Good news for backpackers! The new visa change means:
- Travellers on work holiday visas can extend their stay to help with bushfire relief
- Construction including demolition and land clearing will count towards work
- Those in bushfire zones can extend work with same employer to 12 months
Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge announced in regional Victoria today that the new visa change, recommended by the National Bushfire Recovery Agency will allow backpackers to extend their stay to help rebuild Australia in the wake of bushfires. Under the changes, backpackers will be able to count volunteering as work when applying to extend their working holiday visas, and those in bushfire zones can stay with the same employer for a year instead of six months.
Construction work in disaster zones will also count as work under the new rules designed to support farmers and regional businesses.
The working holidaymakers would be able to help farmers and businesses with demolition and land clearing on properties, as well as repairing dams, roads and railways. This will come in quite timely to assist affected areas in rebuilding at a critical time in the recovery effort, driven locally by local workers and communities.