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Working Holiday Visa age limit up to 35 years

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Working Holiday Visa age limit up to 35 years

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.​

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.
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1215 COMMENTS

  1. I hold a Uk passport . I’m 31 is it now possible to work in Aus up to the age of 35 ?

    I completed my first year when I was 21 and earned my second year but never ended up using it . Have they extended the age to 35 now ?

  3. Hello,
    I come from Italy, I am 35 y.o. and will turn 36 in January 2023. I have just got my firt working holiday Visum, valid until 28.8.2023. Do I need to enter Australia before I turn 36 or can I enter the Country within the next 12 Months, even if I will be 36 y.o. ? Thank u

  4. Hi Chloe. To my knowledge neither the Australian nor UK governments gave July 1st 2022 as the date the age changes would occur.

    I disagree regarding the trade deal not entering into force until 2024. The reporting date for the JSCOT is Nov 16. After the report is released the Australian government can ratify their side of the deal and it should enter into force one month after that. Whether the age increase to the WHV will occur on the same day remains to be seen.

    However, I agree that looking at alternative visa options is a good idea and am doing the same. Best of luck with it all.

    • We are exploring other visa options because this is becoming painful with all the speculating and waiting – our lives have literally been on hold for 8 months and passing us by. So I definitely recommend biting the bullet, looking at alternatives and checking the skilled workers list because there doesn’t seem to be any urgency around this & it will most likely not come into affect until 2024. We were told July 1st and it never happened so if it’s November this year I’d be super surprised. Good luck!

    • It’s looking that way. I checked and the JSCOT has 15 sitting days between when it was re-referred to them and Nov 16th. So it could be ratified on November 17th and enter into force by mid December. That is looking like the best case scenario at the moment.

      I haven’t seen anything that explicitly states the working holiday visa age will increase on the day the FTA enters into force. So unless anyone has found anything to the contrary it’s worth keeping that in mind too.

      Maybe the site admins can tell us more about that as they are expecting the age increase to happen soon.

  7. Here is a bit more info regarding the reporting date of the UK-Australia FTA:

    “Category 1 and Category 2 treaties (major treaty actions) automatically stand referred to the Committee for inquiry and report upon tabling in the Parliament. The Committee will generally report on these treaties within 20 and 15 joint sitting days respectively”.

    The committee can decide it requires more rigorous inquiry and extend the time frame, they can also decide that it’s urgent and exempt it from the standard 20 or 15 days.

    So if sitting days for the committee are Mon-Fri the report could be released much sooner than Nov 16.

    Source:
    https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Treaties/Role_of_the_Committee

  8. Hi there!

    Is it possible to extend my arrival date on my accepted first year working holiday visa? It currently states ‘arrival before 10 december 2022’ – could i push this back to january 2023?

    Moreover if i cannot arrive before the date given can i re-apply for the whv?

    Thanks!
    James

  9. Hey guys!

    First of all thanks in advance for your time. Wondering if it is possible to apply for a WHV 417 with an Italian Passport if I had already lived in Australia for 2 years with my Argentinian Passport (under a WHV 462)? I really would like to go back, i have been working in regional areas all my stay there during the covid but I turned 33 this year. I didnt receive the approval of the covid Visa and i left the country without applied for a Bridging B..my bad. u know if there is any possibility to get an exemption?

    • Hi Alvaro,
      No sure it will be possible as there is a question when applying for a WHV where you must say whether or not you ve already done a WHV in Australia. It is worth giving it a go (but you might loose your application fees). Cheers

  10. Hello!

    Any idea when they might increase the age limit for Estonian citizens? Or where I could find info about that? I know that currently the age limit is 30 years.

    • It means the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) is currently considering the submissions made back in Feb/March by the previous government regarding the UK-Aus FTA and will produce a report with recommendations that take into account those submissions. From what I’ve seen the government doesn’t necessarily have to use any of the recommendations and the treaty can be ratified and enter into force before the government responds to the report.

      One thing I’m not sure about yet is whether the reporting date is the earliest the report can be released or if it could come out sooner if the JSCOT finishes it early. It seems like the government can’t ratify the trade deal until that report comes out though.

      So if the reporting date is fixed the trade deal could be finished any time after Nov 16. If it’s not fixed and the report can come out sooner then maybe it can be finalised even sooner. It’s worth keeping in mind that per the terms of the trade deal it will enter into force one month after it’s ratified by both sides unless they agree on a different date. So even if everything was finalised by both sides on Nov 16 it could be another month before the FTA actually starts.

      The submissions from the previous government:
      https://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/not-yet-in-force/aukfta/submissions#submissions

  12. For anyone interested the Australian Joint Standing Committee on Treaties has added the UK-Australia FTA to their list of current inquiries with the following info:

    “The inquiry was re-referred to the Committee on Monday, 1 August 2022. The Treaty and related documents can be found on the Treaty being considered page.

    The Committee will not be re-opening submissions and will use the evidence and records of the previous Committee received in the 46th Parliament.”

    The reporting date is 16 November 2022 which is the earliest reporting date of any of their current inquiries.

    Source:
    https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Treaties

  13. Hi,

    I was wondering if i could apply for the Working holiday visa outside the uk but also not within Australia? I am a uk citizen?

    Thanks all of your help!

  14. I am also in the waiting lane for the age limit to increase, very frustrating :). As you can’t apply for a first year working holiday visa whilst in Australia, do you know if you can apply whilst not in the UK? E.g. if I applied whilst in Asia, and flew from there?

    Any info you have would be much appreciated!
    Hang in there guys, we’ll get there!

  15. I’m in the same boat as you chloe. Life on hold and in a job I cannot wait to quit until this deal comes into effect. At this stage lost all hope as it keeps getting pushed further and further back, and I turn 36 in aug of next year so time is running out. Might look at other countries to go to now while they have actual policies in place.

  16. So i’ve found this below news article:

    https://7news.com.au/politics/australia-uk-fta-due-to-be-legislated-c-7082377

    It states that the The Australia-Britain Free Trade Agreement is due to be passed through parliament when it resumes, and will likely come into effect by the end of the year or early 2023.

    The commissioner says the process will be concluded when the 47th parliament begins onm July 26.

    “The trade deal is done and dusted. It’s signed, so it’s going through parliamentary processes because free trade agreements are international treaties and have to be legislated,” Ms Treadell told AAP.

    “That’s gone very well so far. We very much look forward to the Free Trade Agreement coming into effect at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.”

    So i guess this is good news in that it’s def going ahead so hopefully will be end of this year latest.

    • I feel your frustration, I’m not yet 30 but my fiancé is 32… we have been waiting for months, with the hope it would be implemented on 1st July, the day came and went but we then got our hopes up the new agreement would be ratified today but nothing so far.
      What’s even more weird is there’s been absolutely no media attention around it.
      Our lives are on hold whilst we wait for this law, I’m currently working a job I hate but can’t hand my notice in until we can apply for visas. Losing hope too!

  19. Hi, I’m looking to go to Australia in august, and I’m from the Uk. If I get a year working visa, before the new 18-35 visa is approved, will I be able to change visas to avoid doing the farm work please? Or will I have to do the farm work, then apply for the new visa once the 12 months run out?

  23. Hello,

    I too was due to apply when I turned 30 but missed the boat – UK citizen. I will turn 35 Jan 2023 and 36 in Jan 2024 and understand in 2024 the age will change to 35 for Brits? When would be the best time for me to apply? I don’t want to miss out again

  24. Hi,

    Since it recently went through for Danish and Italian citizens has there been any update on when the age increase to the working holiday visa will come into effect for Brits?

    When the change is made for Brits will they be able to apply from inside Australia if they are already there on a tourist, or other, visa,?

    Thanks for all your work to help us understand what’s going on.

      • Thanks for your response. Do you have any information regarding my second question? If a Brit were in Australia on a tourist visa when when the changes come into effect would they be able to apply for a work and travel visa from within the country?

        From what I have read the UK is expected to ratify their side of the agreement around the 20th of July. However, Australia’s Joint Standing Committee on Treaties doesn’t reconvene until the 26th of July and the trade agreement is currently listed under lapsed inquiries as it wasn’t completed before the election. So it could be another month or more until Australia officially signs off on their side. Fingers crossed the visa age changes will come in immediately when they do.

        My source:
        https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Treaties/Lapsed_inquiries_of_the_46th_Parliament

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