Working Holiday visa program changes - a ballot system

Australia is proposing significant changes to its Working Holiday Maker visa program, with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announcing a new approach to second- and third-year Working Holiday visas.

These changes are part of a broader migration policy package announced today. The Government says the reforms are intended to better manage temporary migration while ensuring Australia's migration program is aligned with workforce and economic needs.

For young Working Holiday Makers visa holders planning to extend their stay in Australia, the proposed changes could make obtaining a second or third Working Holiday visa less certain.

Currently, eligible Working Holiday Maker visa holders can generally qualify for a further year by completing specified work that meets the relevant regional and occupational requirements. It is not clear if people already in Australia on a Working Holiday visa will be considered under the new rules in the same way as future offshore applicants.

Applicants seeking second- and third-year visas will still need to undertake work in regional areas under the new arrangements.Regional businesses, in industries that depend on seasonal workers, will remain an important part of the Working Holiday Maker program. Completing the required regional work, of 88 days for year two and six months for year three, will continue to be required, but will no longer, by itself, guarantee that an applicant can obtain a second or third Working Holiday visa once the new system is implemented.

Instead of relying solely on meeting the existing eligibility requirements, applicants for second- and third-year visas would face an additional selection stage. Under the proposal, access to second- and third-year Working Holiday Maker visas would be subject to a ballot system.

The proposal is that year two ballot will be down from the current 57,000 places and capped at 45,000 places and year three ballot will be capped at 5,000 places reduced from around 31,000 this year.

UK applicants are not required to undertake regional work under that Free Trade Agreement. However, the processing pace will remain slower to address the large growth in that cohort, which has grown from a low of 17,000 pre-COVID to 80,000 onshore at present.

The Australian agriculture sector, largly reliant on international bakpackers seasonal workforce, expressed concern about changes affecting the supply and processing of Working Holiday Maker visas. The program has already experienced significant processing delays due to slowed or paused processing aiming to reduce overall migration numbers. Under the newly announced approach, the expected wait for Working Holiday visa processing will be three months.

The proposed ballot represents a substantial change in how access to extended Working Holiday stays could operate. The operational details of the proposed ballot has not yet been released, including how places would be allocated, when the ballot would open and how applicants would be selected.

Anyone planning to apply for a Working Holiday visa, extend their stay or complete specified regional work should check the latest information from Australia's Department of Home Affairs and seek migration advise before making decisions based on the proposed system.