Backpackers now eligible to help in disaster recovery relief under visa changes

International backpackers will now be able help recovery efforts following cyclones after Working Holiday Maker requirements were changed.

Minister for Immigration Andrew Giles said the technical change in the current Working Holiday Maker visa would made it easier for backpackers to stay longer in regional Australia after a natural disaster, instead of leaving the area and missing out on second or third year visa eligibility. Photo: Supplied.

International backpackers will now be able help recovery efforts following cyclones after Working Holiday Maker requirements were changed.

It will mean WHM visa holders who have worked or volunteered in areas affected by natural disasters can apply for their second or third visa.

Previously they were only eligible if they had helped in floods or bushfires.

It comes after the wettest tropical cyclone in Australia’s history crossed the Far North Queensland coast in December.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said the change made it easier for backpackers to stay longer in the regions after a disaster.

“Some (backpackers) will already be here and it’s about enabling them to extend their visa in circumstances where they may not have been able to do so previously. This is really about getting rid of some red tape which has held up some of our ability in the past to ensure that we can get people back or enable people to stay and make their contribution,” Mr Giles said.

Minister for Immigration Andrew Giles, with Senator Nita Green, said the technical change in the current Working Holiday Maker visa would made it easier for backpackers to stay longer in regional Australia after a natural disaster, instead of leaving the area and missing out on second or third year visa eligibility. Photo: Supplied.

“What we really want to do is to be driving an economic recovery here that’s about all of the natural advantages that make life in Far North Queensland so attractive to so many Australians and which is why this is such a mecca for tourists.”

Mr Giles said this announcement recognised the working holiday-makers in Far North Queensland were “not just a big part of the economy as tourists, but a big part of the labour market as well”.

“What we want to do is to make sure that we’ve got the right incentives so that more people can make a greater contribution to our recovery and all of its dimensions.”

Senator Nita Green said the arrangement would boost tourism to towns such as Cairns which, when faced with natural disasters, could disincentivise backpackers from working.

“Far North Queensland is no stranger to backpackers, they make up a huge part of our communities and support our tourism industry,” Ms Green said.

“Now, they will be incentivised to come to assist in local recovery, and then hopefully stay in our beautiful regions.”

Originally published as Backpackers now eligible to help in disaster recovery relief under visa changes