Hospitality workers on working holiday visas are exempt from 6-month work limitations.

Hospitality workers on working holiday visas are exempt from 6-month work limitations.

From 1 January 2024, until further government decisions are made, workers in the tourism and hospitality sectors can work for the same employer in Australia for more than 6 months without asking permission from the Department of Home Affairs.  The Department has advised the exemption applies to the following sectors in Australia:

• in the critical sector of tourism and hospitality anywhere in Australia.
• in different locations and work in any one location does not exceed 6 months
• in plant and animal cultivation anywhere in Australia
• in certain industries, including aged care and disability services, fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling, construction and mining, in northern Australia only (see Northern Australia)
• natural disaster recovery work
• in critical sectors, including agriculture, food processing, health, aged and disability care and childcare, anywhere in Australia.

For any other situations not covered above, you must ask the Department of Home Affairs to work longer than 6 months with one employer.

If you have already submitted a request for approval to work for longer than 6 months for the same employer, you can continue working for the same employer until you receive a written outcome of your request.