Planning Work Holiday Visa Trip to Oz - any tips?

Hamstercheeks84

Hi, I am planning on going to Australia for on a work & holiday visa.

I have visited 2 companies i.e STA Travel but they charge commission for sorting flights, Visa & travel insurance.

So I am planning to do it all myself as i'm sure I could save money.

Does anyone one have any tips for the best insurance to cover a year in Oz - i'm not doing anything too extreme so a standard policy is fine.

Anyone have any tips on getting the best deals on flights? 3rd party websites or direct with flight operators?

As far as im aware I can do my visa online directly with the Australian Government & have already looked at the cost.

Any tips or help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

donnap83

Definitely book through Aus Immigration at www.immi.gov.au 3rd party immigration companies are very clever at making themselve look like official immigration and charging a fortune.

You will need to apply for your Tax File number as soon as you arrive in Oz, this is so you will pay the correct amount of tax on your wages. It can take up to 30 days to be processed so make sure you do it as soon as!!

Check out Columbus Direct for insurance, i think they are fairly competitive.

Set up a bank account as well!

Remember that you will need to change employers after 6 months. One of the terms of the visa is that you cannot be employed by one employer for more than 6 months.

Are you thinking about extending the visa for a further year?

You also need to ensure you have sufficiant funds when you enter Aus, at least $2,500AUD. You may be spot checked when you arrive. You need this in case you can't find a job as soon as you arrive. Don't carry it in cash.

When you are in Aus, you automatically start paying it to a superannuation account (sort of pension) When you depart Aus, you can reclaim this money. You will need to ensure that your Visa is either cancelled or expired to do this. Again, don't pay a 3rd party to claim this money back. Do it yourself through www.ato.gov.au

Hamstercheeks84

Thanks for the advice!

Yeah one on the companies was trying to charge me to have a welcome day to sort out bank, tax etc.... No thanks

I was advised that you do not need £2.5k in the bank, as long as you can prove you have access to the funds i.e a credit card.

I'm working on the basis that I will obviously have some money before I go but not the full £2.5K & have a credit card to show access to additional funds.

Any other advice welcome, in terms of where to get cheap flights?

donnap83

A combination of money in the bank, and available credit on CC will be fine. Make sure you take your most recent statements as proof of funds.

Cheap flights, you should really look into STA if your under 25 (i think) They can sort the visa as well, but theres no point, it will still cost you more, and won't make the actual flights any cheaper either ( i know STA have told people in the past that if they arrange their WHV through them, they will get discounted flights. Rubbish)

Hamstercheeks84

In July STA did advertise that if you bought flights through them to Cairns or Brisbane you got the WHV free. But that offer has now ended.

Unfortunately i'm 27, so out of getting further discounts from STA, it is 26 or under or student.:(

claire16c

I applied for a working visa last year, took about 10 mins online. Came back to say approved in a few hours.

Trailfinders, Travelbag, flight centre. If you know the date you are coming back and dont need flexible flight you could use Expedia etc.

I used Endsleigh for insurance as they do backpacker insurance that covers you working too.

You need to get the tax number thingy so you can get paid in Oz, youll need an address but you can the address of the backpackers you are staying at, most of them let you have post sent to them as they are used to this. Sorry I forget the name of it,but anyway you can apply for it online too.

Alexd_2

Does anyone have advice on finding harvesting work in melbourne my friend and i are planning a 5-6 month trip in aus leaving in march and are hoping to work for a month before travelling... any suggestions?