Work and Holiday Visa 462 process

It was always one of my dreams to escape Europe and discover the other side of the world, but I didn't know how. I heard of work and travel or work and holiday visas but I had no Idea what it meant, what the conditions were, what type of visa I needed and how to get it... Overall, these unknowns become very overwhelming, however, with a little bit of help it really isn't that difficult. I will try with this post to tell you everything that is needed for the Work and Holiday visa for Australia Subclass 462!

WHV Subclass 462 is valid for all citizens of the following countries: Argentina, Austria, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, LUXEMBOURG, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, USA, and Vietnam. All other countries have to apply to other subclasses: see the immi website for more information.

Now, a lot of people become too overwhelmed and think about paying an agent that will help them get their visa, however, this is really not needed and a total waste of money. Keep it for your trip! Instead, just follow the following steps, and everything should be fine:

1) Check if you are eligible for the visa! All info about eligibility if you click here

2) Unless you are a citizen of the US, Argentina, Chile, Israel, China, or Singapore, you will need to get a letter of support from your government. This may seem complicated, but really there is nothing to do except request it. If you are from LUXEMBOURG, you can simply send an e-mail to: workandtravel@snj.lu and request the letter of support. You will need to attach certified copy of your passport (which needs to have at least 15 months validity when you receive the visa), a residence certificate, and proof that you have completed 2 years of University (Also certificates in hostelry or tourism). Once this is done, you will receive it pretty quickly. Mine was delivered the same day.

3) Don't organise health examinations before they request it, unless you have a known health issues in which you will need medical care while on your WHV. Most people never get asked for a health examination!

4) You will need the following documents: birth certificate, proof of education, proof of your english level* (see below), letter of support, a passport photograph (they say it should be less than 6 months old, however, if you haven't changed drastically, an older picture will do), proof that you have enough money* (see below), and that's it!

5) They require a certain level of English, so, unless you have done 5 years of study in an English speaking facility or if you fill any other criteria of the list (see the website) you will need to do an english proficiency test, unless you did one less than 6 months before your application -- yes, very annoying. Indeed, I was lucky that I didn't have to do one as I did all of my studies in English, but my boyfriend had to do one. He did the IELTS test and it is really easy to get at least a 4.5 if you have functional english, so not to worry. BUT take into account the time to do the test -- you can start your visa application before you did the test, but you should have proof that you registered to do one. The results, you can upload them later.

6) Lastly, they sometimes require a proof that you have enough money in case you don't find a job right away and also to take a flight back home. They require around 5000$ which is around 3000€. The best way to do so is to simply send them a copy of your bank statement. Also, some people say that this is not required, but it is better to do it in case they ask.

Overall, the visa application is easy, the most annoying part now is to wait for your visa to be granted. For us, this took a total of 1 month and a half, however this may vary. So do it in advance! We are going for September, applied for the visa beginning of March, and got it granted mid April. Note that the visa only start the day you enter the country :)

Once granted- start the exiting planning!! This is the fun part ;)

A post on planning will be up soon and don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

Love,

Jil