In the wake of the recent devastating bush fires across Australia the Department of Home Affairs has revised policy on 417 & 462 Working Holiday visas and the 6-month work limitation. The major change has been to extend the 6-month work limitation to 12 months for visa holders that are assisting with the bushfire recovery efforts. This is consistent with previous disaster recovery efforts in relation to Cyclone Debbie in 2017.

Another key change is a widening of the definition of specified work. Specified Work is the work that 417 and 462 visa holders are required to complete in order to apply for a second year on their visa. The new widening ensures that construction work in a disaster declared area will count. The widening will also allow all paid and volunteer disaster recovery work in declared bushfire areas will count towards specified work as well.

These changes allow employers working in bushfire affected areas to recruit and retain valuable workers for more than the usual 6-month period, which in turn will produce faster results in assisting people impacted by the recent bush fires.

If you are unsure if these changes impact your business give FCB Smart Visa a call on (02) 9922 5188.