Congratulations! You have a visa! But what do you do with it?
How do you use your Australian Working Holiday Visa? Well, don’t just store it away. You will need your visa to set up your basics. Now that you have it, you can use it to set yourself up perfectly for what may just be the best year of your life. Below I have outlined a few good practices I wish someone had told me.
Save and set the following reminders on all of your calendars:
These dates can be pivotal milestones for you to act on and change what to do next.
- Passport expiry and three-month warning: Giving you enough time to get a new one.
- Visa expiry and four-month warning: Four months is the latest you should leave thinking about staying in Australia longer as a student, on a second-year visa or a sponsorship visa.
Make sure your passport does not expire just after your visa expires so that you don’t need to renew it right in the middle of applying for a second-year visa.
Your visa is used for everything you do, so make sure you save all the information. Keep it easily accessible but safe.
What you will need your visa information for:
- Australian Customs when you land
- Getting a job – you need to provide proof of your visa
- Applying for your Three Work Essentials
- Getting an apartment
- Medicare (the Australian NHS)
- Buying a car and getting a driving license
- Volunteering
- Getting a Library Membership (for free wifi)
- If you are travelling to other countries before Australia – your visa is good proof that you have future plans
Remove all doubt:
If you are worried you have been scammed and your Australian Working Holiday Visa does not exist, here is how to check if its valid:
- Login to VEVO: Visa Entitlement Verification Online and check your details.
- All you need is your passport and one of the following:
- Transaction Reference Number (TRN)
- Visa Evidence Number
- Visa Grant Number
Once you know your visa is valid and you have saved all your dates, print off your confirmations, save them on your Google Drives and pack them ready to go.
Tip: Most importantly… LET’S START YOUR AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE! Get excited! Bring on the cold drinks, kangaroos and crazy amount of sand. Let’s start your next life chapter.
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Next step! Understanding Work Essentials
Work Essentials are three basics you need to set up before and immediately after you land in Australia. Without them, you cannot work.
NEXT - SETTING UP YOUR WORK ESSENTIALS
Three things you can't get a job without in Australia,... Click the photo above for step-by-step guides to help you get your three Work Essentials set up before you leave for Australia and use them right when you land.