Visa Options To Stay In Australia Longer (2026 Guide For Irish)

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We all know someone who came to Australia on a working holiday visa for a year and is still here twelve years later. This is how they did it. Below are the realistic ways an Irish person can stay in Australia longer in 2026, what each one costs, and who it suits.

Visa rules change every July and the fees went up again on 1 July 2026, so treat this as your map, not your application. Everything here was checked against the Department of Home Affairs in September 2026.

Option 1: Second and third Working Holiday visa (417)

Best for: anyone under 36 who is happy to do three months of regional work.

The simplest route. Do 88 days (3 months) of specified work on your first visa and you can apply for a second year. Do 179 days (6 months) of specified work on your second visa and you can apply for a third. Irish passport holders can apply up to age 35. You must be under the limit on the day you lodge.

• Cost: AUD 1,000 for the second or third visa (up from AUD 670 on 1 July 2026).
• New: from the September 2026 changes, finishing your days gets you into a ballot rather than a guaranteed visa (45,000 second-year and 5,000 third-year places a year). Details here.
• What counts: farm work, fishing, forestry, mining and construction in regional postcodes. Since 2021, tourism and hospitality also count, but only in Northern Australia or remote and very remote areas. Bushfire and flood recovery work counts too.
• The six-month rule: you can still only work six months with any one employer unless an exemption applies, and breaking it can hurt future applications.
• UK passport holders no longer need to do specified work at all. Irish passports do not get that exemption, so if you hold both, apply on the British one.

Read the full regional work guide before you sign up to a farm.

Option 2: Student visa (500)

Best for: people who want to retrain or need time to line up a sponsor.

A student visa lets you stay for the length of your course and work 48 hours a fortnight during term and unlimited hours in the holidays. Courses range from a certificate in a trade to a full degree. You need a confirmation of enrolment, proof you can support yourself and a genuine reason to study.

• Cost: AUD 2,500 for the visa alone from 1 July 2026, plus course fees and health cover. It is the most expensive student visa in the world, so do the sums first.
• You can apply from inside Australia and stay on a bridging visa while it processes.
• A qualification here can be the stepping stone to a sponsored or skilled visa later.

Our partner Study Destination offers Irish Around Oz readers a free consultation on courses and the visa. Also see 6 ways to stay when your student visa ends.

Option 3: Employer sponsorship: Skills in Demand visa (482)

Best for: anyone with a job offer in a skilled occupation and at least a year of experience.

The 482 was overhauled in December 2024 and is now called the Skills in Demand visa. It replaced the old TSS and 457 visas. Your employer nominates you, your occupation has to be on the Core Skills list, and you need at least 12 months of relevant experience.

• Salary floor: AUD 79,423 for the Core Skills stream from 1 July 2026 (the Specialist Skills stream starts at a much higher salary).
• Granted for up to four years, partner and children can be included, and you get 180 days to find a new sponsor if you lose your job, up from 60 under the old rules.
• After two years with your employer you can be nominated for permanent residency under the 186 Employer Nomination Scheme.
• Self-sponsorship through your own company is still technically possible but much harder than it was. Get advice before you set up a business for this purpose.

Trades are in serious demand. If you are a sparky, plumber, carpenter, nurse, teacher or in IT, sponsorship is realistic. Check the Irish Around Oz job board, where many of the employers already sponsor.

Option 4: Skilled migration: 189, 190 and 491 visas

Best for: skilled workers under 45 who can score 65+ points.

These are points-tested permanent (189, 190) or regional provisional (491) visas that do not need an employer. Points come from age, English, qualifications, work experience and state or regional nomination.

• You need a positive skills assessment in your occupation, then you lodge an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect and wait to be invited.
• 65 points is the minimum to be eligible, but invitations for popular occupations often go to people with far more, so state nomination (190) or the regional 491 is the practical route for many Irish applicants.
• The 491 is a five-year regional visa that leads to permanent residency after three years of living and working regionally.
• Permanent residency gives your partner full work rights and means citizenship is possible after four years in Australia.

This is the route where a good migration agent pays for themselves. The paperwork is heavy and one wrong skills assessment can cost you a year.

Option 5: Partner visa (820 and 801)

Best for: anyone in a genuine relationship with an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealander.

If you have an Australian partner you can apply onshore for the temporary 820 visa, which becomes the permanent 801 roughly two years later. You need to show the relationship is genuine and ongoing, usually 12 months living together or a registered relationship in your state.

• Cost: AUD 11,710 from 1 July 2026. Yes, really. Budget for it.
• You stay on a bridging visa with work rights while it processes, and processing is currently well over a year.
• You do not need to be married. De facto couples qualify, and registering your relationship can shorten the evidence period.

Before you rush the wedding or the baby, read 10 Australian partner visa myths.

Option 6: Training visa (407)

Best for: people who can get an employer to run a structured training programme.

The 407 lets you work for an Australian employer while receiving on-the-job training for six months to two years. The employer must nominate you and provide a structured training plan, and you usually need 12 months of study or work in the occupation in the last two years. It is niche, but it works well for trades and hospitality.

What about a bridging visa?

Whenever you apply for a new visa from inside Australia before your current one expires, you are granted a bridging visa that keeps you legal until the decision. Most carry the same work rights as the visa you are leaving, but not all, so check yours. Read getting a job on a bridging visa for the lived experience.

Which option is right for you?

• Under 36 and flexible: second and third working holiday visa. Cheapest and fastest.
• Skilled trade or profession with a job offer: Skills in Demand 482, then 186 for permanency.
• Skilled, no employer yet: skilled migration, most likely 190 or 491.
• Australian partner: partner visa, and start gathering evidence now.
• Need time and a qualification: student visa, with a plan for what comes after.

Whatever route you take, do not leave it to the last month of your visa. Processing times are long and a refused or late application is far harder to fix than a well-prepared one.

Sources: Department of Home Affairs visa pages for the Working Holiday (417), Student (500), Skills in Demand (482), Skilled (189/190/491) and Partner (820/801) visas, checked September 2026. Fees quoted are the base application charge for the main applicant.

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