The Work and Holiday visa is for tertiary educated people aged 18 to 30 who are interested in a working holiday of up to 12 months in Australia.

The purpose of this visa is for you to holiday and travel in Australia. Any work should be temporary to supplement your funds. Periods of work should be broken up by periods of holiday and travel.

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

• enter Australia at 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 you are referred by an agency or labour supplier to a business, you can work 6 months for that business. The same agency or labour supplier can later refer you to another business where you can work for another 6 months.

Working beyond 6 months with the same employer may result in your visa being cancelled and you may be required to leave Australia.

You can undertake any type of work 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.

Your spouse must apply for their own visa if they are to accompany you to Australia.

If granted a Work and Holiday visa, you have 3 months from the grant date to enter Australia. The visa is valid for 12 months from the date you first enter Australia.

While in Australia as the holder of 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 a student visa from outside Australia.

Health requirements 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 ten (10) years since turning 16.

You must maintain adequate health insurance cover during your stay in Australia. 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.

After we reviewed your complete application, including supporting documents and evidence of functional English, and where you do not have a medical condition that requires further investigation, you will receive notification from us about the status of your visa application.

When your visa is approved, you will receive a grant 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 grant number;
• the validity date of your visa;
• the visa conditions;
• full details of what you must do next;

The total fee for the standard visa which is processed in 48 hours is US$235. The 2 week visa is US$215.

Complete the Australian Work and Holiday application form, taking your time to answer each question in full. Post your application form, including payment of US$235, to VISA FIRST, 12-14 College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland or to VISA FIRST, First Floor, 277-281 Oxford Street, London, W1C 2DL, United Kingdom. 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.

Once we receive your application, we will call or email you. 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.

Once 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.

You can contact the VISA FIRST Helpdesk by calling 0866 772 9245 or (00353) 1 878 3329. We will be glad to answer questions or concerns about your application. Alternatively you can chat live with our visa team by clicking here.

1. Complete the application form in full, taking care to answer all questions.
   
2. Post the application form to your local VISA FIRST office (either in Ireland or the UK) , including your payment of US$235.
   
3. We will call or email you immediately to let you know we have received your application.
   
4. We will then ensure that your WHM visa is processed correctly and you will receive written notification upon approval.

Yes, Kickstart Australia is an 'all you need' arrivals pack designed for backpackers arriving in Australia. Click here to read more.

Yes, if you have family or friends that have worked abroad in Australia since 1999, they will have paid 29% of their wages in income tax. Their employer will also have paid 9% over and above their wages into a fund called a superannuation . Tell them to register today for a free quote on www.taxback.com and www.superannuation.ie and they should receive money back from Australia shortly.

You need to unblock your phone first and you will also need an Australian mobile sim card. We can provide a pack to you that will allow you to unblock your phone and use your current handset. This is a very popular service as it means you can provide your family and friends with your phone number before you even leave. Click here to see more details. Simply return this form to us and your sim pack will be in the post. If you have any questions you can talk to us live by clicking here.