UK-Australia free trade deal takes effect, widening working holiday visa

The UK-Australia free trade agreement entered into force on 31 May 2023. It had been signed in December 2021 and was the first trade deal the UK negotiated from scratch after leaving the European Union. Most attention fell on tariffs, but the agreement also changed how Britons could live and work in Australia.

Under the deal, the upper age limit for the Australian working holiday visa (the subclass 417 visa) was raised from 30 to 35 for British citizens. The deal also removed the requirement to do specified work, such as farm or regional labour, in order to qualify for a second-year visa. Britons could therefore stay longer without having to take that kind of job. The visa changes were applied from July 2023, shortly after the agreement took effect.

The changes mattered because the working holiday visa is one of the most popular routes for young Britons wanting to spend time in Australia. Many people planned travel, work or study around the new, more flexible rules, which is why later changes to visa conditions have drawn close attention from those affected.