The Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) allows eligible young adults aged 18 to 30 years old (inclusive) to have an extended holiday in Australia while supplementing their travel funds with short-term work.
This visa is valid for 12 months and allows multiple entries into and exits from Australia during that period.
Visa holders can generally:
- Work for up to 6 months with any one employer
- Study for up to 4 months
In some cases, working for up to 12 months may be possible for certain types of specified work and in approved regional areas.
Annual visa limits (Country Caps)
Subclass 462 visas have an annual limit on the number of first visas granted for each eligible country.
The annual limit resets on 1 July each visa program year.
Important Updates (Subclass 462)
2025 Ballot Registration (China, India, Vietnam)
On 24 June 2025, the visa ballot process started for program year 2025–2026, with ballot registrations opening for:
- China
- India
- Vietnam
Registrations for these countries were open for three weeks, from:
- 24 June 2025 to 15 July 2025
The first random selection was scheduled for:
- 16 July 2025
The Department may conduct further random selections throughout the program year until registrations expire on:
- 30 April 2026
2025 Specified Work Update (Postcodes Expanded)
On 5 April 2025, the Department of Home Affairs updated the list of eligible areas for Working Holiday Makers (WHMs) to undertake specified work to qualify for a second or third visa.
This update expands the list of postcodes for WHMs undertaking:
- Bushfire recovery work
- Flood recovery work
- Cyclone recovery work
- Other severe weather disaster recovery work
This applies to:
- Work and Holiday (subclass 462), and
- Working Holiday (subclass 417)
For applications:
- Lodged on or after 5 April 2025, OR
- Lodged before this date but not yet decided
Subclass 462 Eligibility Requirements
Basic requirements
You must:
- Be 18 to 30 years old (inclusive)
- Apply from outside Australia
- Not be accompanied by dependent children at any time
- Hold a passport from an eligible country (listed below)
- Not have previously entered Australia on a subclass 462 or 417 visa
- If you previously held a subclass 462 visa, you may still be eligible for a second Work and Holiday visa, depending on your specified work history.
Eligible countries (Subclass 462)
You must hold a passport from one of these countries/regions:
- Argentina
- Austria
- Chile
- China (People’s Republic of)
- Czech Republic
- Ecuador
- Greece
- Hungary
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Uruguay
- United States of America
- Vietnam
Additional requirements (Depends on your country)
Depending on your country of origin, you may also need to meet additional requirements, such as:
- Education requirements (for example, secondary school completion or tertiary study)
- English language ability (for example, IELTS overall band score of 4.5)
- Home government support (for example, a support letter)
Second and Third Work and Holiday Visas (Subclass 462)
Second visa requirement
If you are applying for a second Work and Holiday visa, you must have completed:
- 3 calendar months of specified work in regional Australia
(while on your first 462 visa)
Third visa requirement
To be eligible for a third Work and Holiday visa (from 1 July 2019 onwards), you must have completed:
- 6 calendar months of specified work in regional Australia
(while on your second 462 visa)
Specified Work Requirement (Subclass 462)
Approved industries and locations
The following industries and regions are approved for specified work:
- Plant and animal cultivation in Northern Australia and other specified regional areas
- Fishing and pearling in Northern Australia only
- Tree farming and felling in Northern Australia only
- Tourism and hospitality in Northern Australia only
- Construction in Northern Australia and other specified regional areas
How 3 months and 6 months are calculated
Specified work means an evidenced period of paid, full-time equivalent work completed over at least:
- 88 calendar days (for 3 months)
- 176 calendar days (for 6 months)
One day of full-time work is considered the normal number of hours per day (or shift) that is standard for the role and industry.
Flexible ways to complete specified work
You can complete the required work in different ways, including:
- Full-time, 5 days per week for a continuous 3-month period
- Part-time, piecework, or mixed schedules that add up to the full-time equivalent
- Working fewer than 5 days per week over a longer period than 3 or 6 months
The work can be:
- With one employer or several employers
- Spread across your stay in Australia
What days count as specified work?
Counted as specified work:
- Paid public holidays
- Paid sick days
Not counted as specified work:
- Unpaid leave or holidays
- Unpaid days due to severe or seasonal weather
Special Update: Healthcare and Medical Work (COVID Response)
As part of the Australian Government’s response to COVID-19, specified work was expanded to include working holiday makers who worked in the healthcare and medical sector.
This work could be completed anywhere in Australia and was not restricted to regional Australia.
Healthcare and medical work includes activities such as:
- Medical treatment support
- Nursing
- Contact tracing
- Testing
- Research
- Cleaning medical and health care facilities
Healthcare and medical work does not include:
- General administration work
- Selling personal protective equipment (PPE)
This definition applied to applications from 19 August 2020 onwards.
Application Process (Subclass 462)
The visa application is lodged with the Department of Home Affairs along with supporting documents.
The main requirement is that you meet the eligibility criteria above. You must also have access to sufficient funds to support yourself during the initial stages of your holiday.
You must meet health and character requirements and may be asked to provide evidence of:
- Health checks
- Police clearances
- Health insurance and/or travel insurance
Entry requirement
You must enter Australia within 12 months of the date your visa is granted.
Work and study conditions
While in Australia, you may:
- Work in any job in any location, as long as you do not work for more than 6 months with the same employer (unless an exemption applies)
- Study for up to 4 months
“No Further Stay” condition
Some subclass 462 visas may be granted with a No Further Stay condition (such as condition 8503).
If your visa has this condition, you generally will not be able to apply for another visa while you are in Australia.
Even if your visa does not have this condition, only a limited range of visas can be applied for while you are in Australia.
Processing Times (Subclass 462)
Processing times vary depending on:
- The Department’s service standards
- The complexity of the application
- Risk factors and processing priorities
- Whether additional documents are requested
