James Skinner
James is the Founder & Chief Executive of
CANZUK International in Vancouver, Canada
The Australian Government is reportedly considering raising the age limit of its working holiday visa to 50, meaning more British and Canadian citizens will be able to travel, live and work Down Under and obtain a pathway to residency.
At present, citizens of Canada and the United Kingdom can only access Australia’s Working Holiday scheme if they are under the age of 35 – a limit which was increased from 30 for UK citizens following the recent signing of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement.
However, Australia is now considering raising the age limit to 50 in the hopes of attracting people from the UK and Canada with a wide range of skills to ease the nation’s ongoing labour shortages.
Speaking with ABC Radio, Margy Osmond who is Tourism and Transport Forum Australia’s Chief Executive said that Australia could see more benefits from the program if it raised the age limit from 35 to 50:
“It opens up to a marketplace of people who have different skills and perhaps more professional skills that we could use…we need to be a bit more creative in terms of how we fill jobs,” she said.
In recent months, the Australian Government has also slashed visa processing times, with over 120,000 foreign-born individuals approved for working visas ahead of the 2022 Christmas holidays.
The age-limit increase for working visas has been a priority campaign for CANZUK International which will specifically benefit travel and working opportunities for citizens of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. By increasing the age limit of Australia’s working visa scheme to 50, more individuals from CANZUK countries can live, work and reside in Australia, and obtain opportunities to pursue permanent residency and citizenship.
CANZUK International welcomes these intentions from the Australian Government and will continue to engage with Ministers and elected officials to ensure further policies supportive of CANZUK free movement.
However, Australia is now considering raising the age limit to 50 in the hopes of attracting people from the UK and Canada with a wide range of skills to ease the nation’s ongoing labour shortages.
Speaking with ABC Radio, Margy Osmond who is Tourism and Transport Forum Australia’s Chief Executive said that Australia could see more benefits from the program if it raised the age limit from 35 to 50:
“It opens up to a marketplace of people who have different skills and perhaps more professional skills that we could use…we need to be a bit more creative in terms of how we fill jobs,” she said.
In recent months, the Australian Government has also slashed visa processing times, with over 120,000 foreign-born individuals approved for working visas ahead of the 2022 Christmas holidays.
The age-limit increase for working visas has been a priority campaign for CANZUK International which will specifically benefit travel and working opportunities for citizens of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. By increasing the age limit of Australia’s working visa scheme to 50, more individuals from CANZUK countries can live, work and reside in Australia, and obtain opportunities to pursue permanent residency and citizenship.
CANZUK International welcomes these intentions from the Australian Government and will continue to engage with Ministers and elected officials to ensure further policies supportive of CANZUK free movement.
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