Japan Working Holiday Visa for Australians

Who can apply

You must be an Australian citizen living in Australia. If you are travelling or living overseas, you have to come home to apply.

• ✓Aged 18 to 30 inclusive when you apply
• ✓Never held a Japanese working holiday visa before (Australians can only do it once)
• ✓In good health and of good character
• ✓No dependants. Married or de facto couples can go if both of you qualify

The savings rules

You need at least A$2,500 in savings (A$3,500 for a couple), on top of your airfare. In Sydney the consulate wants three months of savings account transactions, and it will not accept a lump sum deposited just before you apply: it needs to see that you have been saving for the trip.

The Melbourne consulate asks for A$2,500 (A$3,500 for a couple) if you have a paid ticket, or A$4,000 (A$6,500 for a couple) if you only have a booking. Check the exact figure with the office that covers your state.

How long you can stay

The visa is single entry, and your first permission to stay is 6 months from the day you arrive. You can apply to extend at an immigration office in Japan before it runs out, but extensions are at immigration's discretion and not guaranteed. If you leave Japan without a re-entry permit, the visa is cancelled.

Documents the consulates ask for

Requirements vary slightly by consulate. The Sydney and Melbourne lists include:

• ✓Your passport, with two blank facing pages
• ✓The visa application form with every line completed, and a passport photo glued (not stapled) on
• ✓Flight booking confirmation (one-way tickets to Japan are accepted)
• ✓A CV covering your education and work history
• ✓A schedule of your plans, filled in properly for the first 6 months
• ✓A typed letter explaining why you want a working holiday: at least one full A4 page in Sydney
• ✓Your bank statements (see the savings rules above)
• ✓A copy of your work contract, if you already have a job agreed in Japan (Melbourne)

Where to apply and processing time

Apply at the Japanese embassy or consulate that covers your state. Melbourne, for example, covers Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Processing takes at least five working days, there's no priority service, and the consulates advise against buying a non-refundable ticket before the visa is granted.

Arriving with a job already agreed

The Melbourne consulate says it assesses whether your plan is realistic, and advises applicants without enough travel funds to organise jobs in Japan in advance. A confirmed placement also gives you a contract to show with your application. That's exactly what Helping Hand provides: your job is secured before you fly, and you only pay once it is.