Farm work without working holiday visa

Hi there,

I am after some guidance/information/past experience about working on a farm in Australia without a working holiday visa.

Obviously with me being an English citizen I can qualify for a working holiday visa however I have a girlfriend who is a Fijian citizen therefore she cannot apply for this visa. With us having different passports it is hard to find work in the same country working legally and making a decent wage and as a result of this makes it very hard for us to live together without the worry of returning to one of our home countries! We have opted to try Australia as we like the life style, the country, the warm weather and hoping to find work within a farm to see us over for a few months until we can return to England when we can apply for the correct partnership visa.

The question I am asking is if anybody has any knowledge/experience about working on a farm 'under the radar' so to speak, getting paid less or cash in hand work without having a working holiday visa. I have browsed the internet trying to answer my question and some what failed to get an appropriate answer. I don't expect anybody to give farm details such as names or locations as obviously it is frowned upon in Australia to do this but any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

You area asking how to break the law, which is not allowed on thorntree. There are also many other reasons why your plan is stupid. If she gets caught that could mean a ban from Australia.

Go through the right processes. This may mnean some time apart but you'll cope. The rules apply to you like everyone else.

You won't like this reply but that doesn't alter the facts.

China chinese people tend to cover their own country persons, if they would want to do that.
Many raids have been shown on Aussie tv of a certain tv show, and all the people that get nabbed are the China chinese.
Its people they can push around that get those "jobs".
She can wwoof though, no payments of any kind allowed.
By working for $, its already an illegal act.
The walls have ears, we have a dobber hotline.
And its very recenlty on Aussie tv too, they showed a call centre where people can dob in others.

It's not something I know much about but I believe that Fiji and other pacific nations have access to seasonal work visas for fruit picking etc.. It would probably be sponsored and work place specific (maybe not?) and then you would have to find work nearby. Plenty of people get cash jobs, though not everyone succeeds and yes some get caught. There is widespread exploitation and underpayment in the vegetable packing and chicken processing industries, usually targeting east Asians with low language skills. You may get work for yourself with an employer who is sympathetic to your situation.

So you want the good people on the TTF to help your girlfriend to break the law?

Australia is very hard on people working illegally and she would probably be deported even if she could find any work.

To even enter Australia on a tourist visa she would have to satisfy immigration that she has enough money to last for the length of time she wants to be there and often a return ticket or an onward ticket. A British tourist gets three months on a holiday visa, I don't know what she would be entitled to.

You cannot enter Australia on a WHV with a dependent, so as a couple, you would have to apply for immigration which (a) costs a lot and (b) you have to have a considerable sum of money in the bank and (c) satisfy them that you are a legitimate couple.

Stay in the UK and start saving, your plans are not workable.

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