Australia to Offer Work & Holiday Visas to Indians
Australia will soon offer 1,000 Work and Holiday visas per year to Indian citizens aged between 18-30 years old, as part of a new Free Trade Agreement recently signed between the two countries.
Applications are not yet open, but the Australian government says that Indians will be able to apply for Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visas within two years from the implementation of the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement.
This agreement came into effect on 2 April 2022, so the new visa arrangements for Indian backpackers will be in place by 2 April 2024 at the absolute latest. (Hopefully it will be sooner than that, but an exact date has not yet been announced.)
The Work and Holiday (462) visa will allow Indian citizens to visit Australia for an extended holiday of up to one year. During this time, visa holders will be allowed to take up short-term work for up to six months per employer, and study for up to four months.
Those who meet certain requirements during their first year in Australia (e.g. by completing certain types of work) will be able to access second and third year “backpacker visas” as well.
The full details are outlined in the reciprocal working holiday visa agreement between Australia and India.
What’s required to get a Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa for Australia
The Work and Holiday (462) visa has different requirements to Australia’s Working Holiday (417) visa.
The basic requirements for Indian citizens to get a Work and Holiday visa for Australia will be:
- Hold a valid Indian passport
- Aged 18-30 years old (inclusive) and outside of Australia at the time of applying for the visa
- Pay the Visa Application Charge (VAC)
- Have not previously held a Working Holiday Visa or Work and Holiday Visa in Australia
- Have enough money to support yourself initially in Australia (generally at least AUD5,000 or approx. INR280,000) and to buy a ticket home when you leave
- Meet the Australian government’s health and character requirements
- Have a tertiary qualification and/or have successfully completed at least 2 years of undergraduate university study (specific requirements vary by nationality)
- Have at least “functional” English language skills
- Have not had a previous visa application to Australia refused and you/your family members do not owe the Australian government any money
- Agree to sign the “Australian Values Statement”
- Will not be accompanied by dependent children
There will be an initial limit of 1,000 Work and Holiday visas per year for eligible Indian citizens. It is likely that there will be more people who wish to apply for this visa than places available, but it is not yet clear how the places will be allocated. It could be a “first in, best dressed” system. It’s also possible that there could be some sort of lottery system, or that the Indian government will implement its own system to allocate the available spots – but we don’t know yet. It is possible that this quota could be increased in the future.
Will Australians have access to working holiday visas for India?
Generally, working holiday visa agreements between two countries are reciprocal. This means that if Australia offers working holiday or Work and Holiday visas to citizens of another country, the partner country would offer the same to Australian citizens in return.
Of the 44 nationalities that Australia currently offers working holiday visas to, 43 of those countries also offer the same type of visa to Australians. The only current exception is China, which does not currently offer this type of visa to Australians despite Australia offering Work and Holiday visas to Chinese citizens.
It is not yet clear whether India will offer working holiday visas to Australians in the near future as this type of visa program does not currently exist in India. But the current version of the reciprocal working holiday agreement between Australia and India states:
If India implements a similar youth mobility program in the future with any country, it will extend the opportunity to participate in such a program to Australian citizens.
Dear sir i am intrested to visit austrila for holiday visa i need some information is any one there help giving information
Although Indians will be able to access Australian Work and Holiday (462) visas in the future, applications are not yet open. As it says in the article, this will happen within the next two years.
In the meantime, you can check the Australian government’s Department of Home Affairs website for general information about how the subclass 462 visa works: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462
If this is my first trip to foreign country, and i want to apply in Australia for Holiday work visa then what is probability of getting holiday work visa for me?
This visa is unfortunately not yet available to Indian citizens. But once it does become available, you would need to apply from outside of Australia and would only be able to travel to Australia if/after your application is approved.
sir, I like to came in Australia now applications are open or not and have any another way to getting unskilled worker visa sponsorship for came in to Australia from India.
The Australian government has not yet opened applications for this visa. It should happen in the next year or so.
Being an Indian can I apply for this visa too?
You will be able to apply once applications open, but this hasn’t happened just yet.
Hello Sir,Hope you are doing well!”
Could you please inform me when the applications for the Working Holiday visa will commence for Indian citizens? Do you have any specific dates available?
The agreement between Australia and India states that Australia will introduce Work and Holiday visas for Indian citizens within two years of the AI-ECTA coming into force.
This happened on 29 December 2022, so in theory visas should be available by 29 December 2024. However, it is possible that this could be delayed. The Australian government has not yet advised of any specific starting date.