Today would have been the day to get my stuff ready to apply for my holiday maker visa for Australia... thought I and was pretty optimistic about. It´s a lot easier and faster processed through online application! That was BEFORE I checked out the official site of the Australian Government.
Could a website be any more complicated than this one?! Seriously... it opens up indefinitely. Is that the virtual Australian black hole?! It made me even more confused than I have been before. And there I was thinking I kinda knew it all. :-( Initially, I just wanted to quickly check what I would need on hand for my visa application, not that I have to run around my flat searching for documents whilst applying. Did I find a helpfull checklist? Not really.
Entering the site you first you have to know which visa is suitable for you... oh pardon me, for which visa YOU are eligible for. Check working holiday. This visa is for people aged 18 to 30 years of age, who are interested in a working holiday of up to 12 months in Australia. Check box. Subclass 417 or Subclass 462? Mmmhh, check linked list... ah! Fortunately Germany is involved in the Australian Working Holiday Programm, therefore I am eligible for a visa in the first instance. Yeahh! That´s good in a way that I have a chance to be amongst the 300.000 international visa applicants that are granted each year for selected countries.
But where is the link to the documents that have to be turned in? mmmhhh. Let´s see... there is some info on "what to read before applying".. but then a new list opens up to a new linked list. All applicants are required to meet health criteria, therefore health examinations must be completed. But which ones? Do I need to attach a certified statment form my doctor? No hint found.
Also, everyone who wishes to enter Australia must be assessed against the character requirements. The only info I found is that I must provided police certificates for each country I lived in longer than 12 months in the last 10 years. That would be easy, but what else? The black hole is expanding...
One thing I honestly found out is, that I must declare that I "will respect Australian values and obey the laws of Australia. For this visa, the values statement is included in the general declaration section of the application form. When you sign the application form it means you will also be signing the values statement. You will not be required to have read the Life in Australia book, but may do so if you wish." Good to know!! ;-)
Oh, I found out that I would have to be financially secure, to have sufficient funds to support myself for the initial stage of the my holiday. Generally, AUD$5,000 may be regarded sufficient... ah ok... but I also may be asked to provide evidence as in a certified copy of my bank statment or an air ticket out of Australia. Aha .. may or may not it is then! ;-)
After 45 minutesI have to say that I quit.... at least I found some new interesting things concerning the holiday maker visa that I wasn´t aware of before. If I am granted a visa I am allowed to:
- enter Australia within 12 months of grant
- stay up to 12 months
- leave and re-enter Australia any number of times while the visa is valid
- work in Australia for up to 6 months with each employer
That something to begin with, I´d say.
But I am positive to struggle succeessfully through the application form. So, let´s search the web firts to find some helpful hints what, where and how to apply.
There is more to come, the adventure to Oz just begun. :-)
