OZVISAS usually depending on your profession. Again, check the DIAC website, immi.gov.au for further details. Applying outside your home country: You can lodge an application for your first WHV online or by post from anywhere in the world, except Australia. However, applications by passport holders of certain countries must be submitted by post, fax or hand to the overseas Australian government office in their own country. Travellers with no choice but to use this method are those from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malta and Cyprus.
Extending your WHV Unlike the first time you apply for a WHV, you can apply for your second one from within Australia. You can apply from overseas as well. However, just like with the first WHV, any time spent outside Australia while your second visa is valid cannot be recouped. You must provide evidence you worked for a minimum of three months (or 88 days – they can be cumulative) as a specified worker while on your first visa. To prove this, you’ll need an employment
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verification form (1263); this can be downloaded online at immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1263.pdf or picked up from a Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) office. Get this form before you start seasonal work as each employer you have must sign it. The form only has enough space for five employers so if you work for more than this you will require additional forms. Other acceptable evidence of seasonal work for your application may be pay slips, group certificates, tax returns or employer references. Applications for an extension can be made on the DIAC website and cost $270. You are also required to undergo a medical so keep in mind that you will have to pay for chest x-rays.
Requirements for second WHV Along with your application form, you should send your passport, evidence of your specified work in regional Australia, any medical information or evidence required by the Australian Government office where you intend to lodge your application, fee payment, and evidence that you have “sufficient funds” in your bank account, such as your bank statements – receipts from ATMs are not acceptable. Generally, AU$5,000 in addition to funds for a return airfare may be regarded as sufficient to cover the costs of your second working holiday.
Sponsorship visas
Lauren Noble, USA WHAT WORK ARE YOU DOING? “I’ve been volunteering with CVA. Over the past five weeks I’ve helped plant trees in Geelong, done some weeding on Phillip Island and helped maintain some national park tracks. It’s been awesome.“ WHY VOLUNTEERING? “It’s just a great adventure. I get to travel to places I wouldn’t normally see as a tourist, plus I get to do outside work and meet the Aussie locals. It’s nice to do something completely different and give something back.”
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You might land a great job while on your WHV and want to stay longer than that visa allows, but fear not. What you’ll need is the 457 Business Visa, or what is more commonly known as “sponsorship”. A company/employer (who is an approved business sponsor) will sponsor you to work on a visa valid for up to four years. You need to have an official “skilled occupation” and be earning above the specified minimum salary (which is currently AU$49,330 p/a). The 457 visa ties you to the job you are sponsored for, but this can be transferred between jobs as long as your new employer wishes to sponsor you too. Go to immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/1131. pdf for a comprehensive booklet. This also lists the occupations for this visa. Booklets for Skilled Migration applications can be found on immi.gov.au under forms and booklets. Note: Information about visas is accurate at time of going to press. We strongly recommend you check the DIAC website (immi.gov.au) regularly as the rules, fees and application forms for visas are constantly changing. ❚