Second Working Holiday Visa: How to obtain a Second Year Visa in Australia or New Zealand?
Are you enjoying the Australian or New Zealand lifestyle to the fullest, but your Working Holiday Visa (WHV) is about to expire? By meeting certain conditions, you can extend your adventure… and keep dreaming. Languages and Travel, your language travel agency in Brussels specializing in Working Holidays, explains the ins and outs of the second Working Holiday Visa, also known as the Second Year Visa!
A Working Holiday Visa One Working Holiday Visa is good, two are even better to enjoy the Australian beaches, camp in the Outback or do a ski season in New Zealand… All while improving your English of course! Few people know it, but the Second Year Visa exists.
Second Working Holiday Visa in Australia
So, you've done it! You've discovered Australia and you're loving it, especially over the past few months. So much so that you'd like to continue your adventure. Many of you have asked us how to do this. Once you have your passport, credit card (same price as for your first Working Holiday Visa), proof of work experience, and ABNs from your previous or current employers, it only takes thirty minutes to apply on the Australian government website . Normally, you'll receive a response within a few hours or a few days if you meet the following conditions:
– submit your application no later than the day before your 31st birthday;
– To have worked at least 88 days or 3 months continuously or in several periods for one or more employers. Note that a full day of work is equivalent to 7/8 hours of labor. Weekends are also included in this calculation. For example, if you work 5 days, this will add 7 days to your account. Remember to print Form 1263 and have it completed by each of your employers for each of your assignments;
– Having worked in specific fields: Plant and animal cultivation or fruit-picking (agricultural work), Fishing and pearling (fishing and pearl farming), Tree farming and felling (forestry and tree felling), Mining (work in mines) and construction work. Volunteer work such as WWOOFing or HelpX is also accepted under certain conditions (this is likely to change soon; there is talk that WWOOFing and HelpX will no longer be taken into consideration for obtaining a second Australian Working Holiday Visa; if you are currently in Australia, submit your application for a 2nd Working Holiday Visa quickly if you have done WWOOFing or HelpX… before the law changes!) .
– Having worked in specific regions, such as parts of New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, or the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Tasmania. However, in Sydney, Newcastle, the Central Coast region and Wollongong in New South Wales, Greater Brisbane and the Gold Coast in Queensland, Melbourne and surrounding areas in Victoria, Perth and surrounding areas in Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra): your work days will not be counted. See here for a complete list of eligible regions .
– Not to be accompanied by a dependent child during your Working Holiday Visa;
– You must have a valid passport, of course!
At the start of your second Working Holiday Visa, all your working holiday periods are reset. You can then work for another 6 months with the same employer or study for another 4 months. Finally, please note that you can apply for your Second Year Visa from within Australia as well as from abroad.
Second Working Holiday in New Zealand and Canada
New Zealand (Aotearoa for short) only grants a maximum of three additional months following an initial Working Holiday Visa. To qualify, you must demonstrate three months of seasonal work during your first Working Holiday Visa in the following sectors: agriculture, horticulture, or viticulture. You will then need to apply for the Working Holidaymaker Extension Permit from New Zealand Immigration. After paying the fees, which are similar to those for the first Working Holiday Visa, you will also need to complete a form .
Unfortunately, it's not possible to continue your adventure in Canada by renewing your Working Holiday Visa. If you're itching to go, the only solution is to find an employer who will vouch for you while you're there.
Do you have any questions or have you experienced this situation? Feel free to share your experience with us.