98,000 Indians apply for Australia's 1,000 Work and Holiday visa spots

Over 98,000 Indians applied for Australia's Work and Holiday visa in 2024, as the country opened 1,000 annual spots under a ballot system for young Indian travellers

More than 98,000 Indians registered for Australia’s Work and Holiday visa (Subclass 462) in 2024, after the country opened 1,000 places for Indian nationals under a ballot system. The scheme, part of the Working Holiday Maker programme, allows young adults to travel and work across Australia for up to a year. But only 988 visas have been granted, according to the latest immigration data from the Department of Home Affairs.

 

The programme opened for Indian citizens on October 1, 2024, as part of the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA), making India the 50th partner country in the scheme.

 

According to the Department of Home Affairs, 139,633 valid registrations were received from India, China and Vietnam during the October–November registration window. India accounted for 98,019 of those.

 

Valid registrations received for the Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) visa ballot for 2025.

 

India: 98,019 registrations

 

China: 34,161 registrations

 

Vietnam: 7,453 registrations

 

Total: 139,633 registrations

 

Ballot system in place

 

Unlike other visa categories, the Work and Holiday visa operates on a randomised pre-application ballot for certain countries.

 

“Each programme year, we will hold an annual ballot process for participating countries,” according to Immigration Australia. “There may be different registration and selection open periods depending on the country.”

 

Applicants must pay a registration fee of AUD 25 (around Rs 1,500) and submit an online form via ImmiAccount. Those selected receive an invitation to apply and must do so within 28 days. The visa application itself costs AUD 650.

 

Who can apply

 

To qualify, Indian applicants must:

 

• Be aged between 18 and 30

• Hold a valid Indian passport and PAN card

• Apply from outside Australia

• Not include any dependents

 

What the visa allows

 

The Subclass 462 visa permits holders to:

 

• Live in Australia for up to 12 months

• Take up short-term jobs to fund their stay

• Study for four months

• Travel in and out of Australia freely

 

Common job roles

 

Participants usually work in:

 

• Cafés and restaurants as baristas or waitstaff

• Hotels and hostels doing housekeeping

• Farms picking or packing produce

• Processing roles in factories

• Tourism and outdoor activities

 

Shorter processing times, growing interest

 

Visa processing is relatively quick, averaging around 21 days. Although only a small number of grants have been recorded so far, the high level of registrations reflects strong interest from Indian youth seeking short-term work and travel opportunities abroad.

 

By the end of 2024, there were 206,187 Working Holiday Maker visa holders in Australia — a jump from 170,437 in 2023. Visa grants rose to 175,071 in 2024, up from 122,387 the previous year.