Latest news
New Work and Holiday Maker arrangement with the Philippines
Australia has welcomed the Philippines to the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa program.
This new Work and Holiday visa arrangement will allow up to 200 young Filipinos and Australians each year to enjoy a 12-month holiday in each other’s country, during which they may undertake short-term work and study. Details in relation to the commencement will be provided once arrangements have been finalised.
For more information, see the Prime Minister’s announcement.
Removal of Letter of Support for Papua New Guinea (PNG)
From 1 August 2023, PNG passport holders are able to lodge a valid subclass 462 visa application without the need to provide a Letter of Support.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) joins Work and Holiday (visa subclass 462)
On 1 July 2023, PNG became the newest partner country to join the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) Program. The arrangement allows up to 100 PNG nationals to travel to Australia on a Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa.
Australia and UK Free Trade Agreement
Australia and the UK have agreed to put in place new arrangements under the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program and Youth Mobility Scheme. This follows the entry into force of the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (Australia-UK FTA) on 31 May 2023.
Under the new arrangements, UK passport holders will be able to:
- apply for a Working Holiday visa between the ages of 18 and 35 years inclusive from 1 July 2023
- be granted up to three Working Holiday visas without having to meet any specified work requirements from 1 July 2024.
Other partner country arrangements under the WHM program are established through bilateral negotiations. These will not be affected by the Australia and UK FTA.
For more information, see
New Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa arrangements for UK passport holders.
Visa condition 8547
From 19 January 2022 to 30 June 2023, WHMs working in any sector anywhere in Australia may continue to work for the same employer or organisation for longer than six months without requesting permission. For details, visit Visa condition 8547 - 6-month work limitation.
India to access Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa
In the context of the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA), Australia has agreed to extend access to the Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa. This will go up to 1,000 Indian citizens each year.
Within two years of the AI-ECTA entering into force, Australia will allow eligible Indian citizens aged between 18 and 30 to apply for a Work and Holiday visa to visit Australia for one year. They can undertake short-term work and study while holidaying. We will provide more information on how to apply closer to the implementation date.
For more information, see the Minister for Trade and Tourism’s media release.
Processing timeframes
We are currently processing new and older applications at the same time to minimise processing times for as many applications as possible.
Visa applications that contain all required information may be finalised faster than the published processing times.
