Travel and citizenship
Work and Holiday visa applications paused for 24 countries
As at 25 August 2026, Home Affairs lists first Work and Holiday (subclass 462) application caps as temporarily paused for 24 partner countries. A pause is not a permanent closure, and applicants should check the live country-cap page before trying to lodge.
What to know
- Home Affairs listed 24 first Work and Holiday (subclass 462) country caps as paused when AVISA NOW checked the official page on 25 August 2026.
- The pause applies to first subclass 462 applications from the affected countries; second and third Work and Holiday visas are not subject to these country caps.
- A paused cap may reopen later in the same program year, while a closed cap does not reopen until the next program year.
- Country-cap information can change quickly, so applicants should check the official live status immediately before trying to lodge.
Which country caps were paused
When AVISA NOW checked the official Home Affairs page on 25 August 2026, the first Work and Holiday visa caps were marked paused for Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mongolia and Papua New Guinea.
The paused list also included Peru, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and Uruguay. These statuses are live operational settings and may change after publication.
Paused does not mean closed
Home Affairs says a cap may be paused to spread applications across the program year, manage processing demand or closely monitor applications when a country is nearing its annual grant cap.
A paused cap can reopen during the same program year. A closed cap is different: once a cap is closed because all places have been filled, it does not reopen until the next program year.
Who the country caps affect
The country-cap table applies to first Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa applications from participating countries that have annual limits. Home Affairs states that second and third Work and Holiday visas are not subject to these country caps.
China, India and Vietnam use a separate visa pre-application ballot process. At the time of AVISA NOW's check, San Marino and Türkiye were shown as open. Applicants should rely on the official page rather than this point-in-time list before lodging.
What applicants should do now
Check the Home Affairs country-cap page regularly. Home Affairs says changes may take up to 48 hours to appear on the page, so a status displayed online may not update immediately after an operational change.
Prepare the documents required for the correct visa pathway, but do not assume that a paused cap has permanently closed or that it will reopen on a particular date. Do not arrange travel until Home Affairs confirms in writing that the visa has been granted.