What changed
Passport holders from China, India and Vietnam must register in a ballot, and be randomly selected, before they can apply for a first 462 visa. Registration costs AUD25. Registrations for the 2026-27 program year closed on 25 June 2026, selections are made through the year, and all registrations expire on 30 April 2027. Home Affairs has also announced a ballot for Indonesian passport holders applying for a first 462 visa, with registrations expected to open later in 2026.
Second and third Working Holiday Maker visas are not balloted. Applicants need at least three months (88 days) of specified work for a second visa and six months (179 days) for a third. Specified work means set industries in eligible areas, such as plant and animal cultivation, construction, fishing, and tourism and hospitality in northern or remote Australia. The eligible industries and areas are narrower for 462 holders than for 417 holders. UK passport holders applying on or after 1 July 2024 do not need specified work for a second or third 417 visa.
From 1 July 2026, the 417 age limit rose to 35 for passport holders from Cyprus, Finland, Germany and the Republic of Korea, and Uruguay's cap for first 462 visas rose to 1,500. Home Affairs is normalising processing for most WHM applications, with an average expected time of around three months. Separately, the Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES) runs its own ballot for Indian graduates, but it is a subclass 403 visa, not a working holiday visa.
Who it affects
- Farms, construction firms, fishing operators and tourism businesses in regional, northern and remote areas that rely on working holiday makers completing specified work.
- Any business engaging working holiday makers, who are generally limited to six months with one employer under visa condition 8547 unless an exemption or permission applies.
- Employers hoping to engage young workers from China, India, Vietnam and, soon, Indonesia, who can only come on a first 462 visa after being selected in a ballot.
What to do
- Check each worker's visa and conditions in VEVO before they start.
- Track each worker's time with your business against the six month limit and check whether an exemption or permission applies.
- If you offer specified work, check your industry and postcode are eligible for the worker's visa subclass, and pay correctly under the relevant award.
- Do not lock in start dates for a worker whose visa has not been granted, given average processing of around three months.
- Where you want to keep a worker longer term, ask whether an employer sponsored visa such as the Skills in Demand 482 fits.
How Accelerate handles it
Accelerate's immigration team helps employers assess sponsored options, such as the Skills in Demand 482 visa, for workers they want to keep beyond a working holiday, including through Accelerate's On-Hire Labour Agreement. To look at the options for your team, talk to a workforce specialist.
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