The waiting time is over for young backpackers. After almost two years of lockdown, Australia is again open to them as a destination for a Work and Travel (WAT) stay. Many agencies offer their services for organizing the WAT programs, organize information workshops, take care of obtaining a visa, the necessary documents and also the start in the target country. For example Travel Works in Munster. “The school leavers are in the starting blocks,” says Constanze Sietz from Travel Works. Interest is high: an online information evening for interested parties last week had a record turnout.
The Australian state is providing another incentive to bring young workers into the country on a temporary basis: if they enter the country by April 19, 2022, all those who Working Holiday Maker Visa are traveling, the visa application fee of 495 Australian dollars (around 310 euros) back. You can apply for a refund online at Visa refund portal of the Australian state.
This offer from the state is well received by the young people, explains Steffen Mayer Information portal ways abroad, but it is not decisive for whether someone starts the journey or not. However, it can be observed that many travelers are now booking within the refund period in order to take the money with them. After all, it improves the travel budget: from the 310 euros you can at least afford a three-day trip from Alice Springs to Uluru.
The jobs are varied, you can harvest oranges in South Australia, pick grapes on the Margaret River or pick apples in Tasmania. It is recommended to Harvest calendar Australia to load on the phone. For example, if you hire on the Sunshine Coast for the ginger harvest, you can then surf on the dream beaches of Queensland. Huge sheep farms, the Sheep Stations in the Outback, hip bars in the big cities, construction sites and private households are also looking for helpers. “Since the Corona travel depression, we have also noticed an increased request for combinations of WAT and volunteer work in Australia,” explains Steffen Mayer. In other words, young people would like to earn something extra for their trip and at the same time invest time in something meaningful. The minimum wage is currently 20.33 AUD, around 12.95 euros per hour, one of the highest in the world. However, the price level is also high in the country.
In any case, Australia is courting the young people of the world because the country needs them: Due to its restrictive immigration policy, there is a shortage of workers who accept unskilled, temporary jobs in the low-wage sector. Migrants only make it to the fifth continent via an ingenious points system, which is used primarily to attract qualified people in certain, particularly sought-after professional groups. Boat people are fended off with brutal methods.
It’s easier for those interested in WAT: Those who apply for a WAT visa must be between 18 and 30 years old, need a passport that is still valid for two years upon entry and travel health insurance abroad, a return flight ticket and the not insignificant one Proof of the amount of 5000 Australian dollars (approx. 3144 euros). The maximum duration of the WAT stay is twelve months – and the stay cannot be repeated. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Constanze Sietz. If that’s not enough: There are also combination packages for Australia and New Zealand.