Australia Implements Ballot for Work and Holiday Visas

Australia's Department of Home Affairs has announced that citizens from China, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia must now enter a ballot to be considered for a Work and Holiday visa under the subclass 462 programme. This change is due to demand exceeding the available places.

As of 12 October 2026, the ballot system requires applicants to be selected at random before they can submit a formal visa application. China and Indonesia have the highest caps at 5,000 places each per programme year, while Vietnam's cap is 1,500 and India's is 1,000.

The registration process for the Indonesian ballot is still being finalized, with an expected opening later in 2026. The Department noted that this ballot does not replace the annual visa grant caps for each country.

Most partner countries in the programme have open applications, although Brazil and Mongolia are currently paused, with Brazil capped at 500 places and Mongolia at 100.