- Australia's Department of Home Affairs confirmed strong demand for the Work and Holiday subclass 462 visa program, with applications from certain countries already under pressure
- Brazil and Mongolia had their application caps paused, a sign that available slots were filling up fast under the annual grant limits
- China, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam face a separate ballot process rather than a direct application cap, adding another layer of competition for prospective applicants
Australia's Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa program is experiencing strong demand from foreign nationals, with the country's Department of Home Affairs confirming that applications from some partner countries have already exceeded or are close to exceeding the number of available places in the current program year.
The department, which last updated its official cap status page on 12 October 2026, stated plainly that demand for the Work and Holiday program is strong and that applications for some countries may exceed the number of places available, triggering pauses on new lodgements.
Source: UGC
Which Countries Have Been Paused
Out of the 29 partner countries listed under the program, Brazil and Mongolia currently have their application caps paused.
Brazil holds an annual grant cap of 500 visas, while Mongolia's cap stands at just 100. When a cap is paused, it means no new applications can be submitted until the department either reopens that country's allocation or the next program year begins on 2 July.
A paused cap is distinct from a closed one. Closed caps will not reopen during the current program year, meaning all available places have been filled.
Paused caps, however, may be reopened at the department's discretion, giving hopeful applicants a reason to monitor the page closely.
Ballot System for High-Demand Countries
Four countries, China, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam, are not subject to the standard cap system at all. Instead, their nationals must go through a pre-application ballot process, where applicants are selected at random before they can even lodge a visa application.
China and Indonesia each carry an annual grant cap of 5,000 visas, the highest of any countries in the program, reflecting the significant volume of interest from those nations.
For countries where applications remain open, caps vary considerably, from as few as 100 slots for Ecuador, Luxembourg, San Marino, and Türkiye, to 3,400 for Argentina, Chile, and Spain.
The department noted that it may pause caps either to spread out application lodgements across the program year or to monitor numbers carefully as a country approaches its annual ceiling.
Australia speaks about assessing Medicare
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Australia published a list of 11 countries it holds Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with, covering medically necessary treatment during visits.
Citizens from the listed countries can receive emergency care and treatment for illnesses that cannot wait until they return home.
Source: Legit.ng