On 5 November 2018, the Australian government announced major changes to the Work & Holiday Visa (462) program. These changes have been made by the Australian government to try and make Work & Holiday Visa (462) holders available for Australia’s seasonal work needs.
Five main changes to the Work & Holiday Visa (462) include:
1. A New Third Year Work & Holiday Option
Any second-year work & holiday visa (462) holder that undertakes six (6) months of specified work during their second year will become eligible to apply for a third work & holiday visa (462). Specified work for the third-year visa are the same as the eligibility for specified work for the second-year visa.
2. Removal of Northern Australia restriction on Farm Work
Visa holders can now work in Agriculture in regional areas throughout the country and use this work to apply for their second work & holiday (462) visa. The northern Australian restriction no longer applies to farm work.
From 1 November 2018, any visa holder that is working in Agriculture (Plant & Animal Cultivation) in any specified regional area across Australia can claim this as eligible work to apply for their second work& holiday visa (462). The specified regional areas across Australian will include regional areas in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia, and all of Northern Territory, South Australia, and Tasmania. Details of specific postcodes will be published by the Australian Government shortly.
Anyone working in tourism or hospitality that wants to apply for their second work & holiday (462) visa still needs to complete this work in Northern Australia.
3. New Electronic Applications
From 16 November 2018, all new work & holiday (462) visa applications from many countries, including Portugal, will be able to be lodge online. Paper applications will no longer be accepted. The countries benefiting from this change will be Argentina, Austria, Chile, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Luxembourg, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia Spain, the United States, and Uruguay.
4. Work with the same Farm for 12 Months
A work & holiday (462) visa holder can now work with the same agriculture (Plant and Animal Cultivation) employer for up to 12 months. The restriciton of 6 months with the same employer no longer applies to agriculture employers.
5. Increase to the annual caps for multiple countries
Over the coming weeks, the Australian government will announce increases for a number of countries that can apply for a work & holiday visa. We hope that Portugal is included in this increase. Ausvisto will continue to publish these updates as they are announced by the Australian Government.
If you want any further information or require any assistance with your Work & Holiday Visa application Contact Ausvisto today to start your Australian journey.
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