Moving abroad is a huge step – I’ve spent over 6 years living in the UK, and now I’ve just moved to Australia for a year! Visas and eligibility requirements will usually determine where you can live abroad (legally and long-term). One of the reasons why so many people come to the Land Down Under is their working holiday visa program – citizens of many countries around the world can get a short-term visa to live and work in Australia. Here’s everything you need to know about getting the Australian Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462) as an American in 2023!

Why get a working holiday visa?

Why bother getting a visa at all – why not just visit Australia as a tourist and travel around? There are a lot of reasons why this visa is a really appealing option. Australia is a really big country – I mean, REALLY big. There is so much to see and do here, and so much to explore. You’ll want a lot of time to visit multiple cities, places, areas, etc. And if you want more time, you’ll probably need more money.

A work and holiday visa allows you to work any job in Australia, with the intention of funding your travels around the country. This is an amazing way to earn/save money on the road, to keep traveling for longer!

Who can apply for a WHV (subclass 462)

As a disclaimer, I am not an immigration lawyer and nothing in this post constitutes legal advice. Requirements and visas may change, so always visit the official Australian government website for the most current information.

Citizens from the following countries can apply for the work and holiday visa (subclass 462):

• Argentina
• Austria
• Brazil
• Chile
• China, People’s Republic of
• Czech Republic
• Ecuador
• Greece
• Hungary
• Indonesia
• Israel
• Luxembourg
• Malaysia
• Mongolia
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
• San Marino
• Singapore
• Slovak Republic
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• Türkiye
• Uruguay
• United States of America
• Vietnam

As I’m an American citizen with a US passport, I applied for WHV (subclass 462) and this post will focus on this experience from an American perspective. There is a slightly different working holiday visa available (subclass 417) if you are a citizen from the following countries:

• Belgium
• Canada
• Republic of Cyprus
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (including British National Overseas passport holders)
• Republic of Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Republic of Korea
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Sweden
• Taiwan (other than an official or diplomatic passport)
• The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

This visa has slightly different eligibility requirements and the age limit is higher for some nationalities, so I won’t be discussing the details – this post is regarding WHV (subclass 462), specifically for American citizens.

Eligibility requirements for a WHV (subclass 462)

The eligibility requirements for WHV (462) as an American are relatively easy and straightforward. This is not the same for other nationalities (especially non-native English speakers) as more documents are required! However, this is what was required from me as an American citizen.

Age Requirement

You must be between the ages of 18 and 30 to apply for this visa. This was the real stickler for me, as it’s something I’ve dreamed of doing for so long. When I turned 30, I realized it really was now or never – I needed to apply for the visa (and go!) while I was still 30, otherwise I’d be too old.

Previous Visas

You can’t have entered Australia on a working holiday visa before (either subclass 462 or 417).

Education Requirement

For Americans, you need to have a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education or equivalent. This is what most Australians get when they graduate high school, so you’ll need proof that you’ve finished high school.

Language Requirement

You need Functional English to be granted this visa. For Americans, we’re very lucky! All we need is proof of our passport as it’s assumed all US citizens will speak at least this level of English.

Financial Requirement

This is usually the trickiest part of the visa – you need savings to prove that you can support yourself and leave Australia at the end of your stay. This is approximately AUD$5000 (currently USD $3344 or GBP £2708). I do recommend you have a good chunk of savings, just so you can enjoy traveling!

Other Requirements

You’ll need to meet the health and character requirements (basically, being generally healthy without serious conditions and not having past criminal convictions), pay any debts owed to the Australian government, not have had a previous visa cancelled or a previous visa application refused, and agree to the Australian values statement. Some nationalities on the WHV (462) visa will also require a letter of support from their government for the visa. You won’t be able to bring any dependents with you – so you can’t do this if you have children.

Cost for the Visa

The visa costs AUD$510, which is approximately USD$341 (or GBP£276). EDIT: As of 1 July 2023, the visa cost has increased to AUD$635 (which is approximately USD $422 or GBP£329). You will pay this online at the time of application. You will also need an up-to-date passport photo to scan in for your application.

So to sum up, this is what you need as an American to qualify for the work and holiday visa (subclass 462) in Australia:

• Be between 18 and 30
• Not have done a working holiday visa in Australia before
• Educated to at least high school level
• Have at least AUD$5000 in the bank and be able to pay the application fee
• Speak English and have a US passport (and a passport photo)
• Meet the health/character requirements

While I am privileged to have a lot of savings, the basic requirements are not insanely difficult. You don’t need to work in any special field for this visa, you really just need to have graduated high school, have a US passport, and have enough savings to meet the financial threshold. This is easily one of the simplest visas I’ve applied for!

Application Process for the WHV (462)

The application for the work and holiday visa is all done online. You create an online account with Immi, the Australian immigration system, and enter in your details. Most of the questions are pretty basic: passport information, where you live, your current job, etc. You need to put in your education details – I included my college information and bachelor’s degree along with my high school information. They ask a few health questions, and many questions to determine that you meet the character requirement.

Once you finish all of the questions, you’ll need to upload your documents. The documents you need are: travel document, passport photograph, evidence for funds to stay in Australia and departure, and evidence of overseas qualifications. It’s easy to upload a jpeg/pdf file to the system. I used the following documents for my visa application:

Travel document: my passport bio page.

Passport photograph: a new passport photo (they ask you to write your name on the back, so scan both sides).

Evidence for funds to stay in Australia and departure: I had a bank statement confirming I had well over AUD$5000 in my savings account. I’d heard of some people just using a screenshot of their online bank account, but I wanted to be sure and use an official letter from my bank.

Evidence of overseas qualifications: my high school diploma and my bachelor’s degree.

Again, different nationalities may require more documents. For example, my US passport fulfilled the English language requirement, so I didn’t need anything else to prove that! Having already moved abroad and dealt with lots of visa applications living in the UK, I always err on the side of caution and provide iron-clad documents for any visa application. But to sum up, here’s a list of the documents you’ll need to upload for a work and holiday visa (462) application:

• Passport
• Passport photo
• Bank statement proving sufficient funds
• High school diploma/college degree

Once you’ve uploaded your documents, you’ll need to submit the application and pay the AUD$510 application fee. They do have a surcharge on most payment methods – Paypal is the cheapest option. Once you’ve made the payment, that’s it! You’ve applied for the work and holiday visa!

I had heard a lot of horror stories of people waiting months for their visas, but thankfully mine was fast and easy. I got my visa granted in 1 minute! By the time the payment screen had refreshed and I went back to my application, it said that it’d been granted!! I couldn’t believe it was so fast, so I checked my email (which hadn’t even refreshed yet). I received my first email that my application had been submitted successfully, and one minute later I received the second email that my visa application had been granted. It was official – I was going to Australia!!

You have one year from the day the application is granted to enter Australia. I applied at the end of October, planning to enter Australia at the end of March. This was plenty of time, it turns out!

Of course, passport privilege plays a huge part in this. As an American citizen with a US passport, I just needed to have the correct documents to prove my education/financial savings. It’s not this easy for other nationalities, and that’s important to recognize.

One thing to note: you could be eligible to extend this visa for a second year, or even a third year. You’ll need to do 3 months of specified work during your first year to qualify you for your second year. And you’ll need to do 6 months of specified work during your second year to qualify you for your third year. This requirement has changed frequently and many different jobs could qualify for an extension (not just farm work) – work in remote areas, any kind of work, may qualify. Always check with your employer if you’re looking to do this! And do this early, at the beginning of your first year, if you’re planning on it.

Entering Australia on my Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462)

I wasn’t sure what the entry process would be like when I landed in Australia. What documents would the Australian government need? What would I need to show? In reality, I didn’t even speak to anyone or show any documents, at all.

I flew from Bangkok to Sydney, which was my arrival point in Australia and when I activated my working holiday visa. Immigration was very simple at Sydney airport as an American citizen. I filled out a landing card while I was on the plane, with some basic details about my stay in Australia. Once I was at the airport, I scanned my passport in a machine and ticked a few boxes on the screen. It gave me a ticket, which I then used at another automated machine. This one took my picture and (I assume) read the details from the ticket. And that was it! I was in Australia! I handed my landing card to an immigration officer and cleared customs!

The arrival process was very easy and I didn’t need to bring any documents with me. However, I did have the following documents printed out, just in case any Australian immigration official needed them:

• Grant notification for the visa
• Copy of my high school diploma and bachelor’s degree
• Bank statement proving sufficient funds

One thing to remember: American citizens don’t qualify for Medicare in Australia – Medicare is their nationalized healthcare system. I have travel insurance for the duration of my trip. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

Why I Chose to Move to Australia

I’ve already talked about why I wanted to move to Australia extensively in this post – but really, it’s just something I’ve always wanted to do. With the age limit clock ticking, I knew I had to go now or I’d never be able to go. I’ve never visited Australia, as I’d always had in the back of my mind that I’d go for a year on a working holiday. The country is just so big with so much to see, and I want to explore as much as I can! And this working holiday visa makes it so accessible. So I decided to go for the year and see what happens. I can work and travel as I go, so it’ll definitely be an adventure!

I hope this post helps any Americans considering or applying for the work and holiday visa (subclass 462), or anyone else applying for this visa. The fact that I can be in Australia for a year is amazing, and I’m excited to see what’s in store for me here!

Have you ever done a working holiday visa before? Where did you go and what was your experience like?

You might like my other posts:

Surprise – I’m Moving to Australia!

Australia Budget: Month 1 (April 2023)

Australia Budget: Month 2 (May 2023)

Australia Budget: Month 3 (June 2023)

UK Visas for US Citizens

The Complete Guide for to Applying to Renew My UK Spouse Visa

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