Changes to the Working Holiday Maker visa program

On 5 December 2018, Australian government announced to expand the working holiday marker visa program as a means of financial supports and resolution of manpower shortage in regional areas. For those who hold Korean nationality, changes as to the program applicable to them are set out below.

1. From 5 November 2018, working holiday visa holders are eligible to be hired by assigned employers in (1) Regional Area or (2) Plant and Animal Cultivation up to 12 months.
2. Those who conduct (3) Specified Work in assigned (1) Regional Area for more than 6 months after 1 July 2019 are eligible to apply a third working holiday marker visa – maximum 3 years stay in Australia.

For detailed information, please refer to the link below for HOMEAFFAIRS Website.

Regional Areas

The table below applies. Note that the Department of Home Affairs plans to expand regions that belong to Regional Areas. Precise post codes for Regional Areas will be announced later.

Plant and Animal Cultivation

Plant and animal cultivation includes most agricultural work, such as:

• the harvesting and/or packing of fruit and vegetable crops
• pruning and trimming vines and trees
• general maintenance crop work
• cultivating or propagating plants, fungi or their products or parts
• immediate processing of plant products
• maintaining animals for the purpose of selling them or their bodily produce
• immediate processing of animal products including shearing, butchery, packing and tanning
• manufacturing dairy produce from raw material

Specified Work (Identical to requirements for second working holiday visa applications)

Specified work is any type of work described in the list below:

Plant and Animal Cultivation

• the harvesting and/or packing of fruit and vegetable crops
• pruning and trimming vines and trees

Note: This must be the your primary employment task and directly associated with the cultivation and commercial sale of plant produce, such as fruit and nut crops (commercial horticultural activities). General garden maintenance is not eligible.

• general maintenance crop work
• cultivating or propagating plants, fungi or their products or parts
• immediate processing of plant products
• maintaining animals for the purpose of selling them or their bodily produce, including natural increase

   Note: Maintaining animals for tourism or recreational purposes is not eligible.

• immediate processing of animal products including shearing, butchery, packing and tanning

   Note: Secondary processing of animal products, such as small goods processing and retail butchery is not eligible.

• manufacturing dairy produce from raw material.

Fishing and Pearling

• 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.

Tree Farming and Felling

• planting or tending trees in a plantation or forest that are intended to be felled
• felling trees in a plantation or forest
• transporting trees or parts of trees that were felled in a plantation or forest to the place where they are to be milled.

Mining

• coal mining
• oil and gas extraction
• metal ore mining
• construction material mining
• non-metallic mineral mining and quarrying exploration
• mining support services.

Construction

• residential building construction
• non-residential building construction
• heavy and civil engineering construction
• land development and site preparation services
• building structure services
• building installation services
• building completion services
• other construction services.