Working Holiday Visa Australia Changes
DIMA has recently announced some exciting changes to the WHV that will take effect as of 1st July 2006. The main changes can be summarised as follows: - Increasing the work limitation with each employer from 3 to 6 months;
- Increasing the study/training limitation from 3 to 4 months; and
- Expanding the definition of 'seasonal work' (for second WHM visa eligibility) to include some primary industries (see new definition below).
These changes apply only to WHM visa applications lodged on or after 1 July 2006. Seasonal work completed before 1 July 2006 in the industries listed below may be counted toward the three months of seasonal work in regional Australia requirement for WHM visa applications lodged on or after 1 July 2006.
Expanded Definition of 'Seasonal Work'
'Seasonal Work':
- picking fruit, nuts and other crops
- pruning and trimming vines and trees
- general maintenance crop work
- immediate processing of plant products
- other work associated with packing or transporting the harvest
- cultivating or propagating plants, fungi or their products or parts
- maintaining animals for the purpose of selling them or their bodily produce, including natural increase
- immediate processing of animal products including shearing, butchery, packing and tanning
- manufacturing dairy produce from raw material
- conducting operations relating directly to taking or catching fish and other aquatic species
- conducting operations relating directly to taking or culturing pearls or pearl shell
- planting or tending trees in a plantation or forest that are intended to be felled
- felling trees in a plantation or forest, or
- transporting trees or parts of trees that were felled in a plantation or forest to the place where they are first to be milled or processed or from which they are to be transported to the place where they are to be milled or processed.
More info on the changes can be found on the DIMA website http://www.dimia.gov.au/allforms/visiting_whm_detail.htm
The changes are obviously great for interns as it means that: - Applicants from approved WHV countries will now have alternative visa options when they desire to undertake an internship for more than 3 months
- More flexibility for applicants that wish to undertake a long internship but be able to support themselves financially at the same time (Applicants on the 416 and OT visas are only able to get paid by the internship host company and are not able to gain casual employment where the internship is unpaid)
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