Australia Lists 23 Countries Whose Citizens Qualify for Work and Holiday Visas

• Australia's Department of Home Affairs confirmed that 23 countries currently have open application caps under the Work and Holiday subclass 462 visa programme
• The programme runs on an annual cycle, with the current year's applications having opened on July 2, and some countries already paused due to high demand
• Allocated places per country range from as few as 100 to as many as 3,400, with caps subject to change at any point during the programme year

Australia's Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that citizens from 23 countries currently have active applications open under the Work and Holiday visa, subclass 462, as of its most recent update on 12 October 2026.

The programme follows a fixed annual cycle, with applications opening each year on 2 July.

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A cap system restricts the total number of first Work and Holiday visas that can be granted to applicants from each participating country. Notably, no caps apply to second or third Work and Holiday visas.

Countries with open Subclass 462 applications

The 23 countries with open caps and their respective allocations are: Argentina (3,400), Austria (500), Chile (3,400), Czechia (500), Ecuador (100), Greece (500), Hungary (500), Israel (2,500), Luxembourg (100), Malaysia (1,100), Papua New Guinea (100), Peru (1,500), Poland (1,500), Portugal (500), San Marino (100), Singapore (2,500), Slovak Republic (1,000), Slovenia (200), Spain (3,400), Switzerland (200), Thailand (2,000), Türkiye (100), and Uruguay (1,500).

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Allocations vary considerably between partner nations, with Argentina, Chile and Spain each holding the largest share of 3,400 places, while Ecuador, Luxembourg, Papua New Guinea, San Marino and Türkiye sit at the minimum allocation of 100 places.

How Australia's cap system works

A country's status under the programme can shift between "open," "paused," or "closed" at any point throughout the programme year. Once a cap is closed, it will not reopen until the following programme year begins on 2 July.

A paused cap, however, carries the possibility of reopening within the current year. The Department of Home Affairs advises prospective applicants from paused countries to check its website regularly for updates on availability.

The distinction between a paused and a closed cap is significant for applicants, as a paused status still leaves open the possibility of submitting an application before the year ends, whereas a closed cap removes that opportunity entirely until the next cycle begins.

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Australia lists 8 grounds for foreign visa refusals

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Australia had listed the specific character-related grounds on which a foreign national's visa could be cancelled.

The assessment framework is anchored in section 501(6) of the Migration Act 1958. Officers reviewing individual cases are guided by Ministerial Direction No. 110.

Source: YEN.com.gh