UK and Australia working holiday rules changing: What you need to know as farm work scrapped

Brits will be allowed to live and work in Australia with more freedom than ever before as a new trade agreement between the nations comes into force.

The free trade agreement was drawn up after Britain – Australia’s second biggest trading partner – left the European Union, and will see 99 per cent of Aussie products enter the UK duty free.

It also includes sweeping changes to age-old rules for working holiday makers, who were previously allowed to come Down Under for a year if they were under 30.

In a rule going back more than a decade, working holiday makers had to complete 88 days of agricultural work if they wanted to stay for another year – up to a maximum of three in total.

But from July next year, Brits will be able to stay in Australia for three years without having to meet these specific work requirements, which often involves months of brutal labouring on rural farms.

The age limit for the visa will also be increased to 35 from July this year.

It is unclear if the six month work limitation, which sees WHV holders having to change employers, will be further relaxed – having been changed to 12 months during the pandemic, a policy set to expire on July 1 this year. 

Restrictions are also easing for Australians, who from July this year will be able to apply for United Kingdom working holiday visas up to the age of 35, instead of 30, and stay for three years instead of two.

Working holiday visa holders will be able to stay in the UK or Australia for a longer period of time under the free trade deal that comes into effect today (stock image)

Australian producers of wine, beef, sheep meat, grains, rice, sugar, and dairy products will benefit from duty-free quotas or tariff elimination.

Manufactured products such as auto parts and electrical equipment, as well as cosmetic products will also receive a boost through the immediate elimination of UK tariffs.

British products including cars, whisky, confectionery, biscuits and cosmetics coming into Australia are expected to be cheaper.

Trade Minister Don Farrell said it was a major step in diversifying trade. 

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‘It will help grow our domestic industries and homegrown manufacturing capabilities, delivering benefits to Australian businesses, and creating new well-paying jobs.’

‘This new trade agreement will open new export opportunities, promote greater investment into Australia and help diversify our trade relationship.’ 

The historic deal between Australia and the United Kingdom is aimed at easing trade and visa arrangements (pictured, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greet one another at Downing Street)

Brits moving Down Under will no longer need to complete farm work and local employers face less restrictions in hiring them (stock image)

Trade Minister Don Farrell (pictured) championed the deal as a ‘gold-standard trade agreement’

Mr Farrell added: ‘When trade flows freely, the benefits are felt across virtually all aspects of everyday life.’

‘More trade means more well-paying jobs, more national income, more opportunities for business and a lower cost of living.’

The UK is Australia’s 12th largest trading partner. Two-way goods trade was worth $10 billion in 2022, and two-way services trade was worth $4.4 billion in 2021-2022.

The UK is also Australia’s second-largest source of foreign direct investment, amounting to over $1 trillion in 2022.

It deal with the UK came after China slapped tariffs on Australian exports during the pandemic after the Morrison government backed an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19. 

‘This provides more opportunities, and greater resilience for Australia’s exporters, all around the world,’ former Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at the time the landmark deal was signed back in June 2021.