Australia Lists 4 Countries Whose Citizens Must Now Enter Ballot to Get Work And Holiday Visas

• Australia's Department of Home Affairs confirmed that citizens of 4 countries must go through a ballot process to be considered for the Work and Holiday subclass 462 visa
• China, India, and Vietnam require eligible passport holders to participate in a pre-application ballot, while Indonesia's ballot registration date will soon be announced
• The annual visa grant caps for ballot countries range from 1,000 places for India to 5,000 each for China and Indonesia, with the ballot system leaving the caps unchanged

Australia's Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that citizens of four countries must enter a ballot to be considered for a Work and Holiday visa under the subclass 462 programme, as demand for the scheme continues to outpace available places.

According to the Department's Status of Country Caps page, last updated 12 October 2026, the ballot requirement now applies to four countries.

They include China, India and Vietnam plus newly added Indonesia, whose nationals cannot apply directly for a first Work and Holiday visa.

Read also

Australia lists 2 countries whose citizens are affected as it pauses visa issuance for subclass 462

Instead, they must first go through a pre-application ballot process in which applicants are selected at random.

How the Ballot System Works

The ballot does not replace the annual visa grant caps that apply to each country.

It functions as a filter before the formal application stage, meaning that even a successful ballot entry only gives an applicant the opportunity to submit a visa application.

China and Indonesia each have the highest caps at 5,000 places per programme year. Vietnam's cap stands at 1,500, while India's is set at 1,000.

For Indonesia, the process is still being finalised. The department noted that registrations for the Indonesian ballot are expected to open later in 2026, with the confirmed date to be published on the Working Holiday Maker programme's latest news page once it becomes available.

Application Cap Status for Other Countries

For the remaining partner countries in the programme, applications are governed by annual grant caps rather than a ballot.

As of the latest update, most countries have open applications, though Brazil and Mongolia are currently paused, with Brazil capped at 500 places and Mongolia at 100.

Read also

Thailand explains 4 requirements for foreigners to get a residence permit

Countries with the highest open caps include Argentina, Chile, and Spain at 3,400 places each, followed by Israel and Singapore at 2,500 each.

Australia speaks about assessing Medicare

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Australia published a list of 11 countries it holds Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with, covering medically necessary treatment during visits.

Citizens from the listed countries can receive emergency care and treatment for illnesses that cannot wait until they return home.

Source: Legit.ng