LATEST NEWS
You can keep up to date with all the latest news about backpacking in Australia here. With information about borders re-opening, changes to the Working Holiday Visa scheme, working and travelling in Australia and more!
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WHV AGE LIMIT INCREASED TO 35!!!
31st May, 2023
Finally the Working Holiday Visa age limit will be increased from 30 to 35 for people from the UK on July 1st, 2023!!!!
So if you're aged between 30 and 35 and thought you were too old to come to Australia to Work & Travel for a year you now can!
WHV'S ARE FREE FOR THE NEXT 12 WEEKS!
19th January, 2022
With employers in Oz desperate for staff, the Australian government announced today that they will be offering full refunds on Working Holiday Visas to everyone that arrives in Oz in the next 12 weeks! That means you'll save $495. So if you're thinking of going to Oz now is great time to do it!
FAIR PAY AT LAST FOR FARM WORK IN OZ!
4th November, 2021
When backpackers in Oz work on a farm they are often paid by how much they pick, and this has resulted in a huge amount of people being seriously underpaid. Fortunately that's now going to end with the ruling today that workers must be paid at least the minimum wage of $25 an hour for their farm work!
AUSTRALIA IS OPENING
ON DECEMBER 1ST!!!
22nd November, 2021
After nearly two years of being closed due to the pandemic, Australia is finally set to re-open its borders to tourists, including backpackers.
From December 1st, 2021 Working Holiday Visa holders that are fully vaccinated can enter Australia without having to undergo hotel or home quarantine. The day we've all been waiting for is nearly here!!!
'BACKPACKER TAX' DEEMED TO BE ILLEGAL
3rd November, 2021
Thanks to a legal challenge by a British Backpacker who was working in Oz, the High Court of Australia has just ruled that the Australian Tax Office was guilty of taxing backpackers more than Aussies.
This means that if you were working in Australia between 2016 and 2021 you probably paid too much tax and are now able to get a tax refund!
To get a refund you can either contact the Australian Tax Office or use someone like Taxbsack.com to help you do it.
NEW AGRICULTURAL
VISA ANNOUNCED
24th August, 2021
The Australian Government announced today that by the end of next month there will be a new Agricultural Visa that will allow people from a range of countries to come to Australia and work in agricultural jobs. This new visa aims to provide Australian farmers with staff, after the recent announcement regarding the abolishment of the 3-month requirement for backpackers to do farm work to extend their Working Holiday Visa.
WHEN WILL AUSTRALIA
OPEN IT'S BORDERS?
2nd July, 2021
The Australian Government has finally announced it's plan on how and when borders will re-open.
Borders are to remain closed until at least September 17th, 2021. Then once 80% of the adult population has been vaccinated against Covid-19 international borders are set to open. At the current rate of vaccinations, that is most likely to be around December 2021 or January 2022.
AGE INCREASED FROM
30 TO 35 FOR WHV!
15th June, 2021
Great news!!! The British and Australian Prime Ministers announced today that the age limit for people from the UK getting a Working Holiday Visa for Australia is set to increase from 30 to 35.
So if you thought you were a bit too old to go backpacking around Australia now you'll have the opportunity!
REFUNDS & EXTENSIONS OFFERED FOR UNUSED WHV'S
20th May, 2021
If you applied for a Working Holiday Visa but you weren't able to travel to Australia because of the pandemic or were in Australia and had to leave, you can now either get a refund or get another WHV for free!
All the details and information about how to get a refund are here.
NO MORE FARM WORK
NEEDED TO EXTEND WHV!
15th June, 2021
The British and Australian Prime Ministers announced today that they have agreed in principle to abolish the requirement for people on a Working Holiday Visa to have to do 3 months of farm work to extend their visa!
Details of what the new requirements will be (if any) to get a 2nd and 3rd WHV are yet to be announced.