Working Holiday Maker Visa changes to assist with COVID-19 recovery

Tourism and Hospitality sectors are to see changes to support the recovery from the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa holders working in the tourism and hospitality sectors in northern, remote, and very remote areas of Australia will be able to count this as specified work, making them eligible for a second or third WHM visa.

This change will come into effect for all subsequent WHM visa applications lodged after March 2022 and will take into account work from the tourism and hospitality sectors in these areas effective from 2 June 2021.

From 1 July 2021, WHM’s offshore who were unable to come to Australia or had to leave early because of COVID-19 will be able to apply for a replacement visa with nil Visa Application Charge (VAC).

Eligible current and former WHMs in Australia will also be able to apply for a replacement WHM visa with nil Visa Application Charge (VAC) from March 2022 which affords another opportunity to meet the specified work requirements for a subsequent WHM visa.

Former WHM visa holders who have transitioned to another visa, such as the COVID-19 Pandemic Event visa, may also be eligible to apply for a nil VAC replacement WHM visa.

As of 8 May 2021, tourism and hospitality has been added to the list of COVID-19 critical sectors. This allows all WHMs employed in the tourism and hospitality sectors to work longer than six months for one employer without requesting permission and gives more flexibility to tourism and hospitality employers to meet their workforce needs.