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First Working Holiday visa (Subclass 417)

AustraliaYouth mobility

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Get your free results Read the five questions ↓

Which nationalities and age range can participate?

The applicant must hold a passport from an eligible country or jurisdiction, be aged 18 to 30 (or up to 35 for some passport countries, with country-specific age tables and a strict apply-before-31st/36th-birthday deadline), apply online from outside Australia, not be accompanied by dependent children, apply alone (no family members can be included), and not have previously entered Australia on a subclass 417 or 462 visa. The applicant must also meet health and character requirements and sign the Australian values statement.

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What combination of travel, work, study or training does the programme permit?

The First Working Holiday visa lets the holder have an extended holiday in Australia and work there to help fund the trip. Holders can do any kind of work, but usually only for the same employer for 6 months; they can study for up to 4 months (17 weeks) and travel to and from Australia as many times as they want. Doing 3 months of specified work makes the holder eligible for a second Working Holiday visa.

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What are the defining limitations: quota, ballot, previous participation, employer limits, study limits or equivalent?

Holders can do any kind of work to help fund their stay, but usually only for the same employer for up to 6 months, and can study for up to 4 months (17 weeks). Completing 3 months of specified work makes the holder eligible for a second Working Holiday visa. Applicants must not have previously entered Australia on a subclass 417 or 462 visa.

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What funds, insurance, onward travel or similar preparation is particularly important?

Applicants must have enough money to support themselves while in Australia and to leave Australia at the end of their stay; this is usually about AUD5,000 for the initial stay, plus the fare to where they are going after leaving Australia. They must also show they have enough money to buy a ticket to leave Australia at the end of their stay, or that they already have the ticket. The Department strongly recommends taking out health insurance, as holders are personally liable for all their healthcare costs while in Australia. The official source does not state health insurance as a mandatory requirement.

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How long can the person stay, can the programme be extended or repeated, and what happens when it ends?

This is a temporary visa: the holder must enter Australia within 12 months of grant (a deadline that will not be extended or deferred), and once entered can stay up to 12 months with unlimited re-entries in that period. The visa cannot be extended; a holder wanting to stay longer must apply for another visa, such as a second Working Holiday visa if eligible, or in limited cases a Visitor visa (capped so the combined stay does not exceed 12 consecutive months without exceptional circumstances).

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These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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