It has been over a year since the department of immigration signed an MOU to include Greece in the work and holiday visa (SC462) program. However, the implementation of the program has stalled for some unkown reason.

DIBP is clearly having some issues with some countries in finalising the work and holiday program. A note on the DIBP website states as follows: “The Work and Holiday arrangement with…Vietnam, Israel, Greece and Papua New Guinea will not come in to effect until start dates have been agreed.”

It’s been over a year since Australia and Greece signed an MOU to allow 500 visas to be made available under the sc462 work and holiday visa programme.  Under the program young people aged 18 to 30 from Greece would be eligible to apply for the sc462 visa with similar arrangements for young Australian to work in Greece.

DIBP has provided no explanation for the delay in the implementation of the program which normaly takes about 6 months from the signing of the MOU to come into effect.

Perhaps the estimated A$480 billion Greek debt has got something to do with it. Things are so bad in Greece that some media reports state the people cannot withdraw more than 300Euros a day from Greek banks to prevent a run on the banks. Furthermore, it would seem unlikely that the Greek public would accept any government move to allow foreigners – even if its just 500 – to come work in a struggling economy.

Australia has a different view. On average, it is estimated that each person on the program spends A$13,218 during their stay in Australia. Approximately 71 per cent of this expenditure occurs in the three interrelated areas of tourism, accommodation and transportation.

Former immigration minister Scott Morrison noted that visa holders under the program generally tend to spend more than they earn, making a small but important contribution to the creation of Australian jobs. He estimated that for every 100 Working Holiday Makers who arrive in Australia there is a net gain to the Australian economy of 6.3 full time jobs. This means that the 258,000 arrivals under the program in the last financial year generated more than 16,000 additional Australian jobs.

He however warned that the Working Holiday Maker program is not a proxy pathway to a labour visa. He said, “The employment movement requirements are one of the most important provisions of the scheme and if this aspect of the program were removed, the tourism industry would lose one of its most important visa assets. No one benefits from a young traveller spending two years in Sydney working in a kitchen.”