Figures released today by the Federal Government showed that in the last financial year there were 7,000 more second year WHM visas granted than in 2017-18, with over 43,000 second year visa recipients.

TAA CEO Michael Johnson said that given that WHM holders needed to complete three months of specified work in a regional area to be eligible for a second year visa, the latest statistics showed that regional accommodation and tourism businesses were the beneficiaries of this increase.

At a glance: 

• Accommodation providers and tourism businesses in regional Australia are benefitting from a 20 per cent annual increase in the number of Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa holders obtaining a second year visa - TAA has reported.
• TAA said that Working Holiday Makers make up an important component of the workforce for accommodation providers and is it important Australia continues to attract young travellers.

“Working Holiday Makers are an important component of the workforce for Australia’s accommodation providers and this can be particularly the case in regional areas where a sufficient local workforce may not be available,” Mr Johnson said.

“It is promising to see the second year WHM numbers moving in the right direction and we anticipate that changes to the program that were recently announced will see further benefits flow through to regional accommodation businesses.”

“Allowing eligible visa holders to access a third year in Australia, increasing the number of visas allocated to our partner counties and raising the eligible age for French applicants to 35 will help ensure Australia remains an attractive option for young travellers.”

“Migration programs need to be constantly reviewed and recalibrated, so it is encouraging to see the Federal Government tweaking the WHM program to ensure Australia continues to attract young travellers, who as we know, spend the overwhelming majority of what they earn while in Australia.”

“We also welcome the Creative Australia Inc. campaign, which aims to position Australia as the world’s most desirable working holiday maker destination.”

Click here to visit the TAA website

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