My 21 year old nephew got a working visa for Australia in Feb this year. He has a Canadian passport. He went down from Feb-June and is going back again on Sept. 18. This time, however, he has only bought a one way ticket. He has a place to stay and about $2000 plus a credit card. And, of course, a work permit valid until Feb, 2016.

Will he be denied entry without a return ticket to Canada? He is staying with me in HNL for 2 days prior to his flight HNL-SYD. Any chance he will be denied boarding at HNL without a return ticket and/or be refused entry when he arrives in AU and sent back to HNL? If so, I will make him buy a ticket as I don't want to be responsible for him (and don't want him staying with me any longer, lol). If he'll be ok without it, he'd rather wait to buy his return as he doesn't know where he'll be flying home from in AU yet. So, how tough is AU Immigration about having a return ticket on a work visa?

I'm not sure that the issue is so much Australian immigration as airline staff. They mayn't let him board just out of habit, even if he's waving a dozen work visas in their faces.

In these sorts of situations, what I usually do is buy a fully refundable return ticket. While they're not necessarily cheap, you can always get all your money back as long as you pick the right one and read the fine print.

http://uk.embassy.gov.au/lhlh/immi_travel.html

Thanks for that link. While I doubt that $2000 plus a credit card with a roughly $1200 credit limit is enough to keep him for 6 months, he will be working (at the same job he did earlier in the year). I guess it all depends on what they consider sufficient funds to buy a ticket home, as well as supporting himself while he is there. I am more concerrned about denied boarding at this point as this will make him my problem (my brother lives in Canada). He is flying Jetstar, whom I have no knowledge/experience with. Anyone know how tough they are on having a return ticket travelling to AU? He is resisting both his mothers and my advice to buy a refundable ticket as he doesn't want to tie up his credit card. Yeah, I know, but he is 21!

The problem will be with immigration not the airline. Once he shows the airline a valid visa they are covered and they can carry him. If he is kicked out later on, it is not the airlines problem.

What do his visa conditions state? Do they mention a return ticket? For a working holiday there is no requirement for a return ticket. There is for simple tourist visas.

It is for a working holiday and the visa is valid until Feb. 2016. No mention of a return ticket requirement, just either a return ticket or sufficient funds to purchase one. But we all know what is written and what is done in practice are not always the same. It is up to the officer he is standing in front of. That's why I was hoping for some anecdotal advice.

I think thats why it would be a bad idea to spend money on a return ticket. From what I understand about this particular visa, immigration will care more about how much money he has upon entry.

But like you have already stated, on a message board we can only give "anecdotal" evidence. In other words somewhat informed opinions. (Or worse case scenario very uninformed.) It would be best for your nephew to contact the Australian embassy or consulate to find out if he is going to have problems getting in. They would be able to provide the most informed answer.

I also disagree with the assessment of "...what is written and what is done in practice are not always the same." This statement applies to TSA officers. However in practice I have not found this to be the case with Immigration Officers in the various countries I have visited. It comes down to your nephew complying with the requirements for entry or not.