Australia Tightens Working Holiday Visa Rules With New Ballot System

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke unveiled a package of migration reforms on September 17, 2026, aimed at giving the government more control over temporary visa flows. The two biggest changes affect the Working Holiday Maker program and Visitor visas, with rollout planned over the next 12 months.

For Working Holiday visas (subclass 417) and Work and Holiday visas (subclass 462), the government plans to introduce a ballot system for second and third-year visas. Applicants would still need to meet existing work requirements, 88 days for a second year, six months for a third, but meeting them would no longer guarantee approval. Instead, eligible applicants enter a ballot capped at 45,000 places for the second year (down from ~57,000 who qualified last year) and just 5,000 for the third year (down from ~31,000). This change requires legislative approval and isn’t yet in effect. UK passport holders keep their existing exemption, allowing up to three Working Holiday visas without work requirements under the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement.

The reform follows a fee increase from July 2026, when first-year Working Holiday visas rose to AUD 840, with second/third-year visas priced at AUD 1,000.

Separately, the government plans to expand the “No Further Stay” condition to all Visitor visas, restricting holders from applying for another visa while still in Australia. This wouldn’t shorten a traveller’s permitted stay, but would prevent extending it from inside the country. How this applies to the eVisitor (subclass 651) and Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) used by many European, US, Canadian and Asian travellers hasn’t yet been clarified.

The government also set a three-month processing target for Working Holiday visa applications. For now, current rules and fees remain in effect until detailed regulations are published.