The working holiday visa subclass – 417 is a temporary visa for young people who want to holiday and work in Australia for up to a year. It is a temporary visa that encourages cultural exchange and closer ties between Australia and eligible countries.

Working in Australia – six months with one employer: You can generally only work six months with one employer.

Eligibility Criteria for the Applicants:

Working Holiday Program Eligible Countries:

To apply for this visa, you must hold valid passport from the country involved in the Working Holiday Program with Australia. Eligible countries are:

• Belgium
• Canada
• Republic of Cyprus
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Hong-Kong
• Republic of China
• Republic of Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Republic of Korea
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Sweden
• Taiwan
• United Kingdom

Approved industries for specified work include:

• plant and animal cultivation
• fishing and pearling
• tree farming and felling
• mining
• construction

There are certain pre-requisites if you want to apply for Second Working Holiday Visa as given below – 

• You must have completed three months of specified work in Regional Australia. These months of stay must have been completed while on your first holiday working visa. It is important that specified work is undertaken in specified field in a designated regional area.

Generally you can apply for Working Holiday Visa if you:

• hold a valid passport from a country involved in the Working Holiday Program with Australia
• have not previously entered Australia on a Work and Holiday Visa Subclass – 462
• have turned 18 years of age but have not yet turned 31
• are a genuine visitor who wants to have a holiday in Australia
• have enough money to support yourself on a working holiday visa (about AUD 5000)
• have enough money to buy a return or onward travel ticket at the end of your stay
• will not be accompanied by dependent children at any time during your stay

Visa Benefits of Working Holiday Visa Subclass – 417:

This visa allows you to:

• stay in Australia for up to 12 months
• work in Australia, generally for up to six months with each employer
• study for up to four months
• leave and re-enter Australia any number of times while the visa is valid

Checklist of documents for visa under Working Holiday Visa Subclass – 417:

• Along with completed application form, it is important to submit supporting documents in order to ensure visa application is processed successfully.
• Firstly you need to submit a completed Application for Working Holiday Visa form.
• You would need to submit evidence of employment such as:
  • Pay slips
  • group certificates
  • payment summaries
  • tax returns
  • employer references
  • a completed employment verification form
  • Australian bank statement covering the period of declared specified work.

• Personal Identification Documents:
  • Certified copies of the biographical pages of the current passport or travel documents of all people included in the application
  • A certified copy of your birth certificate and are unable to get one, you must provide a certified copy of identification pages of at least one of the following documents:
  • Family book showing both parents names
  • Identity proof issued by government
  • Court issued documents that verify your identity
  • If your name has changed a certified copy of evidence of the name change with two recent passport sized photographs
  • If you have served in the armed forces of any country: certified copies of military service record or discharge papers

• Proof of Sufficient funds: Certified copy of a bank statement showing you have funds of at least AUD 5000.

Processing time for visa under Working Holiday Visa Subclass – 417:

The processing time for visiting, working, tourism, business visitor, and medical treatment visa depends on the visa type and purpose of the visit. According to Australian Immigration Department website, the average processing time for applications filed under Working Holiday Visa Subclass – 417 is around 1 month. But, every case file is unique and requires a fair amount of time for its evaluation. You can track your application online on the department website to know the application status.

Obligations for visa under Working Holiday Visa Subclass – 417:

• Working Holiday visa is for young people who want to holiday in Australia and so it permits visa holders to do any kind of work of temporary or casual nature. Failure in not abiding by the terms and conditions of this visa may result in visa being cancelled and visa holder will have to leave Australia.
• This is a temporary working visa in Australia it’s very important for visa holders to abide by the following terms:
  • You must not be employed in Australia by one employer for more than 6 months and
  • While in Australia you must not engage more than 4 months in any studies or training