A person can immigrate to Australia from Brazil following the immigration rules that are currently in force for this country. Brazilian nationals can arrive here for short-term stays, for long-term or for permanent relocation.
Depending on the duration of the stay, as well as its purpose, visa formalities must be completed as per the law on immigration in Australia. A novelty regarding immigration for Brazilian nationals is that Australia has extended the Work Holiday program to Brazilian passport holders.
Our immigration lawyer in Australia can present the main immigration routes available for Brazilian passport holders.
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How can Brazilians obtain the Work Holiday visa in Australia?
The Work Holiday visa is an immigration program that is addressed to young persons who can travel to Australia while working for a limited period of time. The visa is designed as a temporary visa, therefore one can’t use this program as a way to permanent residency in Australia.
The Australian authorities have expanded the work holiday program by including Brazil as well starting with the financial year of 2022-2023, which means that in 2024, Brazilians can apply for this program.
In the list below, you can find out some of the main characteristics of this program:
- the program is capped at 500 visas, therefore only 500 Brazilians will be accepted per year;
- the work holiday visa is the Subclass 462, designed specifically for the work holiday program;
- this visa grants the right to residency in Australia for 12 months;
- the cost of the visa is $495;
- in general, the visa can be processed in a period of 73 days;
- please mind that a Brazilian can migrate to Australia under this program if he or she has an age of 18 to 30 years old.
What are the main conditions for applying for the Work Holiday program?
Besides the matters presented above, Brazilians who want to immigrate to Australia from Brazil under this new program must comply with additional requirements. First of all, it is mandatory to be a Brazilian passport holder (permanent residents of Brazil can’t participate in the program).
At the moment when the application is made, the person must be outside Australia (there are visas that can be obtained while being in the country).
The work holiday program is addressed solely to the person applying, which implies that if the applicant has family or dependents, he or she can’t include them in the application. The law on immigration in Australia grants the right to relocate with family members, but this is valid for other types of visas.
It is also mandatory to not have visited Australia before under the Subclass 462 or Subclass 417 visas. If the applicant meets these requirements, then he or she can easily apply for this visa.
What are the main rights of Work Holiday visa holders?
Given that the visa is an immigration document designed for temporary stay, the visa holder can benefit only for certain rights, according to the Department of Home Affairs.
As the name of the visa suggests, Brazilians can work and travel in Australia, under specific conditions. For instance, the visa holder can work only on short-term basis in Australia. The Brazilian can study for up to 4 months and he or she can become eligible for a 2nd work holiday program.
This can be the case if the person works at least 3 months in certain categories of jobs. Our immigration lawyer in Australia can provide further information concerning this rule.
Given that the visa is issued on a temporary basis, the document can’t be used for claiming Australian citizenship.
You can contact our lawyer if you want to know the complicated route to Australian citizenship, which can generally be obtained through naturalization.
If you are interested in becoming a permanent resident, please know that this procedure can be completed after 4 years of stay. Many foreigners obtain permanent residency based on work visas, but other options are available as well (investment, family reunification, marriage to an Australian citizen).
