Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462)

Work and Holiday visa or Work and Holiday Class US Subclass 462 visa: Who can apply

The Work and Holiday visa Subclass 462 is for young people aged between 19 and 30 (has not turned 31 at the time of application) who has completed at least 2 years of a course, for example, a PhD or a Master or a Graduate Diploma or a Graduate Certificate or a Bachelor or Associate degree level qualifications.

In addition, you must have least functional English, for example, at least 4.5 for each component in IELTS test to be eligible for the Work and Holiday visa.

More importantly, you must be a citizen and hold a valid passport issued by 1 of the following countries:

1. Argentina
2. Austria
3. Chile
4. China
5. Czech Republic (letter of introduction from school)
6. Ecuador (*)
7. Greece (*)
8. Hungary (*)
9. Indonesia (*)
10. Israel
11. Luxembourg (*)
12. Malaysia (provide Good Conduct Certificate)
13. Peru (*)
14. Poland (*)
15. Portugal
16. San Marino (*)
17. Singapore
18. Slovak Republic
19. Slovenia
20. Spain
21. Thailand (*)
22. Turkey (*)
23. Uruguay (*)
24. USA
25. Vietnam (*)

You may also be required to provide a letter of support from your government (if you are from the above country indicated by “*”). You may not be eligible to apply for this visa if you studied in Australia as a DFAT (foreign affairs) recipient.

The Department of Immigration (Department of Home Affairs) may require you to show you have at least $5,000 for your first 3 months of stay when you applied for Work and Holiday Subclass 462 visa. If you are applying for your subsequent visas, you will not be asked to show you have at least $5,000 unless the Department believe you are destitute and does not have access to free rent and board.

You can only ever hold Work and Holiday visas for a maximum of 3 times in your lifetime. If you have been granted but did not enter Australia on this visa, then this is will not be counted. You can be in or outside Australia when applying for this visa. However, you can only apply for your first Work and Holiday visa outside of Australia and through the Australian Visa Application Centre where you provide your biometric data.

The Department of Immigration must be satisfied that you are applying for this visa principally to holiday in Australia and will leave before becoming unlawful non-citizen.

You may only work up to 6 months for each company or employer (visa condition 8547) unless you have been given permission in writing by the Department and is supported by your employer. This visa is not for you to work for the entire duration of your visa.

You may also study for up to 4 months (visa condition 8548).

You are not allowed to include family members. However, if you have dependent children with an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you must not have contact with them otherwise, they will be considered as accompanying you.

If you have given birth in Australia, you will no longer meet the requirements for the Work and Holiday visa as your newborn child will be considered as accompanying you. Your visa will be liable to cancellation because the circumstances that permitted the visa to be granted ceased to exist.

The Department of Immigration imposes an annual cap or quota on this visa. Once the quota is reached, no further Work and Holiday visas will be granted until the next financial year.

You can apply for your second Work and Holiday visa if you have worked for at least 3 months in specified work (click here to learn more).

From 1 July 2019, if you have worked (on or after 1 July 2019) for at least 6 months in specified work in a regional area while holding your second Working Holiday Subclass 417 visa (click here to learn more about 417 visa) or Work and Holiday visa (Subclass 462), you may be eligible to apply for your third visa.

Australian migration law is complex and difficult to understand, contact our immigration lawyer for a consultation (fee applies) to help you decide if you can apply for this visa (click here to find out how an immigration lawyer or registered migration agent can help you). You may also refer to our FAQs for answers regarding visa application or visa cancellation by clicking here.

This article is not intended to be or taken as migration legal advice. The author of this article disclaims any liability for any action or omission on the information provided or not provided in this article. You should always consult an immigration lawyer or a registered migration agent to form an informed opinion on your immigration matter.