What Happened
The Department of Home Affairs has temporarily paused new first Work and Holiday subclass 462 visa applications from 24 partner countries. As of 18 August 2026, the application caps for these nations are officially marked as paused on the government’s status page.
This decision specifically targets new applications for a first subclass 462 visa and does not constitute a blanket ban on people from these nations. Existing visas granted to applicants from these countries remain valid, and current visa holders are not automatically prevented from remaining in Australia under their existing conditions.
The Timeline
Migration and travel agents have reported detecting delays in processing times for countries with uncapped backpacker places since the beginning of July. The pause on applications from countries with caps was introduced without notice in the last month, creating a distinct shift in how the program is managed.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed on Sunday, 16 August 2026, that working holiday visas were still being processed but were being handled “more slowly than they were previously.” He indicated that paused caps will reopen later in the same program year, though no immediate reopening date was provided.
The visa application issues come after the government tried to drum up interest in tourism even further with a $125 million Come and Say G’day campaign launched in late June last year. This pause places Australia’s migration strategy once again in the public eye, sparking questions about housing pressure, workforce needs and the nation’s reliance on temporary workers.
Who Said What
Immigration expert Abul Rizvi said pausing so many countries at once was highly unusual. “Where we are with working holidaymaker numbers now is higher than anything before COVID by a long way,” he said, noting that removing the third visa could bring down net migration by between 5000 and 10,000 people in a full year.
Backpacker and Youth Tourism Advisory Panel chair Peta Zietsch warned this would have a knock-on effect for tourism operators and regional employers who relied on backpackers for seasonal work. She said it also risked deterring backpackers when combined with the recent rise in visa fees, which increased from $670 to $840 for first visas and $1000 for second- and third-year visas last month.
“Rather than placing barriers in the way of the working holidaymaker program, we should be looking at ways to attract more young international travellers here,” Zietsch said. Conversely, former minister Matt Canavan told Radio National: “It’s not been the cause of the migration crisis we’re seeing in Australia since the end of COVID.”
Labor MP Chris Bowen dismissed Pauline Hanson’s idea on Saturday, 15 August 2026, comparing it to something United States President Donald Trump would enact. Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke was expected to use his delayed National Press Club address to outline how this pause would inform his plan to meet a 225,000 net migration target within two years.
The Numbers That Matter
The affected countries include Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and Uruguay.
San Marino and Türkiye were listed as open when the Home Affairs status page was checked, though statuses can shift during the program year. Each capped country has an annual limit on the number of first subclass 462 visas Australia can grant, whereas there are no country caps for second or third Work and Holiday subclass 462 visas.
Data from June 30 shows this trend has continued: there were 225,648 working holidaymakers in the country at the end of the financial year, which is the highest June data on record. The uncapped Working Holiday stream remains open, and the U.K., France, Ireland, Italy and South Korea accounted for 71.9% of its grants in the six months to June 30, 2025, according to a Home Affairs program report.
Why This Matters
Australia’s Working Holiday Maker program has operated since 1975. It allows eligible young adults from partner countries to spend up to 12 months travelling in Australia while undertaking short-term work and study. Working holiday makers are particularly visible in agriculture, hospitality, tourism, food processing and other seasonal industries.
Regional employers often depend on mobile workers during harvest periods and busy tourism seasons. A temporary application pause will not remove people who are already working in Australia. However, if pauses continue for a prolonged period, some employers may become concerned about the future supply of workers.
The department indicates that paused caps will reopen later in the same program year, although it may not provide an immediate reopening date. This is distinct from a closed status. A closed designation means all available places for that program year have been filled and applications will not reopen until the next program year begins.
What Is Still Unclear
It is unclear why applications from China have been suspended when the cap hasn’t hit, though the department notes that a country’s status can move between open, paused and closed. The department also warns that technical updates to the page may take up to 48 hours to appear.
Applicants should check the official government website rather than relying on older screenshots or social media reports. The federal government has confirmed it will slow the processing of working holiday visa applications as pressure mounts to reduce net migration numbers, but the specific mechanics of how this impacts regional labour markets remain under observation.