The New Regional Visas Explained
Australia has just increased the annual cap for Working Holiday Visa (WHV) or subclass 462 for Indonesia.
The increase will take place over six years period until 2024/25.
What Does It Mean to Indonesian Citizens?
WHV or subclass 462 visa is pretty popular among young Indonesians. It’s appealing for undergraduates and masters program students (WHV applicants demographic) to further their experience before they enter “the real world” of work life. Living abroad is an appealing idea to many Indonesians, and WHV is one of the most-accessible program compared to similar program from other countries.
Geographical proximity; exposure to English-speaking culture and a chance to earn serious money make WHV as extremely appealing to Indonesian. An applicant put it in the following:
“Di Indonesia, gaji lulusan baru mungkin sekitar Rp 4-5 juta sebulan, tapi lewat program ini menjadi pelayan restoran bisa mencapai Rp 15-20 juta per bulan,” katanya.
Trans: In Indonesia, a fresh graduate could only earn IDR 4-5 Mill/month on his/her first job, but if you do WHV, you can work as a waiter/waitress and could earn IDR 15-20 Mill/month.
Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462)
The Work and Holiday visa is for tertiary-educated people, aged 18 to 30, who want to travel and work for up to 12 months in Australia. This visa allows you to supplement the cost of your holiday through periods of temporary or casual employment. WHV allows you to
- do short-term work in Australia to help pay for your holiday
- study for up to 4 months
- travel to and from Australia as many times as you want
How to apply for WHV?
Before applying, make sure you can meet all the requirements, among others:
Age
You must be aged 18 to 30 years old (inclusive) when you apply.
You must have enough money to:
- support yourself while you are in Australia
- leave Australia at the end of your stay
This is usually about AUD5,000 for your initial stay, plus the fare to where you are going after leaving Australia.
Education Requirements
- have a tertiary qualification or
- have completed 2 years of undergraduate university study
Have functional English
For Indonesians that means:
- you have completed a relevant approved English language test or assessment
- you have undertaken relevant education
Have letter of support from Indonesian Government
You can get this letter from the Indonesian Directorate General of Immigration.
Contact details (Imigrasi):
Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi
Sub Direktorat Visa
Jl. HR. Rasuna Said Kav 8-9 Lt. 1
Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan – 12940
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.imigrasi.go.id
Sign the Australian values statement
You must acknowledge the Australian Values Statement that confirms you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws when you apply for the visa.
Have the following documents:
- Application form (Form 1208). Check that this is fully completed and signed
- Certified copy of passport (biodata page, amendment page and visa/stamp pages on their passport), valid for at least 12 months and any previous passports held
- One recent passport-sized photo
- A letter of Government Support (details above)
- Evidence that you have access to enough money to support yourself -generally at least $5,000 AUD to support the initial stage of your holiday. This amount will vary depending on whether you can show a return or onward ticket, your proposed length of stay and the extent of your travel. The evidence you can provide is a certified copy of a bank statement
- Evidence that you have tertiary qualifications, or have successfully completed at least two years of undergraduate university study
- Evidence that you have good English which is assessed as at least “functional” on a language test. See the ‘Requirements for Indonesians’ link
- Undertake a chest x-ray examination at our Panel Radiologist. They will forward your result to the Immigration Section
Moving Forward
Like anything else in life, everything has a better chance of success with good planning. Since Australia also allows you to have a second year WHV, in which you can extend your stay for another year given that you meet all the criteria, planning becomes even more crucial.
We can help you to make that plan, most-suited to your background and circumstances for the best possible outcome, as far as your future in Australia is concerned.
Get in touch with us using the contact form (below if you read this using your mobile phone) and let us know how we can help you apply for WHV.
Pic source: ABC.net.au
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