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Working Holiday Maker is one option for you. You may use it once in your life. When it is issued, you can stay for up to two years (make sure you get a multiple-entry version .. I'm not sure if it is automatically multiple-entry).
Off the top of my head, I seem to remember that you can work for approximately 50% of your stay, so something like 6 months in the first year, six months in the second year. I may not remember that exactly correct ... as Admin here I'm a tech person, not an immigration expert.
There are limits to how long you can work for one employer ... again, I think it's six months, then you need to switch to a different one (employer ... you keep the same visa but are allowed a range of activities until it expires).
You may also be a student part of the time .. I think its three months at a shot.
Usually the Working Holiday Maker is for manual unskilled or semi-skilled work. However, if you have a tech degree and someone wishes to hire you, nothing (that I know of) will prevent that .. other than the total time limit for any one employer.
Remember, you can do this once in your life, so plan it out and use it well.
There is an exchange quota .. so a Working Holiday Maker might not be immediately available. Find out what the status of the quota is and if it's been filled ... you might have to plan on waiting a few months or a year to apply.
So, keeping that in mind, you also have the option of a subclass 676 multiple-entry visa :
http://workpermit.com/news/2006_12_21/a ... 6-visa.htm
You can apply for this electronically on-line for free; visa agencies and airlines will charge you for them to logon to the internet and register for you. As a Brit, you can do it yourself and get nearly instant approval.
Get the two-year, multiple entry version ... and, specifically, try to get the business class version (Business Short Stay) that will allow you to operate as an "independent consultant" if you can demonstrate some connection to an international business.
This will allow you to do
some limited work (IT consulting, register your own business as an unlimited firm in the UK, for example, and represent yourself).
HOWEVER ....
working under that visa is strictly regulated, so GREAT CARE should be taken not to violate the terms of that visa. You can get banned for five years quite easily.
LOOK INTO THAT CAREFULLY! I have by no means detailed all you need to know to do this ... I don't know all you need to know. I'm just pointing you in a direction.
Later, maybe next year or two years from now, you can plan out and make optimal use of the Working Holiday Maker.
These have different requirements to demonstrate your means of supporting yourself, where you will reside, and what your insurance costs as a traveler will be. You need to investigate each of these.
You can show bank account statements for the amount of money you have, even if your parents or friends temporarily park money in the account for a month or two that you will never use.
Your girlfriend can provide a document of permission for residence.
You can buy fairly cheap travelers insurance for one year at a go that will cover you for catastrophic events & emergency repatriation funds. Different policy for Australia-only or if you will travel to nearby regions.
I bought a policy for one year to stay in one country for 65 euro's, which fulfilled my requirements to obtain a residency visa. It would have been approximately 150 euro's to be able to travel within the EU. Australia might be a bit different, but it shouldn't be by much.
This should get you a start.
If I was developing a strategy to go down under, I'd go with the 676 and get in country. I'd use my initial time in the country (four or six months or so) to investigate clearly my possibilities, then consider switching to another visa .. possibly even having searched for and secured a job and a 457 work permit visa by then.
http://workpermit.com/australia/skilled.htm
Once you're in-country, you have vast access to information and people to work out a larger strategy based upon what you'd like to accomplish.
Google is your friend ....
And, of course, workpermit.com offers immigration and visa advice for a fee.
The Admin
