The Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) is the most common first step Irish citizens take into Australia. The Irish stream comes with a meaningful concession that the 462 stream does not: an age cap of 35, not 30, and access to a second and third year if specified regional work is completed.
§01Who is eligible
- Valid Republic of Ireland passport, Ireland is on the 417 list, not 462.
- Aged 18–35 inclusive at the time of application (the 30 → 35 extension is permanent for Ireland, Canada, France, the UK, Denmark and Italy).
- At least $5,000 in evidenced funds plus the cost of a return airfare.
- No dependent children.
- First 417 must be lodged from outside Australia.
- Meets the standard health and character requirements.
§02The three-year framework
A first 417 grants twelve months of stay. A second 417 requires 88 days of specified work in regional Australia during the first. A third 417 requires six months of specified work during the second. Specified work covers plant and animal cultivation, fishing, tree farming, mining, construction, bushfire/flood/cyclone recovery, plant nurseries and tourism/hospitality in remote and very remote Australia.
§03Fees and processing
Each 417 grant costs $670 for FY 2025–26. Late-2025 processing data from immi.gov.au shows roughly half of straightforward Irish applications decided within a day, and ninety percent inside three weeks.
§04Medicare for 417 holders
Ireland is one of eleven Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) countries. Irish citizens on a 417 do not need to enrol in Medicare, showing an Irish passport at a public hospital is sufficient to access medically necessary inpatient and outpatient treatment and PBS-subsidised prescriptions. RHCA does not cover GP visits in private practice, ambulance, dental, optometry, physiotherapy or elective treatment, so private insurance still makes sense for many.