny buggers sometimes!
I had the amendment count (including joint amendments) at Labour 28, Lib Dems 7, Tories 3.
A lot of the Labour lord’s amendments are impact assessments that take place after EIF, others were small changes to wording. The impact assessments relate to things like climate change, labour rights and the NHS.
For example:
“Within one year of the passing of this Act, the Secretary of State must publish—
(a) a review of the lessons learned from the negotiation of the procurement
Chapters”
I was surprised the Tory Lords didn’t want investigation into the impact on British farmers. They must have been too busy selling faulty PPE or something……………….
Committee Stage can last up to a week in HOL.
So don’t expect any update until that unfortunately.
Some Labour Lord (shock) has come with a load of amendments to the bill, so have to see how it plays out.
The date for the report stage hasn’t been set yet but expect it to be announced in the next few days. The report stage and third reading normally happen on the same day so there’s just that, a day bouncing between HoC and HoL for the amendments to be approved and then royal assent.
The FTA states that it will enter into force one month after both sides have made the necessary changes to their laws unless otherwise agreed upon. So they could agree that it will EIF the day after royal assent, we just don’t know yet. I would assume it will be a month after though and be pleasantly surprised if not haha.
Let’s hope it’s not another arduous 2 week wait
Thanks again for the update! It again it seems like they dangle the carrot stick in front of you but not telling you exactly when or what exactly is happening, I don’t think they even know until the bill has been completed, but I guess it’s got to come from Australia also.
Anyone know when they next stage will be completed or Scheduled for ?
Think it’s also true once it’s complete we have to wait a month also after that ?
https://www.canzukinternational.com/2023/01/uk-house-of-lords-begin-detailed-check-of-australia-new-zealand-bill.html
Update
Lee, Jonny and Bradley
This is what I’ve found re the removal of specified work:
“The UK and Australia have agreed commitments that will result in unprecedented changes to existing Youth Mobility Schemes. These changes include making them available to nationals no older than 35 for a total stay of up to three years, without having to undertake specified work including regional work, for example on a farm. The change will be introduced within two years after entry into force to monitor any impact on the agriculture sector and ensure alternative workforce opportunities are in place.”
I find the wording pretty confusing. Are they going to introduce the changes and then monitor it? Or wait to introduce the changes and monitor things in the meantime? Also they refer to the “changes” – age and specified work – and then “change” – specified work only. So are they going to be made separately or together?
https://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/negotiations/aukfta/australia-uk-free-trade-agreement-negotiations-frequently-asked-questions-august-2022
Yeah I have read this and I think it will all happen at the same time but the date won’t be confirmed until the FTA is in force.
Australia is crying out for skilled and unskilled workers so hopefully behind closed doors they are planning on making the changes happen fast to help tackle the work shortage.
The “within 2 years” timeframe has been set like this since they originally announced the changes so hopefully since then they have a decision to announce:)
https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2023/january-2023/lords-considers-trade-australia-and-new-zealand-bill/
Today’s proceedings