Visa, 88 days, 2nd and 3rd year visa... What does that all mean! Don't worry! It's completely normal that all these terms can seem totally confusing at first if you haven't really dealt with the topic of Work & Holiday in Australia yet. I was in exactly the same situation 4 years ago, and I still am to some extent, but I have learned a lot. Today I just want to give you some clarity, because it's not all that complex if you take a closer look.
The working holiday visa
Anyone between the ages of 18 and 30 who is looking for an unforgettable adventure can apply for a Working Holiday Visa. For some countries (e.g. the UK), the age limit has recently been raised to 35. As a German for example, you can usually get a working holiday visa easily as long as you don't have an (overly) criminal past.
You simply apply for the visa online. You "only" need a valid passport and proof of assets (e.g. bank statement) showing that you have at least 5,000 Australian dollars (approx. €3,000). And you must not be in Australia at the time of application. Otherwise, the application process will guide you through the various questionnaires quite simply and you should get your visa approved within the next 4-6 weeks. Ah right, and the visa itself costs just under €400.
But what can you actually do with the working holiday visa now? The visa is valid for 1 year from the date of entry and you are authorized to work as much as you want during this year, as long as it is no longer than 6 months for the same employer. (If you wish to do so, your employer can apply to employ you for longer than 6 months). You can also study for up to 4 months. You can also enter and leave the country as often as you like within this year. This means that if, like me, you have worked on a farm for a few months and saved some money, you can also fly to Fiji or Indonesia and then come back to Australia.
What’s that about these “88 days”
Another option available to you with the visa is to extend it for a second year by completing 88 days of selected work. What do you mean by selected work? Yes, I know that sounds strange. I've tried to translate it from English as best I can. Here in Australia we talk about "88 days of specified work". OK, but what is "specified work" now? A valid question. Well, the most typical "specified work" is probably as a harvest helper on a farm. However, there is now much more than just the typical fruit picking job. Here's a screenshot from the official government website showing which jobs you can do to qualify for a second year of Work & Holiday in Australia.
Let's take a closer look at the whole thing. For example, point 1: Tourism and gastronomy in North, "remote" and "very remote" Australia. You can easily find out exactly which regions are considered "remote" and "very remote" on the official website. The zip codes are simply divided into different categories depending on where the respective location is and how far away it is from civilization. However, this should not give anyone the impression that work in the hospitality industry only counts in the smallest outback village. In the region in and around Cairns, for example, working in the hospitality industry counts.
As some of you may know, I was in Australia for the first time 4 years ago on a working holiday visa, but I didn't do my 88 days back then because I thought "oh, I'm not coming back anyway". Well, I thought wrong, because shortly after I was back in Germany, I quickly had enough of my studies and job, simply because it wasn't right for me and I just thought to myself how stupid I was for not keeping the option open for at least a second year. As if some angel had heard me and taken pity on me, I found out about the Covid visa shortly before this option would have expired, which allowed me to reapply for the 1st year Working Holiday visa until the end of 2022. I think that was one of my happiest moments when I found out about this opportunity through a bit of online research. Why am I telling you all this? Quite simply: you better think 100 times about whether you want to do the 88 days so that you have the opportunity to get the visa a second time, because you never know what will happen in life and suddenly you think, "oh, it would be nice to go to Australia again now". And the excuse "but I don't want to work on a farm in the middle of nowhere" doesn't count anymore, because as you can see, jobs in many areas count as "specified work".
I've been working as a roofer (without any previous experience) on the Sunshine Coast for almost 2 months now, I live here with 2 friends (a Canadian and an Australian) in a shared flat 2 minutes' walk from the nearest surf spot and the best thing is, I can also qualify for my next year with this job. Next year means year three for me, because I sent off the application for the 2nd year visa today and uploaded all my payslips from the farm months.
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How do I count my 88 days
Yes, this is probably the most controversial and confusing question I've ever heard during my time on the farm. Basically, the days completed that count towards your 88 days each week depend on the total hours per week.
I'll be honest with you, because I haven't found absolute clarity on that either, but what they say is this. If you work 30 hours in a working week (some say 35), then you have completed 7 days of your 88 days, regardless of how many days you have worked. The Australian government also explains this on the official website, but I find the examples given very confusing. I chose the simple option and downloaded the app "the 88th day". You can simply add your job and enter the hours worked each week and an automatic calculator will then count the days for you. As an "Alman", however, I played it safe and worked on the farm for a total of 4 months instead of just 3, as I sometimes worked less in between, e.g. due to rainy days.
As soon as you have completed your 88 days, you can sit back and relax, continue traveling, start another job or do whatever you want. Just make sure you have your payslips, as you will need them to apply for the 2nd year visa.
I hope this article has given you some clarity. Feel free to write in the comments if you have more specific questions on the topic or if you know more about it. Until the next episode - Cheers!
Jesko
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