Have you been saving up for months to travel to Australia? Wait no longer! The Australia Working Holiday Visa will allow you to get a job in Australia to pay for your living and travel expenses while you explore the country! Working holiday visas allow young Canadians to work in foreign countries for up to a year. For Canadians, the Australian working holiday visa is available to you only once in your life between the ages of 18 and 35. Don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Your dream to trade a long Canadian winter for sunny Australia is possible sooner than you think!
To be eligible for the Australian Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417), Canadians must meet the following requirements:
The Australian government charges a fee for this visa, which as of May 2024 is $635 AUD, or about $580 CAD. You are required to pay this fee in the final stage of your visa application. Once you have paid the fee, your visa application then be sent in for processing. At Stepabroad, we offer several different programs & packages to simplify/enhance your Australia working Holiday experience!
Below is a five-step process on how to apply for the Australia Working Holiday Visa as a Canadian passport holder. Scroll down for the step-by-step process, or click the links below to skip through the steps!
While filling out the application form you will need to upload personal documents. Before beginning your application, it is a good idea to have these documents saved on your computer so your application doesn’t time out while you are looking for them. You will be asked to submit the following:
You can submit scanned copies or photographs of these documents. They must be clear and in colour. If a document is more than one page, save it as one file.
Any documents in French must be translated to English.
IMPORTANT: Failure to provide your documents in the correct formats could result in your application being rejected. If your visa application is rejected, the visa fee is not refunded to you. You will have to re-submit your application and pay the $580 again.
To begin your application, the first step is to create an account called your ImmiAccount. Head to the Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) online application site (link found at the bottom of this post). Click ‘Apply’ to create your account and access the application form.
To create your ImmiAccount all you need is your personal contact information, including your email and phone number. You will also be asked to create security questions, so choose answers you will remember!
After creating your account, you will receive a confirmation email. Open this email and click the link provided to confirm your account. Head back to the login in page pictured above and sign in to your ImmiAccount. Once logged in, you will automatically be directed to the visa application form.
The application form has 12 steps. It is very important that you set aside enough time to carefully read and answer each section. If you make a mistake or falsely answer a question, you may get denied with a non-grant period of ten years and lose your money. The last step of the application form is a review of all your answers. We highly recommend taking extra care to ensure all your answers here are correct.
Tip: You can always save your application and come back to where you left off. Take your time and be sure you fill out the information correctly!
Among tons of other helpful resources, Stepabroad’s Australia Working Holiday Programs provide personal assistance with filling out the application form. We shed light on how to complete each step and ensure you get your visa approved. You will also have the support of our team to ask any questions throughout your entire time in Australia!
The final step of the application form is uploading your documents. Identity documents can be up to 500KB, other documents can be up to 5MB in file size. Most file formats are accepted, including .jpg, .png, .pdf, .doc, etc. Give the files description names such as First name Last name Document Type. Be sure to hit the Attach button after uploading each document, otherwise, the document will not be included in your visa application.
Submit your application by clicking Submit Now.
You must submit your application for it to be processed. You have the choice of submitting it later, but the sooner you submit it, the sooner you will receive your working holiday visa!
The visa costs $635 AUD which you can pay with credit or credit/debit cards. Your application will not be processed until your payment has been received.
The charge will show up on your statement in Australian dollars and includes a processing fee between 1 and 2% depending on the type of card you pay with. Your bank may also charge bank or currency conversion fees. In some cases, it may be worth notifying your bank you will be making this foreign currency payment so they do not decline your payment.
Processing time to review your application can take anywhere from 1 to 30 business days.
Log in to your ImmiAccount to track your application process during this time. Once your visa has been granted, the status in your ImmiAccount will say ‘GRANTED’ with a letter from the Australian Government.
This letter is your visa grant letter. It contains your visa grant number, the date your visa starts, and the conditions of your visa.
The Australia Working Holiday Visa is an electronic visa. This means it is automatically attached to your passport number in the Australian government’s computer system. You will not receive a sticker or stamp in your passport. When you enter Australia and scan your passport, your visa will be activated.
Now that you have your Australia working holiday visa on the way, you can start planning the rest of your trip! What about getting a job, finding a place to live, setting up your bank account, and meeting new friends?
That’s where Stepabroad can help!
We have a few different Australia programs to assist Canadians with planning their working holiday. Don’t spend months searching for a job, or worrying about how to set up your taxes and banking. You’ll have a personal trip coordinator to ensure you are set up for success.
Let our experts take care of the boring stuff while you kick off your working holiday with an adventure-packed week. Imagine starting your trip learning to surf, hanging with kangaroos, dolphin watching, even going on a road trip – all with a group of travelers who just started their and more off your Aussie bucket list! Take a peek at our two Adventure Programs below:
Have a Question about Stepabroad’s Working Holiday Programs for Canadians?
Fill in the form below and our team will be happy to get back to you in one business day.
4 days
C$999
Want to start your Australia Working Holiday adventure in beautiful Sydney? Our Sydney Discovery Experience will give you a fun introduction to this iconic city, allow you to meet new friends, and provide you with the local support you need to begin living, working and travelling in Australia.
8 days
C$1,699
Start your Australian Working Holiday by checking off every item on your bucket list with our Melbourne Adventure Experience! Learn to surf, see koalas and kangaroos, and taste Australian wine right from the vineyard… all within your first week of being in Australia.
1 - 36 Months
$299
Our Australia Send Off Working Holiday Package provides all the support you need to secure your Australia Working Holiday Visa, prepare for your trip and find a job. This package ensures you have all the guidance and assistance needed to successfully preprere for your working holiday Downunder!
There are two different subclasses (or versions) of the Australian working holiday visa. These are subclass 417 and subclass 462. They are essentially the same visa, the only difference being which country you are applying from. Canadians can apply for the subclass 417 visa.
The Australia Working Holiday visa is valid for one year starting from the day you first enter the country. It is a multi-entry visa meaning you are allowed to leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you like during that year. Yes, that means you can take a vacation to Fiji, Bali or maybe New Zealand during your working holiday! However, keep in mind that while you are outside of Australia your visa is still active. It does not go on hold while you are out of the country and will expire 365 days after you first entered.
You have one year from the date your visa is granted to enter Australia. If you do not enter Australia during that year, your visa expires and you can not apply for a new one.
Great news, yes you can! In 2018, Australia raised the age limit for the working holiday visa from 30 to 35. This increased age limit only applies to citizens of Canada, French and Ireland. It’s not too late to take that trip you always dreamed of in Australia!
There are a variety of methods for finding a job in Australia. These include local job boards, Facebook groups or simply getting out and asking around to see who’s hiring.
Stepabroad provides tons of job search support, helping you land a job faster so you can start making money sooner.
Our participants receive professional resume revisions to ensure your resume is Australia-ready, and an informative list of working holiday job boards and job search resources. In addition, we also offer access to exclusive job boards specifically for backpackers and weekly notifications of new job postings. We ensure our participants are well-equipped with all the right tools to successfully begin working holiday life in beautiful Australia!
The Australian government charges a fee for this visa, which as of May 2024 is $635 AUD, or about $580 CAD. You are required to pay this fee in the final stage of your visa application. Once you have paid the fee, your visa application then be sent in for processing.
Disclaimer: No Legal Advice Provided.
The material on our website and on this webpage is intended to provide only general information and comments to our clients and the public. Although we make our best efforts to ensure that the information found on our website is accurate and timely, you may not, under any circumstances, rely on information found on our website as legal or immigration advice. Nor do we guarantee the accuracy of any information contained on websites to which our website provides links. For assistance with your specific inquiry or problem, please contact an immigration consultant or call the nearest Australian consulate.
Australian Government website for working holiday visa (subclass 417)
International Experience Canada – Countries where Canadians can do a working holiday