Working Visa For Australia

[marquess]

Earlier this year when the free trade agreement was signed with Australia; I heard that one of the provisions was: That a Thai with a bachelor's degree and a good command of English and between the ages of 18-30. Could apply for a one year working visa. Providing also that they are sponsored by the Thai Gov.I have been trying to find out some more info about this, as I know that it will be effective as of 1st of Jan 2005? I have a neice who will soon meet the criteria.

Does anyone have any further info? Or could they tell me where I might go to get some further info?

[camel_jockey]

Try here www.dfat.gov.au

The agreement is supposed to start on the 1st Jan, but I dont think they(thai and aus governments) will be ready.

good luck

[samran]

Earlier this year when the free trade agreement was signed with Australia; I heard that one of the provisions was: That a Thai with a bachelor's degree and a good command of English and between the ages of 18-30. Could apply for a one year working visa. Providing also that they are sponsored by the Thai Gov.I have been trying to find out some more info about this, as I know that it will be effective as of 1st of Jan 2005? I have a neice who will soon meet the criteria.

Does anyone have any further info? Or could they tell me where I might go to get some further info?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This will be a 'Work and Holiday' visa. Rights wise it will be similar to working holiday visas available to many other nationalities (UK, Ireland, Canada, many EU nations, Japan, Hong Kong) - ie the main purpose of your visit will be for a holiday- any work you do is simply to supplement your funds. You must not pursue your career and you will be limited to a maximum of 3 months for any one employer.

Criteria wise, this will be more strict - an obvious attempt to stop sex workers using this as a loophole route into Australia. Like you said, they will need a Bachelors degree and will require a good command of English.

I don't know when the visa will start. It isn't actually part of the FTA framwork - it was negotiated seperately and will not be part of the FTA official start date. The reason is that the Working holiday visa will be a reciprocal thing. For Australia to offer the visa to Thai's, Thailand will have to have the systems in place to offer young Australians working holiday visas - under similar conditions.

So I guess you should wait a while. While Australia already has the systems in place to start issuing these visas to Thai's, it will not do so until Thailand will be able to issue the equivalent visas to Australians. Don't hold your breath for the Thai bureacracy to get things underway.

[samran]

http://www.vanstone.com.au/default.asp?Menu=VPS95.04

[gburns57au]

Earlier this year when the free trade agreement was signed with Australia; I heard that one of the provisions was: That a Thai with a bachelor's degree and a good command of English and between the ages of 18-30. Could apply for a one year working visa. Providing also that they are sponsored by the Thai Gov.I have been trying to find out some more info about this, as I know that it will be effective as of 1st of Jan 2005? I have a neice who will soon meet the criteria.

Does anyone have any further info? Or could they tell me where I might go to get some further info?

I would presume that they will need be to be employer sponsored as well.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Earlier this year when the free trade agreement was signed with Australia; I heard that one of the provisions was: That a Thai with a bachelor's degree and a good command of English and between the ages of 18-30. Could apply for a one year working visa. Providing also that they are sponsored by the Thai Gov.I have been trying to find out some more info about this, as I know that it will be effective as of 1st of Jan 2005? I have a neice who will soon meet the criteria.

Does anyone have any further info? Or could they tell me where I might go to get some further info?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would presume that they will need be to be employer sponsored as well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't believe that that sponsor thing is part of the deal. But until Thailand gets the work permit issue resolved, nothing will happen. It is a bilateral proposition

[gburns57au]

Earlier this year when the free trade agreement was signed with Australia; I heard that one of the provisions was: That a Thai with a bachelor's degree and a good command of English and between the ages of 18-30. Could apply for a one year working visa. Providing also that they are sponsored by the Thai Gov.I have been trying to find out some more info about this, as I know that it will be effective as of 1st of Jan 2005? I have a neice who will soon meet the criteria.

Does anyone have any further info? Or could they tell me where I might go to get some further info?

I would presume that they will need be to be employer sponsored as well.

I don't believe that that sponsor thing is part of the deal. But until Thailand gets the work permit issue resolved, nothing will happen. It is a bilateral proposition

I know that for a working visa you used to need to have an employer sponsor you before the visa could be issued....But the rules here change on a weekly basis

[samran]

Earlier this year when the free trade agreement was signed with Australia; I heard that one of the provisions was: That a Thai with a bachelor's degree and a good command of English and between the ages of 18-30. Could apply for a one year working visa. Providing also that they are sponsored by the Thai Gov.I have been trying to find out some more info about this, as I know that it will be effective as of 1st of Jan 2005? I have a neice who will soon meet the criteria.

Does anyone have any further info? Or could they tell me where I might go to get some further info?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would presume that they will need be to be employer sponsored as well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't believe that that sponsor thing is part of the deal. But until Thailand gets the work permit issue resolved, nothing will happen. It is a bilateral proposition

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I know that for a working visa you used to need to have an employer sponsor you before the visa could be issued....But the rules here change on a weekly basis

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, you are thinking about a normal work permit which requires an employer to sponsor you to do a specific job in a company. We are talking about a working holiday visa here, which are totally different.

Working holiday visas have traditionally been used between Commonwealth countries, so that young people between 18-30 can go work in each others country, sampling the lifestyle and using the funds from work for further travel. Hence the truckloads of Aussies and Kiwi's behind the bars in London, and the stinking heaving masses of soapdogers making their way between sydney and Cairns.

These visas are normally valid for between 1 and 2 years, and normally preclude the holder doing any professional work - ie they are for menial type jobs to supplement holiday funds only. As long as the work is of a non-professional type, you don't need an employer to sponsor you. No extension is possible, unlike the work permit which can be extended as long as you are employed.

Australia recently has been extending its Working hoilday visa arrangements to a number of Asian country's; initally Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and now, Thailand.

So with any luck, at some stage next year young Australians will be able to come and live and work in Thailand for a year, without the need for traditional lengthy process to get a work permit or a company to sponsor them. Yound thai's will then be able to enter australia under the existing arrangements it already has with a dozen odd countries in Europe, Asia and North America.

[marquess]

Thanks for all the info on this one. I will try and see what I can do for here. Does anyone what the position is re NZ?