Young Malaysians hoping to work and travel in Australia may have to put their plans on hold for now.
The country has temporarily halted applications for its “Work and Holiday” visa programme for Malaysia and 21 other countries.
This has raised concerns over the future of the Working Holiday Maker programme, one of Australia’s longest-running visa programmes, which started in 1975. This programme covers more than 40 partner countries and jurisdictions through two visa streams: “Working Holiday” visa and Work and Holiday visa.
Both allow eligible young adults to travel and work in Australia for up to 12 months.
The Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) has urged the Australian Government to consider the wider role of the Working Holiday Maker visa, not just its contribution to the workforce.
QTIC chief executive officer Natassia Wheeler said in a statement that Australia had spent decades building its reputation as a destination for young holidaymakers looking for this kind of experience.
“For generations of young travellers, coming to Australia for a working holiday has been more than a visa category. It has been a rite of passage,” she said.
Wheeler said working holidaymakers should be seen as temporary visitors who contribute to Australia through both travel and short-term work, rather than as part of the country’s permanent migration system.
The tourism body is worried that the pause could make Australia less attractive to young travellers, who may choose other destinations instead.
This in turn would affect Australia’s tourism industry because working holidaymakers tend to stay longer and travel more widely than visitors on shorter holidays.
Rather than spending a few days in a major city before flying home, many would usually travel between different parts of the country, staying in smaller towns and spending on accommodation, food, attractions and tours, among others.
“They travel, they stay, they spend and they often return home as lifelong ambassadors for Australia.
“They also bring skills, languages, cultural perspectives and, in many cases, professional hospitality experience that adds enormously to the businesses and communities they become part of,” said Wheeler in the statement.
Some also take temporary jobs in hotels, restaurants, tour companies and other tourism- related businesses while travelling.
Malaysia is not the only country affected. As of Sept 14, first-time applications were also paused for countries including Argentina, Chile, Spain, Singapore, Brazil, Austria and Switzerland.
The annual caps vary considerably, too. For example, Argentina, Chile and Spain each have a cap of 3,400 first-time visas, while Singapore has 2,500.
Malaysia’s cap is 1,100 applications, Brazil and Austria only have 500 each, and Switzerland has 200. Applicants from China, India and Vietnam currently go through a ballot to get a spot.
Indonesia is set to introduce a similar system later this year, with registrations expected to open soon.
Australia says applications for participating countries can be paused for several reasons, including managing application numbers, when a country is nearing its annual cap or as part of broader migration settings.
If you are planning to apply for the Australian Work and Holiday visa, you may want to keep an eye on the situation. You can check Australia’s Department of Home Affairs website, or the official site of the Australian High Commission (Kuala Lumpur) for updates.
