“Working holiday to Australia” sounds dreamy right? Yeah.. Before it starts requiring some handy process. There would be so many questions popping out your head. When is the application period? How do you apply? How much is application fee? How long does it take? Don’t worry. I’ll walk you through all those questions, making your dream reality!
- Let’s get real: the money
How much do you need approximately? I would say 5700 AUD which is about 4000 dollars or 3500 Euro. 2300 AUD for Visa, health checkup, insurance, airplane tickets. 3400 AUD for settling down. Also proof of bank statement is needed, which is 5000 AUD . This is just to check if you have enough fund to support yourself during emergency. Yes, if you include this fee, it would be 10,700 AUD. But once it has been checked(after visa verification), you don’t really have to keep this deposit for good.
(Cardi B just popping out of my head while dealing with these section…All bad bixch need is a money!)
- Let’s get real: the age
How old are you? Contrary to entering a bar where the older you are, the easier to get in. WHV has age restriction. Generally, age 30 is the limit. It’s different by country and it changes some time to time. For example UK newly limited age restriction to 35. As a conclusion, it’s best to check upon your country’s!
If you passed those realities above, congratulations! Let’s get prepared!
What you would need is
- valid passport while you’re in AU
- Check ‘when’ will you be there
- Check application method, documents, visa fee, medical check up fee(side note: some countries don’t require it)
Good to prepare before leaving, but not necessary
- Search for phone plans
- which bank?
- Insurance
- Driver’s license(can you change your license into international license, and is it applicable to AU?)
- Accomodation?
- Job(search for jobs if you can get it beforehand)
- Study(would you join any study program?)
Here are things to do for departure
- Apply for VISA
- Get health check up( if required)
- Airplane ticket
- Set up bank account
- Insurance
- Some AUD cash for initial days
- Accommodation
- Pause your phone plans(if needed)
Also if you got a granted letter from Australia, make sure you remember your TRN.
After arriving
- Buy phone USIM
What I would recommend is buying in supermarket such as Coles, Woolworths, Aldi. They always have their sale going on. For telecom companies, there are 3 major companies, Vodafone, Optus, Telstra. How to choose one? Which is the best? It depends on individuals But generally
if you are planning to go somewhere regional: Telstra
Telstra has the broadest LTE coverage range. It’s in order of Telstra>Optus>Vodafone
I’ll put a link for Telstra LTE coverage map. Check if your destination is included. https://www.telstra.com.au/coverage-networks/our-coverage
For me, I stayed in city most of the time so Vodafone was fine with me. Supermarkets always have phone plans on sale, it’s better to compare phone plans with those various options!
Many people seems to be using Optus as well. As long as you’re not going far regional places, every options are pretty solid.
- Get your Australian bank account
To name a few, there are Commonwealth, Westpac, ANZ etc..
What did I choose? Commonwealth bank.
Why? there is no account fee for one year. I’m not sure if other banks also offer this, but overall I was satisfied with using Commonwealth bank, so no further research was done😅 I was surprised there is “account maintenance fee” in Australia Well I guess that’s needed since all the backpackers from all around the world makes account and fly back with their bank account wide open. Oh one thing is that it gets hard to apply for bank account if it exceeds 6 weeks upon your arrival! Make sure you check them!
- Get your TFN
TFN is an abbreviation for Tax file number. Easy saying, it’s a number for your tax. Apply for your TFN if you decide to work in Australia, even for a short term! Employer would definitely ask it for your wages. Don’t share your TFN number with others except employer since it is a way to get your tax back! Application can be made online, Link here: https://www.ato.gov.au/. Fill in some information and they will send you a letter giving you a distinct number of your TFN. I was a bit surprised they handle it in a analog way. Each TFN number is generated and sent as a paper letter to your address, then it needs to be registered online by you. But hey that’s a step to be Aussie, chilled and relaxed, don’t mind waiting a while😎. Though it would be a little bit chaotic if you get your TFN mail in Brisbane though you are on your way to Perth.. Make sure to write receivable address!
Now it is Q&A time with frequently asked question!
- I have to be out of Australia for some point, will it affect my working holiday visa?
No not at all! For one year, you can go in/out Australia without any limit. Actually it happens very frequently! I’ve seen so many backpacker friends traveling south east Asia and coming back.
- Does one year limit start as soon as visa gets granted?
Nuh-uh. Once you get granted, it does start counting one year, but it’s about settled period you should arrive in Australia, and upon your arrival, THEN one year count starts. So for example, if you got your visa granted on 1st of august 2024, you should arrive in Australia before 1st of August, 2025. Then let’s say your arrival is on 23rd of June 2025, Then you can enjoy Australia until 23rd of June 2026. It is written in your visa permit email so be sure to check them out!
- One year of WHV is not enough! How can I extend?
Well, easy(but also hard) way out is doing regional work for 88 days, like farm work. Let me explain this regional work in next article. Also it is possible to change your visa into student visa, or apply 457 visa(which is for 4 years) or get permanent Visa.
Alright, that’s it for this article. I’m pretty sure you got the hang of WHV preparation. Visa, phone, banking, tax, etc. Preparing could be a little handy, but once you’re done with it, you can step out and get your adventure going! Whoo-hoo! Good Luck!