Rightyabe's Guide to a DIY Working Holiday Visa.

rightyabe

**NB: This is my experience, it may not be to everyones liking and I'm sure you will do some things different to me but I just thought I'd give something back to Boards.ie for all the help I got on this forum.



Ok like me you probably have heard all these great stories about the land down under, the promise of unlimited work and endless craic, the photos and boasting comments on facebook. You’ve probably Googled tens or hundreds of times how to get there, with more questions than answers appearing. Well don’t worry it’s not that hard, even a travel-fobe like me can do it. All this cost me about €1,000 and should leave me well set up when I land. I’m heading in August and I think I’m well prepared and I done it all by myself. My plan from the start is to head to Perth and look for construction work in Perth for a few months to earn a few dollars or to do my specific work somewhere in regional Western Australia so this is my experience of getting everything sorted. Of all the things I ordered online I never had any problems and would recommend these companies but obviously I have nothing to compare them against so I’m sure all companies are good.


The WHV.
First thing first is to get the visa sorted, my advice is to do it yourself. Companies like Visafirst and USIT offer visa package deals which are good but are way over priced. My first bit of advice is get it a few months before you plan to travel (you have 12 month to get your freckled ass to Australia from the day your visa is granted) as I learned the flights are cheapest if you book them at least 2 months before you travel, so get your visa first. Just go to www.immi.gov.au and fill in the application form online it only takes about 30 minutes but be careful and dot your i’s and cross your t’s if you know what I mean. It costs Aus$235 and mine was granted in 6 hours so check your e-mail and see. Also note if you’re planning on working with children while in Australia you will need a chest x-ray, This can only be done in the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin and another Hospital in Cork. It costs €144.

The Flights.
Next thing is the flights, use flight search engines like www.skyscanner.ie www.kayak.com www.lastminute.com these websites search all the travel companies and find 100’s of flights. I personally ended up booking through www.e-travel.ie which I found very easy. Things I watched out for when booking flights was the stopover times at the airports, too little time and you could miss your connecting flight, too much time and it could mean sitting around a airport for 12 hours. As I was on a tight budget a stopover in any place was not a option although If I had the money I probably would have spent a day or 2 in Singapore. I personally was on a tight budget and wanted to get to Australia as fast as possible. My flights cost €670 travelling Aer Lingus from Dublin-London Heathrow, London-Singapore on a Singapore Airlines A380-300 and then Singapore-Perth again with Singapore Airlines.

The Hostel.
If you’re lucky you might have mates who can pick you up at the airport when you land and give you a place to stay. If not then you’ll probably book a hostel for a few nights. Good places I found for reviews was www.lonleyplanet.com. For more reviews and for booking I used www.hostelbookers.com and www.hostelworld.com. All you pay is a 10% deposit with the remaining to be paid when you land. I booked the hostel for 4 days instead of a week or 2 just in case I didn’t like it. I booked a private double bed room with en-suite for €234.

The Travel Insurance.
If you read threads on here you will know that Ireland has a agreement with Australia for Medical arrangements, so some people argue its worthless getting backpacker insurance if you’re covered anyway. Me being me I thought I’d get some to cover my ass just in case Murphy’s Law appeared. Now I’m no expert but looking through the Terms & Conditions from my insurance which I got from www.backpackestravelinsurance.ie there seems to be a lot so they probably have a get out clause somewhere, but it’s better to have some insurance just in case. I was told to buy my insurance as soon as I booked my flights, but as it was 2 months until I flew I decided to buy it for 2 weeks before I flew out. Total cost was €130. Also check www.multitrip.com and www.getcover.ie

The Bank Account.
I chose to open a account with NAB, www.nab.com.au/movingtoaustralia there was no real reason apart from its free to open (which most are) and it can be done online and it comes with a Visa Debit card. A handy tool when choosing a bank was Google maps as you can zoom into the town or city your planning on moving to and check if there is a branch or ATM’s there. Some banks offer a free account but start charging you after a couple of months, so watch out. All I had to do was fill in the application and 2 days later a e-mail came with my account number, Sort Code, Swift Bic/Bank ID etc. Then 2 weeks before I’m due to land in Perth I have too e-mail them to arrange to meet with their Migration banker in a certain branch in Perth to verify my account and collect my card.

Tax File Number (TFN)
This is the only thing that required a Australian Address, so unless you have a address to stay at you cannot get it. Friends of mine who were getting one in the Tax office in Brisbane were told to complete the application online on the computers in the office. You can use your hostels address and the owners of the hostel will most likely post it on to you if you have got a permanent place to stay as it can take a few weeks to get your TFN. There is a company that will get one for you but they charge $55 to get it and e-mail it to you. There is no panic to get one as there is a grace period but it should be the first thing you get after you get to your hostel. Check out www.ato.gov.au/individuals

The Sim Card
I’m with Vodafone here in Ireland, so to unlock my phone all I had to do was log into My Vodafone account and request it to be unlocked. Once it was unlocked I can just buy any sim card in Australia for about $3 and use it. As for phone companies in Australia I believe Telestra have the best coverage in Western Australia and if you’re planning on heading out of the city I think you need to have a Telestra phone that’s Next G enabled, which gives you greater coverage. So you will probably have to buy a phone at some stage if you’re heading out of a city or town.

The White Card
As I was going to be working in construction I was required to have a White Card it’s the same as a Safe Pass in Ireland. This too can be done online for $90. I used www.bluedogtraining.co.au. Basically you register with them and do the course, you can save your progress and come back to it at any time, it took me about 90 minutes to complete. Once it’s finished you print of a Declaration form and sign it and get somebody else to sign it to say it was you who done the test. You then scan it and scan your Passport Bio page and attach them to a e-mail and send it to the company. The next day you should get a reply saying that you got your Card. They also post the card to Ireland. The card has no expiry date and it allows you to work in construction in Western Australia. Some jobs may require more tickets and other states have different cards etc.




The Cost
Working Holiday Visa --- € 171
One way flight to Perth --- € 670
10% Deposit for Hostel --- € 24
1 year Travel Insurance --- € 130
White Card --- € 65
Sim Card --- € 3
Bank Account --- Free
TFN --- Free

Total --- € 1, 063



Tips, Myths, Do’s and Don’ts.

· Stick to www.immi.gov.au for the facts.
· Research, Research, Research, Google is your best friend.
· Have a Visa Debit or a credit card they’re very handy for online transactions.
· Stay away from companies like Visafirst and USIT it’s VERY easy to DIY.
· There is a legal requirement to have $5,000 to enter Australia, and your chances of getting asked are slim to zero. Although going over without at least €2,500-3,000 is unadvisable.
· You do not have to have a return ticket.
· Don’t listen to your mates in the pub who tell you about these “new visa’s” and “there not letting anymore Irish over” stories.
· Specific work for your 2nd WHV is not limited to fruit picking and farm work, you can for example work in construction in regional Australia.
· All of South Australia and the Northern Territory is “Regional” including Adelaide & Darwin.
· A car could be a good idea if you can afford it as if your boss on a farm is treating you bad you can always head in your car and go whereas if you have no car he knows you’re stuck 100’s of miles from transport.
· You can fit approx 90 islands the size of Ireland into Australia.
· Use the search function on Boards to look up old threads that are still relevant, plenty of information from people who have been there and got the t-shirt.
· Don`t cheat to get your 2nd WHV, heard many pub stories about lads paying off farmers. I personally know 3 who tried and failed and are stuck in Ireland now.
· Jobs in “the mines” are well paid but its hard work with long hours and may look good from your computer in Ireland

hussey

Excellent post!

I have also added this to the FAQ sticky

ASOT

I wish you had of done this up about3 weeks ago Meh it cost me a little more but atleast im off in 6 days.

This will be VERY helpfull for people

Munster_Gal

Highly recommend applying for the visa direct as well. Mine was approved in 15 mins!!
Much better than paying a fortune for the privilege!

spunkymunky

Ha ha, funny, I applied myself while i was living in New Zealand. 2 weeks had passed and nothing. I contacted the imm dept, they said fill this bit in. I did, then nothing again!! when i got in touch the next time, 12 hours later I had it!
Sorted in the end but keep on it if you dont hear anything.
eh, probably didnt help that I applied on the 23rd December:p

I do like the Mantra of the OP. Do it yourself. This is the way. You dont need to pay tour companies or other third party companies to organize your trip. Get the lonely planit, speak to people in hostels, go to information centers, etc. Plan YOUR trip and not rely on someone elses. Its been done before and most certainly will be done again!!

greenline

Good post. Want to agree about the point about travel insurance- get it! You are entitled to emergency treatement free in a public hospital but it is really not clever to rely on that. I know too many people who did not have cover when they just got sick, or had big costs after leaving hospital (drugs, physio etc) which are NOT covered. (Plus- did you know you have to pay for an ambulance in this lucky land?!! Not cheap either.)

Get the insurance. You are a long way from home if things go pear shaped. (And it is a total cringe having to ask your mammy to bail you out at your age!)

spunkymunky

Oh, if you havnt been the dentist in a while do it before you head off. Quite expensive here, i know first hand :

GiftofGab

Everything you need you know right there folks

markymark21

Specific work for your 2nd WHV is not limited to fruit picking and farm work, you can for example work in construction in regional Australia.
· All of South Australia and the Northern Territory is “Regional” including Adelaide & Darwin.


Great post, thanks for taking the time to put all this up!

I'm interested in this point above however. You don't need to do farm work to get the 2nd WHV? Obviously it couldn't be as simple as getting any old job in the Northern territory to be eligible for a 2nd WHV... could it??

hussey

markymark21 wrote: »

Great post, thanks for taking the time to put all this up!

I'm interested in this point above however. You don't need to do farm work to get the 2nd WHV? Obviously it couldn't be as simple as getting any old job in the Northern territory to be eligible for a 2nd WHV... could it??

http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/eligibility-second.htm

Have a read - and no it's not that simple

patsy mulcaghy

great post! very well thought out and explained :pac:

markymark21

hussey wrote: »

http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/eligibility-second.htm

Have a read - and no it's not that simple

Ah I see!

Fair play to yourself and the other mods.. your like un-paid guidance Councilors

Misty Chaos

A few questions:

*I'm planning on heading over myself next April and was wondering how much should I bring over in cash to start off? I was thinking about 1000 Dollars in cash and the rest in traveler's cheques to be deposited into a bank account when I get there. Is this a sound plan?

*Without going to much detail - my work record is.... rather poor ( I mean I haven't had a job of any sort in quite some time owing to college and poor choices where I live. ) Now I'll be open to doing anything but will this hinder my ability to get a job in Australia owing to lack of references?

markymark21

Misty Chaos wrote: »

A few questions:

*I'm planning on heading over myself next April and was wondering how much should I bring over in cash to start off? I was thinking about 1000 Dollars in cash and the rest in traveler's cheques to be deposited into a bank account when I get there. Is this a sound plan?

*Without going to much detail - my work record is.... rather poor ( I mean I haven't had a job of any sort in quite some time owing to college and poor choices where I live. ) Now I'll be open to doing anything but will this hinder my ability to get a job in Australia owing to lack of references?

Why Carry cheques? With Internet banking you can transfer money from your Irish account into an Aussie account - even if you are still in ireland as it is possible to open an Aussie before you get there.

On the job front, i'm guessing Australia is like any where else in the world in regards to job hunting. Without experience, qualifications and references I'd imagine you would find it hard to find a job.

geminiii

Great post. Thanks a million. I think I will definitely DIY it.

duffman13

rightyabe wrote: »

· There is a legal requirement to have $5,000 to enter Australia, and your chances of getting asked are slim to zero. Although going over without at least €2,500-3,000 is unadvisable.
· You do not have to have a return ticket.

What are the odds of getting checked, im going with about $5000 to Oz and not booking a return flight however a friend of mine is telling me they regularly check this stuff.

hussey

duffman13 wrote: »

What are the odds of getting checked, im going with about $5000 to Oz and not booking a return flight however a friend of mine is telling me they regularly check this stuff.

rarely, but highly recommend you have at least $5k

flights not so much

Mellor

If you have $5000 and you get check you're fine. That's all you need.
You don't need a return flight, even if checked

SlamDunk

Question about having the $5K - Did you just print a bank statement of your Irish Bank Account?

OP have you used Currency fair to transfer money to an Aussie account? Have registered with them - just not sure about how it works?

Thanks a million for all the advice
I have my Visa - it actually was only a little more than yours through Visa First.

hussey

SlamDunk wrote: »

Question about having the $5K - Did you just print a bank statement of your Irish Bank Account?

OP have you used Currency fair to transfer money to an Aussie account? Have registered with them - just not sure about how it works?

Thanks a million for all the advice
I have my Visa - it actually was only a little more than yours through Visa First.

You can print off a statement, but they don't ask you unless you look very dodgy, or if you have access to internet banking you can use this to show them.

Also I would do a search for FOREX on boards - if visa first recommended currency fair chances are they are way more expensive

jackbhoy

hussey wrote:

Also I would do a search for FOREX on boards - if visa first recommended currency fair chances are they are way more expensive

I have a currencyfair account and find them pretty decent. I didn't have any involvement with visafirst though so no idea if they charge for setting it up, it should be free.

OP, it's pretty straightforward to use.
1. Transfer money from your Irish bank account to currency fair
2. Look up currency you want, choose best rate and amount you want.
3. Your cf fair account is then credited with this amount which you can transfer to your Aus account, again takes a day or two.

My only advice would be to keep an eye on rates over a week or so as sometimes you can get very good deal, if someone needs to exchange currency quickly they will offer better rate.

Ian Mac

Regarding the TFN , I have an address which I will be using on arrival in 3 weeks...

On application though it seems I can't do it till I arrive in the country it asks for an ABN or something similar.

Is this granted to me in Customs?? It's the only thing really I have left to sort out...

hussey

Nothing to do with customs, you can get a TFN outside, but takes a few days so maybe wait until you arrive (as are you really going to work with in a few days?)

ABN is a business number

Ian Mac

hussey wrote: »

Nothing to do with customs, you can get a TFN outside, but takes a few days so maybe wait until you arrive (as are you really going to work with in a few days?)

ABN is a business number

Could you direct me as to where I apply then. I be more than happy working straight away have a few job interviews lined up and that.

Appreciate the response.

Munster_Gal

Ian Mac wrote: »

Could you direct me as to where I apply then. I be more than happy working straight away have a few job interviews lined up and that.

Appreciate the response.

I second this - I'd like to have mine before I head over as well but everywhere I look says that you need to have an address is Oz and i'm hoping to start working pretty much straight away

mandrake04

Apply for your TFN here

https://iar.ato.gov.au/IARWeb/default.aspx?pid=4&sid=1&outcome=1

You have to be in Australia to apply


Or use this one for applications outside Australia


http://www.ato.gov.au/content/downloads/non_resident_tfn_application.pdf

Ian Mac

mandrake04 wrote: »

Apply for your TFN here

https://iar.ato.gov.au/IARWeb/default.aspx?pid=4&sid=1&outcome=1

You have to be in Australia to apply

So it still stands you can't apply for it out of Australia then...

Ian Mac

mandrake04 wrote: »

Apply for your TFN here

https://iar.ato.gov.au/IARWeb/default.aspx?pid=4&sid=1&outcome=1

You have to be in Australia to apply


Or use this one for applications outside Australia


http://www.ato.gov.au/content/downloads/non_resident_tfn_application.pdf

Has nothing to do with temporary visitors on a WHV...


So the final answer is , it can't be done until you arrive. :rolleyes:


Thanks anyway

mandrake04

Ian Mac wrote: »

Has nothing to do with temporary visitors on a WHV...


So the final answer is , it can't be done until you arrive. :rolleyes:


Thanks anyway

Thats it

Munster_Gal

mandrake04 wrote: »

Thats it

Booooo to that!

hussey

Guys believe me YOU DO NOT WANT TO WORK STRAIGHT AWAY. I know you are all very keen and say I want to hit the ground running, but nothing will prepare you for 24hr jet lag. You're body clock will be screwed up, you will be tired at 2pm and wide awake at 5am.

You'll want to give yourself some time to recover

miajen

defo doing it this way, fair play excellent post::)

jimthemental

In Melbourne since Friday and I should have work by the end of the week. This thread has been a massive help. Thanks a million!

smartietube

Hello all! I applied for the visa and got an email saying I was accepted just a few hours later.
I just wanted to know what I will actually need when I arrive in Australia. Is it just the visa grant number i need, or do I need other stuff like garda clearance, proof of funds, and that type of thing?

HiGlo

Wow, fantastic thread....!
As someone who has done this already I can see how useful and clear the information is. I did my similarily as I did it all myself - well, we did it - I travelled with 3 others. (we all have a strong travel business background!)

It's great to be organised and have everything sorted before you go but I wouldn't stress too much about it as things seem to happen quicker in Oz. We allowed ourselves about a week or two in Sydney before we started travelling and used that time to get our admin stuff sorted, TFN, bank accounts, sim cards etc... It was all very quick and easy.


I'm so jealous!! I'd give my right arm to do it all again.....!!


Actually, another thing I'd advise taking the "do it yourself" route on, is claiming your tax back after you've worked in Oz. Pretty much everyone I was there with went through an agency or accountant and, of course, they take usually about 10% of whatever you get back. An accountant friend of mine, totally bemused, said to me, "why don't you just do it yourself??"..... So I did. It was pretty easy and didn't take too long. Just go onto the ATO website and download the form. I got back just over €4.5k in tax so that's €450 better off in my pocket than someone elses...... Oh, and one VITAL piece of advise, when filling in the from you need to declare that you are "resident for tax purposes". Otherwise you'll get crap all money! ha

markymark21

smartietube wrote: »

Hello all! I applied for the visa and got an email saying I was accepted just a few hours later.
I just wanted to know what I will actually need when I arrive in Australia. Is it just the visa grant number i need, or do I need other stuff like garda clearance, proof of funds, and that type of thing?

All you need is your passport. Although I will be having a print out of the confirmation e-mail just for safety sake! In regards to the proof of funds they say that 5K is required but in reality they rarely check i'm told.

jimthemental

markymark21 wrote: »

All you need is your passport. Although I will be having a print out of the confirmation e-mail just for safety sake! In regards to the proof of funds they say that 5K is required but in reality they rarely check i'm told.

Most employers ask to see that visa confirmation so I'd advise everyone to print it and have it handy.

smartietube

Thanks guys. I just can't believe how easy and painless that was.
I recently applied for the canadian visa aswell and you wouldn't believe how much more hassle that was!

fizzlefozzle

Take a bubble bath before you leave, cut your hair, look respectable, have all the **** with you you plan to get asked for before you leave.

They never checked me, but I was ****ting it going through the Australian border control, I used to watch that film on sky tv ... Border Security or something, where they kick everyone's ass going through.

I landed in the evening, you need to fill out a border control pass, so you need the flight number you just arrived in on (You think it's obvious, but I lost my 'ticket slip' so I hadn't a clue -- so make sure when you in on the last leg of the flight, to store the slip away, because you need to fill that out). Theres other **** you need to fill out, like where you are staying, and contact address, and phone number.

I remember helping a couple of asians trying to fill it out too, obviously they couldn't speak the language.

I remember queuing up, with my backpack, into this massive queue, and one of the border police goes 'You can go out this way' like a side way OUT, and I was like 'Are you sure? You mean I can go?' and they were like 'Yeah, Enjoy Australia mate'.

So, once you are past border control, basically, THATS IT.


Oh, from what I remember:

You need the flight you came on, or the aeroplane.
You need how much money you have in your bank.
You need your visa.
Your passport.
The hotel you are staying at first (make sure to bring even a hostel address with ya)

Forget what else, you need!


On the way OUT of Australia, I looked dodgy and dirty, i basically got targeted for a full strip search by the explosive squad.

josephanthony

Great post man, will be heading off next month and will definitly be using this post as a reference:D

Hue.G rection

Wow, this was so helpful!! You are a star! I only decided on going to oz for definite today and have spent hours researching, his has given me the most helpful information!

One question tho....None of my friends are interested in going and I think i'll bite the bullet and go on my own! I don't really feel like waiting around for them to change their minds and i'm planning on going next summer!

Is this idea wise, or should I at least find someone to travel over with??

Thanks a million

josephanthony

Hue.G rection wrote: »

Wow, this was so helpful!! You are a star! I only decided on going to oz for definite today and have spent hours researching, his has given me the most helpful information!

One question tho....None of my friends are interested in going and I think i'll bite the bullet and go on my own! I don't really feel like waiting around for them to change their minds and i'm planning on going next summer!

Is this idea wise, or should I at least find someone to travel over with??

Thanks a million

I havent gone traveling myself but i do know alot of people that have gone by themselves and they loved the experience. The thing about traveling is that everybody is there for the same reason. When i went to NZ I went traveling with my girlfriend, at the start it felt weird because you were in a different country with no contacts and not knowing where to start. So we went straight to the pubs and you know how us Irish people love the pubs lol. Long story short we left NZ leaving so many friends that it was the best experience of my life. Given that it was NZ and the prefered choice is OZ. I would just go for it and i would say you will love it.

seachto7

Just a quick one on when you land, and you feel like hooking up with some mates and going on the beer.
I arrived out end of January/start of Feb this year for a wedding, and flew straight to Sydney from Ireland where it was about 7 degrees when I left.
There was a heatwave in Sydney when I landed, and I bought a bottle of Kahlua, went straight to my cousins apartment in Ranwick, he came back, went on the beer, polished off the bottle of Kahlua between us, had a late night in town, got absolutely trolleyed drunk, and spent the entire next day puking, trying to cope with the heat, and falling in and out of sleep. DON'T DO IT!!!!

Mellor

HiGlo wrote: »

Pretty much everyone I was there with went through an agency or accountant and, of course, they take usually about 10% of whatever you get back. An accountant friend of mine, totally bemused, said to me, "why don't you just do it yourself??"..... So I did. It was pretty easy and didn't take too long. Just go onto the ATO website and download the form. I got back just over €4.5k in tax so that's €450 better off in my pocket than someone elses......

That's not true. No agent takes their fee as a % of what you get back.
It costs about $100, if you have a simple return and the amount isn't massive then its not worth it. If you have a more complicated one then it can be worth it. I've used a tax agent (even though I was well able to manage it myself) and he defo got me more than $100 extra back with extra he was able to claim.

seachto7 wrote: »

Just a quick one on when you land, and you feel like hooking up with some mates and going on the beer.
I arrived out end of January/start of Feb this year for a wedding, and flew straight to Sydney from Ireland where it was about 7 degrees when I left.
There was a heatwave in Sydney when I landed, and I bought a bottle of Kahlua, went straight to my cousins apartment in Ranwick, he came back, went on the beer, polished off the bottle of Kahlua between us, had a late night in town, got absolutely trolleyed drunk, and spent the entire next day puking, trying to cope with the heat, and falling in and out of sleep. DON'T DO IT!!!!

What has your hangover got to do with the heat or the first day?
You just needed to get better at drinking, the heat is coming soon, i'm sure you'll be fien after a year of training :D:D:D

hussey

Mellor wrote: »

That's not true. No agent takes their fee as a % of what you get back.
It costs about $100, if you have a simple return and the amount isn't massive then its not worth it. If you have a more complicated one then it can be worth it. I've used a tax agent (even though I was well able to manage it myself) and he defo got me more than $100 extra back with extra he was able to claim.

Mellor you should have said "No decent agent takes their fee as a %" a few of the backpacker agents like taxback.com etc take a % rather than a fee

Mellor

I wouldn't consider taxback.com to be agents tbh.
They are running a scam nothing more really.

Theresalwaysone

Agree with Mellor. The tax agents cant actually get it back any faster than you could by doing it yourself. You might save time on error correction, but by and large backpacker tax returns are pretty straightforward and the likelihood of you making a mistake does not warrant paying a % or flat fee of any kind for it.

acceptable80s

excellent post thanks a million for all the info! I'm trying to decide between going to Australia or to New Zealand, either one I'll be using this post as a guide, thanks again

aisling.pw

Thanks a mill, this was very helpful! Planning to go to australia in January, do you know if it is just as easy to apply for a skilled migration visa by yourself, i know there is a lot more involved

Ladjacket

great thread - thanks for the helpful info.

Flying on 20th Sept - visa got, flights booked, bank account details being sent to me tomorrow (with Commonwealth bank), Sim card sorted just needs to be picked up, staying with brother and his family in Perth for a few weeks.

My only slight issue is that I am on medication for Crohns disease and am gonna see if i can take a years supply of tablets with me - if I had a copy of prescription, this would be ok wouldnt it?

markymark21

Theresalwaysone wrote: »

Agree with Mellor. The tax agents cant actually get it back any faster than you could by doing it yourself. You might save time on error correction, but by and large backpacker tax returns are pretty straightforward and the likelihood of you making a mistake does not warrant paying a % or flat fee of any kind for it.

Yeh but in fairness everything is easy and straight forward when you know how to do it, and how many times have be seen people posting when they get their return messed up because they got confused with the resident for tax purpose thing or medicare exception.. or even when some how they end up owing the revenue money!?

If your here on a WHV I'd go with an agent. Your only here for one or two years and It means one less thing to worry about.