News
Australia will extend the Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa to 1,000 eligible Indian citizens each year within the next two years.
In order to be eligible for the Work and Holiday visa, applicants will have to be between the ages of 18 and 35 and have to have completed high school, plus two years of study after high school.
The Visa Application Charge is A$495, applicants will have to show that they have access to enough funds to support themselves in Australia (generally A$5000) and must have an onward ticket out of the country or enough funds to secure one.
The visa is a good way for young Indians to experience what living in Australia is like while earning money and paying for their trip, “[The Work and Holiday visa] is expected to contribute to both workforce requirements and to boost tourism to support our post-COVID recovery,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s office said.
Applicants must not have dependents travelling with them but are allowed to work as many hours as they want, they can enter and exit Australia as many times as they want for the 12 months the visa is active.
In order for Indian citizens to secure a second Work and Holiday visa, applicants must complete 3 months of specified subclass 462 work, this work is usually in remote areas and often in the agriculture or hospitality industry.
The visa allows for 4 months of study and the average visa processing time is 73 days.
The government has also announced a 30% increase to the cap on the number of Work and Holiday visas handed out to each country from 1 July 2022, it is unclear whether this will extend to India.
Australia and India signed the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement on the 2nd of April after more than a decade of negotiation between the two countries, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the agreement will help open a “big” door.
“This agreement has been built on our strong security partnership and our joint efforts in the Quad, which has created the opportunity for our economic relationship to advance to a new level,” he said.