If you’re hoping to travel and work in Australia on a Working Holiday Maker visa, there have been some important changes to the program.
Australia has temporarily paused applications for the Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa for passport holders from a number of partner countries, amid strong demand for places.
Here’s what prospective applicants need to know.
What is the Work and Holiday visa?
Australia’s Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program allows eligible young adults from partner countries to spend an extended holiday in Australia while undertaking short-term work and study.
There are two visa subclasses within the program: the Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa and the Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa.
Unlike the subclass 417 stream, first subclass 462 visas are subject to annual caps for many participating countries. There are no country caps for second or third Work and Holiday visas.
Which applications have been paused?
When the pause was first reported by ABC News on 18 August, applications from 24 countries were affected, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain and Thailand.
However, the status of individual countries can change, so it’s important not to rely on an older list.
The Department of Home Affairs explains that a country’s cap can move between open, paused and closed during the program year. A pause can be introduced to manage application numbers and processing, or when a country is getting close to its annual visa cap.
China, India and Vietnam use a separate ballot process, while first applications from Indonesian passport holders will also move to a ballot, with registrations expected to open later in 2026.
Does ‘paused’ mean applications are closed for the year?
Not necessarily.
A paused status is temporary, and Home Affairs may reopen applications later in the same program year. This is different from a closed status, which means all available places for that country have been filled for the program year.
If your country is currently paused, you won’t be able to lodge a new application until applications reopen.
What should you do if you want to apply?
The most important thing is to check the official status before making plans.
Home Affairs advises prospective applicants to regularly monitor its country caps page, as paused applications may reopen. It also notes that updates can take up to 48 hours to appear online.
Check the latest Work and Holiday visa country cap status on the Department of Home Affairs website
If you’re planning to travel to Australia, avoid making non-refundable arrangements until you have confirmed your visa status.
