What is the Work and Holiday (subclass 462) Visa?
The Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) Visa allows travellers to extend their trip and work while in Australia, under this visa you can do any form of short-term work to financially support yourself while in Australia. If you are working in a specified subclass 462 work industry you may be able to apply for a second and third work and holiday visa.
What can you do on the 462 Visa?
- Work short term while in Australia to fund your holiday
- Apply for a second work and holiday visa
- Study for up to 4 months
- Re-enter Australia as many times as you’d like while you hold this visa
Note: if your main reason for entering Australia is work or study, consider a work or student visa application
Am I eligible for the 462 Visa?
- Be 18-30 years of age
- Hold a passport from an eligible nation (see below)
- Not have previously held a Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) Visa or a Working Holiday (Subclass 417) Visa
- Be outside Australia at the time of your application
- Meet education requirements (see below)
- Have a functional level of English proficiency
- If you are from Ecuador, Greece, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, San Marino, Slovenia, Thailand, Turkey or Uruguay you must provide a letter of support from your government
- Meet health and character requirements
- Have the financial means to enter Australia, support yourself while onshore and leave Australia at the end of your stay
- Have re-paid or have a formal arrangement to re-pay any debt you or any family members have to the Australian Government
- Not have had any visa previously cancelled or application refused
What countries are eligible for the 462 Visa?
Only specific nations are eligible for this visa, to apply you must have a passport from one of the following
Argentina, Austria, Chile, China, People’s Republic of, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, United States of America or Vietnam
What are the education requirements for the 462 Visa?
For the below mentioned countries/nations you must have completed a tertiary qualification (degree, diploma, graduate certificates) or have completed a minimum of 2 years undergraduate study at university.
- Argentina
- Austria
- China
- Czech Republic
- Ecuador
- Greece
- Hungary
- Indonesia
- Luxembourg
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Turkey
- Uruguay
- Vietnam
Countries with their own requirements are as follows:
Chile
You must have a tertiary qualification (degree, diploma, graduate certificates) or have completed or be approved to do a third year of undergraduate university study
Israel
You must hold a senior secondary certificate of education and have completed military service or be legally exempt from military service
Malaysia
You must have a tertiary qualification (degree, graduate diploma or graduate certificate) or have complete 2 years at undergraduate level university study
Thailand
You must have either a diploma or a degree
United States of America
You must have a senior secondary certificate of education or equivalent
How much does the 462 Visa cost?
AUD650（Update date：2025.01）
Additional costs: You might also have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
How long can you stay on the 462 Visa?
This is a temporary visa – you can stay 12 months on this visa
What are my obligations on the 462 Visa?
- You must follow all Australian law and abide by all visa conditions
- You must pay taxes while working in Australia
- If you earn over a certain amount, your employer must pay superannuation in to your superannuation fund
- Inform the department if anything changes. This includes changes to your relationship status, the birth of a child (or stepchild) and any changes to personal details such as phone number, address or passport.
Health insurance on the 462 Visa
It is important you arrange to have health insurance when travelling as you are personally liable for any medical expenses including unforeseen circumstances. See more on health insurance for overseas visitors.
Specified subclass 462 work on a Work and Holiday (subclass 462) Visa
If you complete a minimum of 3 months of specified subclass 462 work on a Work and Holiday (subclass 462) Visa, you can apply for a second Work and Holiday Visa and a further 6 months for a third.
To meet the requirement for a minimum period of specified work you must complete the equivalent workdays or shifts that a normal full-time employee in your role and industry would work in a 3-month period (88 calendar days) or a 6-month period (179 calendar days).
This work can be in a few ways, for example:
- working 5 days a week for a continuous period of 3 or 6 calendar months
- working less than 5 days a week over a period longer than 3 or 6 calendar months
- working multiple short periods of work in any combination of full time, part time or on a piecework rate, which combined is the equivalent of 5 days a week over 3 or 6 calendar months
Note: You do not need to do your 3 or 6 months of specified work consecutively, or with one employer. You allowed to spread the work over the stay period of your current visa. You are also allowed to undertake specified work for longer than the required minimum period.
Specified Work
- tourism and hospitality (in remote or very remote Australia only)
- plant and animal cultivation in northern Australia and other specified areas of regional Australia
- fishing and pearling in northern Australia only
- tree farming and felling in northern Australia only
- construction in northern Australia and other specified areas of regional Australia
- bushfire recovery work in declared bushfire affected areas only, after 31 July 2019
- critical COVID-19 work in the healthcare and medical sectors anywhere in Australia, after 31 January 2020
Specified work is any type of work described below. This must be the primary role, function or activity performed during your employment.
Tourism and hospitality in northern, remote or very remote Australia
Tourism and hospitality work carried out from 22 June 2021 in northern, remote and very remote Australia will be considered eligible specified work for the purpose of a second or third Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa application lodged after March 2022.
Work in a range of occupations that directly provide a service to tourists, including:
- tourist guides and operators
- outdoor adventure or activity instructors
- tourist transport services
- gallery or museum managers, curators or guides
- hospitality workers, such as in hotels or other accommodation facilities, restaurants, cafes, bars and casinos
- conference and event organisers
Based on Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) codes, there is a full list of eligible Tourism and hospitality occupations.
Plant and animal cultivation in northern Australia and other specified areas of regional Australia
- the harvesting/packing of fruit and vegetable crops
- maintenance of crop work
- cultivating or propagating plants, fungi or their products/parts
- immediate processing of plant products
- maintaining animals for the purpose of selling them or their produce
- immediate processing of animal products i.e., shearing, butchery, packing and tanning
- manufacturing dairies produce from raw material
Note: it is not eligible work if you are maintaining animals for tourism or recreational purposes.
Fishing and pearling
- operations relating directly to taking or catching fish, aquatic vertebrates and other species
- conducting operations directly taking or culturing pearls or pearl shell
Tree farming and felling
- planting or tending to trees in a plantation or forest with the intention they are to be felled
- felling trees in a plantation or forest
- transporting trees or parts of trees that were felled in a plantation or forest to be milled or processed
Construction
- residential building construction
- non-residential building construction
- heavy and civil engineering construction
- land development and site preparation services
- building structure services
- building installation services
- building completion services
- other construction services
Note: The Australian New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) provides further detail about eligible work in construction.
Bushfire recovery work
- construction, farming, or any other work in association with recovery/restitution of land, property, farm animals or wildlife
- support services or assistance to people living, working or volunteering in the affected areas
Critical COVID-19 work in the healthcare and medical sectors
Specified work in this industry must be critical to Australia’s COVID-19 response including:
- medical treatment, nursing, contact tracing, testing and research
- support services including cleaning of medical, health care and quarantine facilities and equipment directly involved in the COVID-19 response
Note: Applicants should include evidence to demonstrate how their work was critical to supporting Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Second Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) Visa
Eligibility and visa conditions remain the same as the first work and holiday visa with the additional criteria of above-mentioned work.
Stay
This is a temporary visa; the duration of stay is 12 months
Cost
AUD650（Update date：2025.01）
Third Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) Visa
Eligibility and visa conditions remain the same as the first work and holiday visa with the additional criteria of above-mentioned work. To be eligible for a third work and holiday visa you must have completed 6 months specified work on your second work and holiday visa
Stay
This is a temporary visa; the duration of stay is 12 months
Cost
AUD650（Update date：2025.01）
