Australia to Cap Second and Third Working Holiday Visas by Ballot

What happened

On 17 September 2026 Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced that second- and third-year Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visas will be handed out by ballot, with a fixed number of places. He set out the numbers in his National Press Club speech, and the change is part of the government’s migration reform package.

• Year two: a ballot limited to 45,000 places. The Minister said 57,000 people qualified last year.
• Year three: a ballot limited to 5,000 places. The Minister said 31,000 people were in this group last year.

The regional work requirement does not change. You still need 88 days of specified regional work to qualify for a second year and six months for a third year. But meeting it will only put you in the ballot. It will no longer guarantee a visa.

Who is affected

The change is aimed at Working Holiday (subclass 417) and Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa holders who plan to stay beyond their first year. UK passport holders do not need to do regional work for later visas under the Australia-UK free trade agreement. The speech did not say how the ballot will apply to them. The Minister said UK applications will keep being processed more slowly while talks with the UK continue.

What it means for your move

A working holiday is not a route to permanent residence on its own. But many people use extra WHM years to gain Australian work experience, find a sponsoring employer or decide whether to stay. From now on you should treat a second or third year as uncertain, even if you complete the regional work.

The government says reducing these numbers lets it bring processing of first WHM visas back to normal. Home Affairs’ WHM news page says average processing for most WHM applications is expected to be around three months.

What to do now

• If you want to stay in Australia longer, look at other visas early. Do not rely on winning a ballot.
• Keep doing and recording your regional work. You will still need it to enter the ballot.
• If you want to study instead, note that WHM holders can no longer apply for a Student visa inside Australia from 2 October 2026.
• Do not book flights or make firm plans until your visa is granted.

Our working holiday visa guide explains the current rules, and our 2026 migration changes explainer covers the full package.

What happens next

Home Affairs says the September measures will be rolled out progressively over the next 12 months. As of 11 October 2026 no start date, registration process or legal instrument for the ballots has been published. We will update this report on the Australia hub and the updates page when details are released.