If you’re from one of the countries that had working holiday visa (subclass 462) applications paused since mid-August 2026, here’s the short answer: the pause has been substantially lifted. As of 2 October 2026, the Department of Home Affairs’ own country-cap page shows 22 of the 29 capped countries open for standard applications, with only Brazil, Mongolia and Papua New Guinea still shown as paused. There’s been no formal government announcement of this change. It was found the same way the original pause was first identified: by checking the department’s own page directly. Treat it as the current operative status rather than a confirmed policy reversal, and verify your own country’s status before making plans.
Which Countries Have Reopened for the Working Holiday Visa (462)?
The Department of Home Affairs’ own Work and Holiday (subclass 462) country-cap page, last updated 2 October 2026, lists the following as open for standard applications: Argentina, Austria, Chile, Czechia, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and Uruguay, all 20 of which had been paused since mid-August, plus San Marino and Türkiye, which remained open throughout. That makes 22 open countries.
Only three countries remain shown as paused: Brazil, Mongolia and Papua New Guinea. Four countries sit outside the standard open/paused system entirely, on a ballot: China (5,000 annual cap), India (1,000 annual cap), Vietnam (1,500 annual cap) and Indonesia (5,000 annual cap, with registrations expected to open later in 2026).
What Was the Original Working Holiday Visa Pause?
In mid-August 2026, the department quietly paused standard processing for 24 of the 29 capped countries in the Work and Holiday program, without a formal announcement. It came to light when industry and media noticed the change on the department’s own website. At the time, only China, India, Vietnam, Türkiye and San Marino continued to be accepted (the first three on the ballot system described above). An immigration lawyer quoted in national media at the time called the scale of the pause “dramatic,” and it left regional employers who rely on working holiday makers for seasonal labour, particularly in agriculture, short-staffed heading into harvest season.
Why Did the Pause Lift, and Is This Official?
Not in the sense of a ministerial statement or press release. As with the original pause, this reopening hasn’t been accompanied by any formal government announcement as of the date of this article. It’s visible only on the department’s own country-cap page, which itself notes that updates “may not be published immediately due to technical constraints” and that changes can take up to 48 hours to appear. That’s a reasonable basis to treat it as the current operative status, but it’s worth confirming your own country’s listing directly before relying on it for travel or work plans. Settings like this have changed with little notice before.
Does This Affect the Second and Third Year Ballot?
No. That’s a separate change, and it isn’t in force yet. On 17 September 2026 the Minister for Home Affairs announced that second and third working holiday visas (subclasses 417 and 462) would move to a ballot, with 45,000 places for a second year (about 57,000 people qualified the previous year) and 5,000 places for a third year (about 31,000 previously). No start date has been given, and as of this article the department’s country-cap page still states that there are no caps for second or third Work and Holiday visas. The country-cap reopening covered in this article is about first-time applications from newly-open countries, and it doesn’t change anything for people extending an existing working holiday stay. UK passport holders, who use the subclass 417 visa, don’t need to do specified regional work for a second or third visa under the UK-Australia free trade agreement. Whether the announced ballot would apply to them hasn’t been confirmed.
What Should You Do If Your Country Has Reopened?
- Check the official country-cap page yourself rather than relying on a date-stamped summary like this one. Settings can change quickly and with little public notice, as the original pause itself showed.
- Prepare your application properly. A reopened country cap doesn’t change the underlying subclass 462 eligibility criteria (age, passport, health and character requirements, and in most cases a letter of government support from your home country). It only restores the ability to lodge.
- If you’re an employer or regional referral contact, this is worth flagging to any working holiday makers you’ve been expecting from an affected country, with the caveat that the change isn’t yet independently confirmed by a formal announcement.
- If you’re already in Australia on a 417 or 462 and weighing a second or third year, the current rules still apply. Watch for a start date for the announced ballot.
- If you’re thinking beyond the working holiday visa toward a longer-term stay, it’s worth understanding early which other pathways you might eventually qualify for. Many working holiday makers go on to explore an employer-sponsored visa (482/494) if a regional or metro employer is willing to sponsor them, or a skilled independent visa if their occupation and points position support it.
How Does This Fit Into the Broader 2026 Migration Reform?
The working holiday program has been one of the more volatile parts of this year’s migration settings. The mid-August pause, the 17 September announcement of a ballot for second and third-year places, and now this largely unannounced reopening of first-year country caps have all landed within a few months of each other, as part of the government’s broader push to bring net overseas migration down from about 292,000 toward a forecast 225,000 in 2027-28. For anyone planning around a working holiday visa, the practical lesson from this sequence is the same one that applies across the current migration settings generally: check the official source close to your actual application date, rather than planning too far ahead around a snapshot that may already be out of date. If your plans extend beyond a working holiday, a sponsored job offer, a skilled pathway, or a family member you’d eventually like to bring to Australia, it’s worth understanding the broader visa options Kingsbridge Australia can help with before you lodge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the working holiday visa pause over?
For most countries, yes. As of 2 October 2026, 22 of the 29 capped countries are shown as open on the Department of Home Affairs’ own page, including 20 that had been paused since mid-August. Three countries (Brazil, Mongolia and Papua New Guinea) are still shown as paused, and China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia remain on separate ballot systems.
Has the government officially announced the working holiday visa reopening?
No. As with the original pause, there has been no formal government announcement. The change is visible only on the department’s own country-cap page. Treat it as the current operative status while confirming your specific country directly before relying on it.
Which countries are still paused for the working holiday visa?
Brazil, Mongolia and Papua New Guinea remain shown as paused as of this article. China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia aren’t paused as such, but sit on a ballot system with annual caps rather than open, first-come processing.
Does the country-cap reopening change the second or third-year ballot?
No. The ballot for second-year visas (45,000 places) and third-year visas (5,000 places) was announced on 17 September 2026 and has no start date yet. It is separate from this first-year country-cap update.
What should I do if I’m applying for a working holiday visa from a newly-reopened country?
Check the official country-cap page yourself for your specific country before making firm plans, and make sure you still meet the standard subclass 462 eligibility requirements: age, passport, health, character and, in most cases, a letter of government support. A reopened cap restores your ability to lodge; it doesn’t change the underlying criteria.
Key Takeaways
- As of 2 October 2026, the Department of Home Affairs’ own page shows 22 of the 29 capped countries open for standard working holiday visa (462) applications, including 20 of the 24 paused since mid-August.
- Only Brazil, Mongolia and Papua New Guinea remain shown as paused; China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia sit on separate annual-cap ballots.
- There has been no formal government announcement of this reopening. As with the original pause, it’s visible only on the department’s own page, so verify your specific country directly.
- A ballot for second-year (45,000 places) and third-year (5,000 places) working holiday visas was announced on 17 September 2026. It has no start date yet and is separate from this update.
- A reopened country cap restores your ability to lodge an application. It doesn’t change the standard subclass 462 eligibility requirements.
Ready to find out if you qualify?
Kingsbridge Australia offers a free 15-minute pre-assessment with Dexter Lee, our Registered Migration Agent (MARN 2518927), to see if you qualify for this pathway. Book a time below.
