Working Holiday Australia

Yes that’s right…backpackers or working holiday makers in Australia help contribute over A$1.3 billion to the Australian economy – and that’s just 2002 estimates.

Today, with the numbers of working holiday makers entering Australia every year, that figure is expected to be at least another A$500 million more.

Unfortunately we haven’t got 2006/07 figures, but if you’re on a working holiday or have just been on one, this is a brief snapshot of the economic benefits you brought to Australia*:

• Average stay of a working holiday maker in Australia is for nine months, during which they will have spent an average of $16,000.



• Working holiday makers take up the equivalent of about 41,000 full-year jobs, but about 49,000 full-year jobs are created through their expenditure resulting in a net gain of 8,000 full-year jobs.

And this is in top of providing vital labour in industries such as horticulture/viticulture and construction.

Immigration figures released this week show that last year 111,973 working holiday visas were issued by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship, as it is now known. That’s an increase of 7.3 per cent.

Over a quarter of those visas went to UK (28,353) and Irish citizens (12,369), with the Japanese (9,102) Koreans (23,536), Germans (11,925), Canadians (6,754) and French (6,044) taking up most of the rest.

With last year’s decision by the Government to allow working holiday makers to work for up to six months with each single employer, it has made Australian working holiday even more attractive and this year the working holiday visa programme looks set to be even more popular than ever before.

*Research carried out by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economics and Social Research in 2002.

Labels: working holiday annual stats

Everyone likes something for free and backpackers are certainly no different!

Right now everyone who takes out a working holiday visa from the Australian Visa Bureau can get a free tour of the’ famous Blue Mountains, just a short hop away from Sydney.

Visa Bureau have teamed up with one of the best known names in Australian tours, Oz Experience, to offer this great deal and that’s not all on offer.

Besides the free Blue Mountains tour, all Visa Bureau working holiday makers can receive a 5% discount on future bookings or register for a 10% discount on all Oz Experience tours and passes.

And it doesn’t stop there with the discounts; you can also help yourself to a 10% Discount on all Adventure Tours Australia packages.

For the ultimate adventure across Australia, nobody comes close to matching Adventure Tours Australia. Unlike some tours, the groups are kept small but the experience is twice as good with double the adventure.

So, if walking through an amazing rainforest in the heart of the mountains besides stunning waterfalls, beautiful gorges and coming face to face with native Australian wildlife is what you’re after, then what are you waiting for (or should that be where the bloody hell are you?)?

If you’re in any doubt about just how worthwhile taking a side trip out to the Blue Mountains will be, take a look at www.visitbluemountains.com.au

These offers are only available through the Visa Bureau, simply complete a no obligation online Working Holiday Visa assessment form and a Visa Bureau working holiday consultant will tell you the rest!

This is a question that we often get asked, and one that we answer with a "yes..but".

The yes part of this answer can best to put to test by the statistics, courtesy of some Australian Government research into the subject of travellers' safety in Australia.

"From 1994 to 2003 there were about 40 million short-term visitors to Australia. In this period, 34 overseas visitors were murdered in Australia - a rate of 0.9 per million short-term visitors to Australia. Fourteen of these deaths occurred in two incidents - at Port Arthur and the Childers backpacker hostel.

During the nine year period, visitors from 14 different countries were the victims of murder in Australia. Over a third came from the United Kingdom, and a further 18 percent originated from Japan and Korea. Young adult males were most at risk which is comparable to the general homicide profile in Australia.

Australian visitors overseas are at a much higher risk. During a similar period (1995 to 2003) there were a total of 157 Australian visitors murdered while overseas. This is a rate of 5.7 per million Australian short-term visitors overseas. After removing deaths caused by terrorist activities such as the Bali bombing in 2002 and the World Trade Centre in 2001, the total number of Australians murdered overseas (59) is still almost twice the number of overseas visitors murdered in Australia. "

The 'but..." part of the argument is that travellers, no matter where they are, should always be cautious and wary of their surroundings.

Just like London and most other major European capitals, some areas of Sydney, Perth, Melbourne etc are best avoided. The best advice is to consult with locals before deciding on which suburb to rent or work in.

Travellers on their own should also be careful and if possible try and travel with others - after all finding like-minded companions is half the experience - especially if intending to hitchhike.

So, don't let negative reports in the media (there have been some very sensationalist stories in recent years) or films like "Wolf Creek" put you off your dream trip!

One of the most frequent questions we get asked is just how long it takes to get from one place to another in Australia...will I have enough time to drive from Perth to Adelaide in two days...how long will it take me to drive from Melbourne t0 Darwin..and so on.

The answers sometimes leave them shocked..."how can it take nearly five days to drive across a single country? "

To help put the size of the country into context, the postcard below gives an excellent indication. That's space for all of Europe and probably all of Central America you could squeeze in.

The Basics

An Australian Working Holiday Visa is for young people between the ages of 18 - 30 and enables the holder entry to Australia and the right to work for up to six months with each employer.

The visa also allows holders to study or train for up to four months.

So What's So Great About It?

Australia is a vast country and to see it all would take a lifetime, never mind a year, and for many young people the cost of experiencing an adventure down under is prohibitive. At least now on a Working Holiday to Australia the cost can be offset by earning funds through part time/temporary work.

Many people on a Working Holiday Visa spend half their time travelling and then the rest of the time working to pay for it. What's more, the visa allows holders to do just about any job in Australia, depending on qualifications and statuatory requirements.

Some people love working and traveling down under so much they stay for 2-years, but we'll explain how you can do that later in this blog.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an Australian Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417), the application must be made overseas and applicants must:

• Be aged between 18 and 30 years (inclusive) of age without dependent children;
  
• Be eligible passport holders with at least 1 year until renewal on their passport;
  
• Be going to Australia on holidays; and
  
• Be able to show sufficient funds for a return or onward fare and an adequate amount of funds for the first part of their stay.
  

Eligible Passport Holders
Australia currently has reciprocal working holiday arrangements with:

Belgium
Canada
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
Italy
Japan
Malta
Norway
Republic of Cyprus
Republic of Ireland
Republic of Korea
Sweden Taiwan
The Netherlands
United Kingdom

Holders of the following passports must lodge their application in their country of passport:
Japan;
Malta;
The Republic of Cyprus;
The Republic of Korea; and
Germany.

Australia also has Work and Holida Visas (subclass 462) for tertiary educated people from China, Iran and Thailand. Information on this visa is available from the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs website.

Health and Character

You need to meet health and character requirements; applicants with a pre-existing medical condition or a criminal record should declare it at the time of application. Depending on your circumstances, you may need to undertake a medical examination which may include a chest x-ray, HIV, Hepatitis B and/or Hepatitis C test, although these requirements generally affect those candidates who have spent 3 consecutive months in the last five years as a resident in a Country or Countries considered to be of high health risk of tuberculosis, are likely to enter an Australian hospital or health care or are likely to be engaged in an Australian child care centre as either on employee or trainee.

Finances

You must have access to sufficient funds to support yourself for the initial stage of your holiday. Generally, AUD$5,000 (£2,200) may be regarded as sufficient, but the amount may vary depending on your length of stay and the extent of your travel. You should also have a return or onward ticket or the funds for a fare to depart Australia. You may be asked to provide evidence. Evidence may include a certified copy of a bank statement and an air ticket out of Australia.

That's It!

Yep, that's really about all the requirements to qualify for an Australian Working Holiday Visa. If you're ready to apply, the Visa Bureau's online Working Holiday Assessment makes it easy.

Welcome to the Working Holiday Australia blog from the Australian Visa Bureau.

We hope this blog will help anybody who is possibly interested in taking part in the Australian Working Holiday Visa programme. Whether it's the big Gap Year or a career break, a working holiday in Australia is a once in a lifetime experience.

On these pages we will look to give you more information about the Working Holiday Visa and of course we are most interested in hearing about your own experiences down under. You can send an email to graham.walker@visabureau.com

Work on this blog will begin shortly! In the meanwhile, more information on the Australian Working Holiday Visa program is available on the Australian Visa Bureau pages, including a free Working Holiday Visa assessment.