Work and Holiday visa 462: eligibility, ballots and later visas

Passport, age, education and English

The first Work and Holiday visa is for eligible passport holders aged 18–30 inclusive. It allows an extended holiday of up to 12 months and work to help fund the stay. The passport list differs from subclass 417. Education requirements, functional English evidence and any government support letter must be checked against the arrangement for your passport.

Read the first-visa eligibility page with your passport country in mind. A qualification or language test accepted for a friend’s application is not necessarily the evidence requested in yours. Keep evidence and translations organised before completing ImmiAccount.

Sources: Home Affairs · first Work and Holiday visa 462

China, India and Vietnam: the ballot comes first

Passport holders from China, India and Vietnam must be selected through the pre-application ballot to apply for a first subclass 462 visa. Selection is not a visa grant: the normal eligibility requirements must still be met. Do not pay a recruiter who promises a guaranteed selection.

Sources: Home Affairs · first Work and Holiday visa 462 · Home Affairs · 2026 Working Holiday Maker updates

Country caps and current programme updates

Some first-visa arrangements have annual country caps. Open, paused and closed status can change during the programme year: check the live Home Affairs country-cap page immediately before applying. An eligible passport does not mean lodgement is always available.

Two confirmed 2026 updates are relevant: Uruguay’s annual first-462 allocation increased to 1,500 from 1 July, and Luxembourg applicants no longer need a government Letter of Support from 3 June. These changes do not remove other visa criteria or change the requirements for other passports.

Sources: Home Affairs · current subclass 462 country-cap status · Home Affairs · 2026 Working Holiday Maker updates

Prepare your own application and travel plan

Use ImmiAccount, the official checklist and the Visa Pricing Estimator. Check the application location requirements, passport validity, health and character requests, funds and the evidence needed for English and education. Do not make travel commitments until you have the written visa decision.

Save your grant notice and check your work conditions before joining an employer. The six-month employer rule has official exemptions, including specified critical sectors; an exemption from that condition does not automatically make the role eligible for later-visa specified work.

Sources: Home Affairs · first Work and Holiday visa 462 · Home Affairs · six-month employer limitation and exemptions

Second and third 462 visas

A second visa generally requires three months of specified subclass 462 work; a third generally requires six months. Use the 462 industry and location list. Plant and animal cultivation is eligible in northern Australia and the other specified regional areas; tourism and hospitality have their own approved location rules. Do not copy the broader 417 industry list.

Keep the employer name, ABN, worksite postcode, actual duties, dates, hours and payment records. Read the counting guide before relying on a roster or an employer’s “88 days” claim.

Sources: Home Affairs · specified work for subclass 462

Common questions

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