Working Holiday visas in Australia

WHM, often referred to as 'backpacker visas' - they are currently restricted to citizens of eligible countries aged 18-30 and up to age 35 for a small handful, including Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Italy and soon the UK

The age restriction for Swedish nationals is 30, while for Maltese it is 18 to 30

The Working Holiday Maker programme was established in 1975 to allow young adults have extended holidays and support themselves by working in temporary jobs

The programme is reciprocal with similar arrangements for Australian citizens wishing to work and holiday abroad

But as industries grapple with worker shortages amd struggle to bounce back from the pandemic, the Tourism and Transport Forum Australia (TTFA) has been leading calls to expand working holiday visas

“One solution to help address the skills shortage in tourism is to increase the age limit for working holidaymakers to 50,” TTFA CEO Margy Osmond said “This would open up a whole new market of workers from overseas with a wider range of skills and experience that could benefit our industry ”

There are 47 countries participating in Australia's programme Applicants can apply at a cost of $510. The programme includes visa subclass 417 and subclass 462 and allows them to work and holiday in Australia for a year.