Australia’s inaugural Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa ballot for India is now in its final sprint, with registration closing at midnight AEST on 25 June 2026. 3,000 places are on offer in the first year of the quota-based scheme, which was created under the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA). Migration advisers are reporting a surge in enquiries since the Department of Home Affairs confirmed that only ballot entrants will be able to lodge an application.
![India–Australia Work-and-Holiday Visa Ballot Enters Final Fortnight]()
For prospective applicants seeking clarity on eligibility, documentation and timelines, VisaHQ provides an easy-to-use platform with personalised support to help streamline the Work and Holiday visa process; more information can be found at https://www.visahq.com/australia/
Demand is expected to exceed supply many-fold: more than 75,000 Indians aged 18-30 were granted UK Youth Mobility or Canadian IEC permits last year, and a similar appetite is forecast for Australia. Successful entrants will have 90 days to submit a full application and, if granted, may live and work in Australia for up to 12 months, with the option of extending the stay twice if they complete three or six months of specified regional work. Employers keen to hire Indian backpackers—particularly in hospitality and horticulture—are being urged to prepare onboarding material and payroll systems that recognise the visa’s six-month per-employer work limitation. For mobility managers, the ballot marks the first large-scale youth-mobility pathway linking Australia and the world’s most populous nation. Companies with India-facing talent pipelines could use the program as a low-cost entry point to test graduate recruits in Australian operations before sponsoring them on longer-term visas such as the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) or Skills in Demand (subclass 482).
For prospective applicants seeking clarity on eligibility, documentation and timelines, VisaHQ provides an easy-to-use platform with personalised support to help streamline the Work and Holiday visa process; more information can be found at https://www.visahq.com/australia/
Demand is expected to exceed supply many-fold: more than 75,000 Indians aged 18-30 were granted UK Youth Mobility or Canadian IEC permits last year, and a similar appetite is forecast for Australia. Successful entrants will have 90 days to submit a full application and, if granted, may live and work in Australia for up to 12 months, with the option of extending the stay twice if they complete three or six months of specified regional work. Employers keen to hire Indian backpackers—particularly in hospitality and horticulture—are being urged to prepare onboarding material and payroll systems that recognise the visa’s six-month per-employer work limitation. For mobility managers, the ballot marks the first large-scale youth-mobility pathway linking Australia and the world’s most populous nation. Companies with India-facing talent pipelines could use the program as a low-cost entry point to test graduate recruits in Australian operations before sponsoring them on longer-term visas such as the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) or Skills in Demand (subclass 482).
