CANBERRA – As countries across the globe are mulling ways to attract tourists and immigrants, proposals are being floated in Australia as well to increase the age cap for working visa holiday.
The working visa holiday is popular amongst backpackers and allows them to work while being in the country. Currently people above 35 years of age are ineligible for this visa category; however, tourism body in the country is calling on decision makers to increase the age limit to 50.
The proponent of the idea, Margy Osmond, chief executive of the Tourism and Transport Forum of Australia, claims that by raising the program’s eligibility age limit to 50, Australia might reap additional benefits.
She told in a radio show that it “opens up to a marketplace of people who have different skills and perhaps more professional skills that we could use within the sector.” Osmond also suggested that regulations requiring travellers to work in the agricultural sector for three months in order to extend the duration of their visas be extended to other sectors as well as ‘not everybody wants to work in the agricultural sector,’.
She opined that other sectors that similarly had skills shortages could also be included in this structure.
Working holiday visas permits backpackers to work in a variety of industries in Australia, and the hospitality industry is the most popular. Travellers work as tour guides during the prime summer months as well as look for opportunities in the retail sector.
Travellers also have the opportunity to apply for office jobs, however, these may require particular qualifications. The majority of travellers must currently complete 88 days of farm work in order to extend their working holiday visa.
Although changes are being proposed, the existing requirements for an Australia working holiday visa are that the applicant must hold a passport from an eligible country, must be at least 18 years old and not older than 30 (or 35 in some countries), apply online from outside Australia, not have any dependent children with them, and not have previously entered Australia on subclass 417 or 462 visa.
Travellers with a 12-month visa are allowed to work part-time jobs in Australia to support them during their vacations, study there for up to four months, visit Australia as often as they desire and do three months of specific work to be eligible for a second visa.
The proposal is being pitched at a time when the federal government is conducting a review of migration in the country.
