About 40,000 Indians have applied for 1,000 visas for Australia’s newly launched ‘Working Holiday Maker Visa’ (WHM) scheme, which allows young adults to have a 12 month holiday, during which they can undertake short-term work and study.
The WHM program includes over 40 partner countries or jurisdictions in two visa subclasses, the Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa and the Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa.
Talking to ANI, Matt Thistlehwaite, Assistant Minister for Immigration, said, “I’m here to launch a couple of new visas, new opportunities for Indians to travel to Australia. The Working Holiday Maker Visa will allow up to a thousand young Indians from the ages of 18 to 30 to come to Australia to either work or to study and to experience Australian culture for up to 12 months.”
“It’s a great symbol of the growing links and ties and partnership between Australia and India and it comes on the back of other areas where Indians have been studying in Australia under student visas, working in our industries under skilled visas. This is just another opportunity to build those stronger ties between our nations,” he added.
“When I return home, one of the first things I’ll be doing is going to a Diwali festival in Sydney and they’re getting more popular. We’re seeing more and more Australians come to visit India and more and more Indians come to either study or to work here in Australia and it’s a great symbol of our growing economic ties and our people-to-people links,” he added.
While addressing the media during his recent India visit, Matt Thistlethwaite said, “It’s a great honour for me to be here today. My first visit to New Delhi and India to launch this important partnership and initiative between the people of Australia and the people of India.”
There is a limit of 1,000 visas per year, and it’s going to be chosen through a ballot process. So, Indians will be able to apply for the ballot, and that ballot is now open. It opened on October 1 and closes on October 30 and there are already 40,000 people that have applied to go on the ballot.
Minister Matt Thistlethwaite in a media statement said, “The Working Holiday Maker program has promoted cultural exchange between young people from Australia and partner countries since 1975.
“I am delighted to be here in person to officially welcome India into the Working Holiday program today. This new partnership will help strengthen the already strong bonds between our countries.
“The addition of India in the program will enrich the Indian diaspora in Australia, further enhancing the cultural exchange already flourishing in the Australian community.”
-Inputs from ANI.
