Australia
Work and Holiday
Visa (USA Citizens)

This Australian Work and Holiday Visa is for tertiary and high school educated US citizens aged 18 to 30 who are interested in a working holiday of up to 12 months in Australia.

The purpose of this visa for Australia is for you to enjoy an extended holiday in Australia. You are entitled to work in Australia, but any work should be temporary to help fund your travels. Periods of work should be broken up by periods of holiday and travel.

Complete the Australia Work and Holiday application form, making sure you answer each question in full. Post your application form, including payment of US$270 to:

Ireland address: Visa First, 12-14 College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland
UK address: Visa First, First Floor, 277-281 Oxford Street, London, W1C 2DL, UK

You can pay by enclosing a postal order or bank draft made payable to Traveltowork Ltd* or by completing the credit card section of the application. Do not send cash or cheque.

*Visa First is a trading name for Traveltowork Ltd.

If you are granted a Work and Holiday Visa you can:

• enter Australia any time within 3 months of the visa grant date;
• stay for up to 12 months in Australia;
• leave and re-enter Australia any number of times in the 12 months from the date of first entry;
• undertake temporary employment in Australia;
• study for up to 4 months;

If granted a Work and Holiday Visa to Australia, you have 12 months from the date of issue to enter Australia. The visa is then valid for 12 months from the date you first enter Australia.

You can work throughout the 12-month validity of your visa but you are not entitled to work for more than 6 months with the same employer. Working beyond 6 months with one employer may result in your visa being cancelled and you may be required to leave Australia.

You can take up any type of work in Australia as long as it is on a temporary basis. If you intend to work in your own occupation you should check if registration or licensing is required.

In exceptional circumstances, it may be possible to extend the period of work with one employer to longer than six months. An extension may be allowed for a very short period of time and only if there is sufficient justification to grant it.
Exceptional circumstances must relate to an Australian permanent resident, citizen or business and must be extraordinary and unforeseeable.

If you are referred by an agency or labour supplier to a business in Australia, you can still only work 6 months for that business on the Australia Work and Holiday Visa. However, the same agency or labour supplier can later refer you to another business where you can work for another 6 months.

No. Your spouse will need to apply for their own Australian Visa if they want to accompany you.

While in Australia on a Work and Holiday Visa you must not study or train for more than 4 months. If you want to study for longer than 4 months, you should apply for an Australia Student Visa.

Health requirements for Oz Work Visa applications will vary depending on your personal circumstances. You may need to have a medical examination depending on:

• your length of stay in Australia;
• other health risks in your home country or countries you have visited for more than three months within the last five years;
• the activities you will be undertaking;
• your existing health condition;

For the Australian Government to determine whether you are of good character, you may be asked to provide police certificates for each country you have lived in for 12 months or more over the last 10 years since you turned 16 years old.

You must maintain adequate health insurance cover during your stay in Australia on your Work and Holiday Visa. Private health insurance funds cover you for treatment as a private patient in private or public hospitals and can include some services such as dental and optical services.

Once we review your complete application, including supporting documents and evidence of English language proficiency, and if you do not have a medical condition that requires further investigation, you will receive notification from us about the status of your visa application.

Visa First is the only company with an online visa status engine through which you can check the status of your Australia Visa application 24/7. Check your visa status here.

When your Australian Work and Holiday Visa is approved, you will receive a visa approval letter at your nominated email or postal address. Make sure you keep a copy of this letter. This letter will confirm your visa approval and detail the validity date of your visa and conditions.

When your visa is approved, you will receive a notification letter at your nominated email or postal address. Please keep this notification as it describes the conditions that apply to your visa. It will contain:

• your visa number;
• the validity date of your visa;
• the visa conditions;
• full details of what you must do next.

The total fee for the standard Australia Work and Holiday Visa (including all embassy fees) which is processed in 48 hours* is US$320. For visa processing in 2 weeks, the fee is US$275.

*Subject to Terms and Conditions

When you arrive in Australia you must remember to collect your visa label at the nearest immigration office. You MUST remember to use the same passport as the one you used in this application.

To use your mobile phone in Oz you will need to unblock your phone and get an Australian mobile sim card. Visa First can provide you with a pack that will allow you to unblock your phone and use your current handset – so you can keep in touch with your friends and family back home. Click here to see more information. Simply return this form to us and your Oz SIM Pack will be in the post. If you have any questions you can chat live online with our staff here.

Visa First is partnered with Traveltowork, who can open your Australian bank account before you leave home. Traveltowork partners with one of Australia’s largest banks – ANZ – and will provide you with your account details by email within 4-5 working days of your application. Once you arrive in Oz, you simply present your passport or drivers licence at any ANZ branch to access your funds. Apply now to get your account set up.

You will need an Australian Tax File Number (TFN) to work and pay tax in Oz.
With the Visa First Tax Saver Pack we’ll start organising your TFN before you leave home so you can start working and earning as soon as you arrive in Australia. Apply for your Tax File Number here.

Yes. When you work in Australia, you will pay 29% tax on your wages, as well as having your employer contribute to a superannuation fund on your behalf. Depending on your circumstances, you will be able to claim back some, or all of what you paid in tax at the end of the tax year or when you leave Oz permanently. Visa First recommends taxback.com to help you claim a tax refund from Australia. Register today for a free quote at www.taxback.com or www.superannuation.ie.

Thousands of customers choose Visa First to organise their working holiday visas every year because:

• We make getting the visa you need fast and hassle-free.
• We are the only company with an online visa status engine which allows you to check the status of your visa 24/7. Check your status now.
• We’re visa experts and have organised over 130,000 visas for people like you.
• Our visa guarantee means no visa – no fee!*
• We don’t just do visas, we sort out everything you’ll need overseas – from accommodation, bank accounts, airport pick up, jobs and much more.