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Working Holiday Transfer
Many people think that a working holiday visa is a tourist visa. In fact, a working holiday visa is a work visa, which is essentially different from a tourist visa. A working holiday visa allows you to work full-time or study full-time, provided that you meet the conditions. But at the same time, it also has the characteristics of a tourist visa, allowing travelers to freely switch between travel and work, and freely control their time and income. If they have sufficient funds, they can always be on the road; if they have insufficient funds, they can allow travelers to stay on the road. Find a source of income in Australia. In 2019, the minimum hourly wage before tax for white workers in Australia is 18.93 Australian dollars (equivalent to RMB 85/hour). If you work 40 hours a week, it is 3,400 yuan/week. The wage level depends on your work skills and physical labor. The effort is proportional. There are also many people who apply for this visa with their own small calculations, such as a transfer visa, wanting to stay, or just making quick money for a year (many young people in Taiwan used to make quick money).
The Australian work and holiday visa is called work and holiday visa in English and belongs to category 462, referred to as WHV.
Based on the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed between China and Australia, starting from the 2015-2016 fiscal year, the Australian government promised to open 5,000 working holiday visa quotas to mainland China every year. Note that each year here refers to Australia’s fiscal year, which is from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. Starting from the new fiscal year, the Australian Visa Center will gradually issue quotas to China in batches until all 5,000 quotas have been released.
What can you do in Australia on a Work and Holiday Visa?
Holders of the Work and Holiday visa (visa class 462) are free to find work and travel.
● Enter the country within one year after obtaining the visa;
● You can stay in Australia for up to 12 months from the time of entry;
● You can travel to and from China and Australia multiple times within the one-year validity period;
● Work in Australia for 12 months, but cannot work for the same employer for more than six months
● Can participate in short-term study for up to four months;
● Can be converted to a student visa, work visa, etc., provided that you get a school offer or find a suitable job (or the employer is willing to sponsor, meets independent immigration conditions, etc.)
● The visa renewal policy has been announced. If you work in the specified area for more than three months, you can apply for a second visa.
● Those who have applied for a working holiday visa from other countries (such as New Zealand) can still apply for this visa.
Current official Australian working holiday visa eligibility requirements
1. Hold a valid Chinese passport
● Passport is valid for more than 6 months;
2. Aged 18 or above but under 31 when the application is submitted
● 31 years old is not acceptable, must be 30 years old or younger.
(Although the amendment has been implemented and the overall upper limit has been raised to 35 years old. However, in the details, there are detailed regulations for China, and the current maximum age is still 30. (The reason why all the people are not directly raised to 35 years old may be that they need to be tried slowly. , gradually liberalizing one by one.) Detailed link: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2017L00861. The specific time for China to liberalize depends on the official.)
● According to the rules, you only need to be under 31 years old when submitting all materials. The age calculation time is based on the time when materials are submitted (not the pre-application/lottery time). Calculation method: For example, if you apply for pre-application in the lottery on June 23, 2017, but submit all materials on the Immigration Bureau website on June 28. You need to meet: Born after June 28, 1986.
3. Go to Australia without bringing your children with you
4. Have sufficient funds to support a working holiday in Australia (at least 5,000 Australian dollars, which can be replaced by the equivalent amount in RMB)
5. Have enough funds to purchase a return flight or continue traveling at the end of your working holiday
● There is no need to purchase air tickets in advance. The air ticket price + the previous item of 5,000 Australian dollars (approximately 26,000 yuan) can be included in a financial certificate. A deposit certificate of RMB 35,000 is sufficient. There is no need to freeze the deposit certificate, you can take it out after the certificate is issued. So it’s okay to borrow money temporarily to issue a certificate.
6. There is no record of traveling to Australia with 417 visa (462);
● I have never entered the country with WHV. (So when people say you can only have a working holiday visa once in a lifetime, it means that after you get the visa and enter the country, you can no longer get the first visa. It does not mean that you can only participate in the lottery once. If you win the lottery but do not submit it, you can participate again. The invitation is drawn. If you get the visa, but it has not been activated upon entry, you can still apply again)
● In Australia, you can apply again once you have obtained it but have not entered the country. In New Zealand, you can only hold a WHV once.
7. Have higher education qualifications, or have completed at least two years of university study;
● Those who have graduated from university, junior college, self-study examination, adult education, or higher education meet the qualification requirements, as long as Xuexin.com can check it.
● Those who are currently studying must have a college degree or above and have been studying for more than two years (sophomores are not allowed, juniors are ok. Junior college students are not allowed)
● About college students: Australia’s 462 official requirement is a college degree or above or a university degree that has been studied for more than 2 years. In current practice, a large number of applicants studying in colleges and universities have applied for the visa, and no cases of visa rejection have been heard of. If the applicant falls into this situation, it is recommended to call the visa center and consult at your own risk.
● Regarding the issue of failing a class: If you have already graduated, it doesn’t matter whether you failed the class or not. If you are currently studying and have failed the course, it is not recommended to apply because the visa officer will think that the applicant is not capable of graduating and may refuse the visa. This situation will be decided subjectively by the visa officer based on the failure of the course. We do not have quantitative evaluation criteria. (If you have retaken the exam, you should be able to apply).
8. Have basic practical English proficiency, and the language test must be within one year! Otherwise it is considered expired.
Just satisfy any one of them:
● Both IELTS Category A and G are acceptable. The total score is 4.5 or higher, and there are no individual requirements.
● The total score of PTE Academic (Academic) English test is above 30 points, no individual requirement
● The total score of the four subjects (speaking, reading, listening, and writing) of the TOEFL Internet Test (iBT) should be above 32 points, and there are no individual requirements. Applicants must take the exam and obtain a passing score within 12 months before the visa application is submitted.
● The total score of Cambridge English Test CAE should be above 147 points, and there are no individual requirements
● Completed primary school studies and at least 3 years of secondary school studies in an English-only school
● Completed at least 5 years of secondary school study in an English-only school
● Completed at least two years of full-time college courses at an English-only school
● Completed at least 1 year of full-time university coursework at an Australian school that only teaches in English
9. Meet the character and health requirements and be a sincere visitor to Australia.
No tuberculosis; all materials must be true and not fake; immigration tendency cannot be revealed
10. The applicant has not activated the Australian Working Holiday Visa
● If you have obtained a visa before but have not entered the country, it means it has not been activated and you can apply again.
● The Australian Working Holiday Visa and the New Zealand Working Holiday Visa are not related. Having received a New Zealand working holiday visa or having been refused a visa from another country will not affect your Australian working holiday visa application.
11. Not in Australia when submitting the application
● You don’t have to be in China when applying
● Not allowed in Australia
● [When submitting application] refers to the time when visa materials are submitted in the immi system, not the EOI
WHV Australia is not a merit-based admissions institution. As long as you meet the above requirements, grab a spot, and prepare the required materials, your application will be signed, don’t worry. (The chance of signing will not be reduced due to ugly IELTS scores, low university scores, etc.)
Australian Working Holiday Visa Application Process
Have a passport → Pre-apply when the pre-application is open, and then wait to be invited by lottery → Receive the invitation letter → Submit materials online in the Immigration Bureau system → Take a physical examination → Wait for the lottery to be issued
1. Prepare materials
Passport must be prepared. You don’t have to have it on hand, but you must know your passport number.
Since the Australian working holiday invitation is full of randomness, and you have three months to prepare and submit the materials after being invited (3 months + 28 days after submitting the materials, you can submit other materials), and the English test scores are only valid for one year, so Generally, you can prepare application materials after you are invited, unless you are pressed for time or in a hurry. Click here to see the materials list.
2. Submit pre-application with immiAccount and wait for the lottery
Update on June 30, 2023: The previous quota and EOI link are no longer applicable. The latest method is to submit pre-application information on the Immigration Bureau website and then wait for the lottery. There is no fee to pre-application.
The pre-application filling page will be open during certain time periods based on Australia’s needs. Applicants need to fill in personal information when it is open. Click here to view the pre-application guide, and then wait to be selected. Click here to view the status of the invitation pool. The Australian Department of Home Affairs will randomly send emails to lucky winners and issue working holiday invitations.
Applicants must submit their application within 3 months after being selected.
3. Submit the application through the Immigration Bureau immi system
If your pre-application is invited, you can proceed to the next steps and submit your visa application online to the Australian Immigration Bureau IMMI system. Click here to view the guide. Starting from February 2022, you no longer need to go to the visa center to submit materials in person. You only need to follow the information in the invitation email, submit the materials online in the IMMI system on the official website of the Australian Immigration Bureau, and pay online. This also means that overseas applicants with Chinese nationality will also be able to apply for WHV, as long as they are not in Australia.
4. Physical examination, there are two methods
The first method is simpler and more recommended. After submission, you will usually receive a physical examination letter in the mail immediately. You can take the physical examination letter and go for a physical examination within 28 days.
The second method is to take a physical examination in advance. Due to the uncertainty of the pre-application lottery, it may be in vain. Moreover, the physical examination is valid for one year, and filling in the information is also troublesome. If you want to get your visa faster, you can do this. After applying for a HAP ID, fill it in the Immigration Bureau immi system when submitting your visa application online in the third step.
5. The visa officer will review and notify the result
After submitting the materials, Australian officials claim that 75% of the review will be completed within 65 calendar days (generally the results will be received 1-2 weeks after the physical examination). According to our experience, it can be as fast as a few days, as slow as a month or two, and the average is 1-2 weeks. Before signing, you may be investigated over the phone.
The official will notify the final result via email. The signature is issued electronically. Just print out the attachment in the email and take it with you when you go abroad.