Malaysia is in the planning to explore the feasibility of forming a working holiday visa program with Australia.

A discussion will take place between the countries’ Prime Ministers, Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Kevin Rudd, during the latter’s visit to Malaysia this week.

The implementation of the scheme will encourage more interaction between people from the two countries.

A working holiday visa is a travel permit that allows foreign visitors to take up job or employment in the country they visited, usually on short term to immediate term basis. Through the arrangement, a traveler can go for holiday and take up job without having to go through the normal work permit process and immigration procedures.

Such visa can be offered after a bilateral agreement is reached between a country and its counterparts. Normally, it is offered to visitors that meet certain criteria such as age range (e.g. 18 to 30 years old), number of people traveling along, total fund available and health requirement.

Currently, a number of countries are participating in the working holiday scheme, which include Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan and Canada.

Malaysia and Australia has not been enjoying the best of relationship in the recent years, notably after the spats between the two former Prime Ministers Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and John Howard, and is looking for effort to improve the tie.