Visa news

Second and third year Working Holiday visa ballot: what we know

Last checked 27 September 2026

On 17 September 2026 Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced that second and third year Working Holiday visas will go to a ballot. You will still need 88 days of specified work to enter the year-two ballot (capped at 45,000) and six months to enter the year-three ballot (capped at 5,000). Home Affairs has not published a start date, so today's rules still apply.

What changed

Today, if you do your 88 days (or six months for a third year) and meet the other requirements, you can apply for the next visa. Under the announced plan, doing the days only makes you eligible for a ballot, and places are capped: 45,000 for year two and 5,000 for year three. If as many people qualify as last year (the Minister's figures), that is places for roughly 4 in 5 second-year applicants and about 1 in 6 third-year applicants. That is our arithmetic, not an official odds figure.

Confirmed

Said on the record by the Minister in the official speech transcript, or published by Home Affairs.

There will be a ballot for second and third year Working Holiday visas. Meeting the requirements gets you into the ballot, not a guaranteed visa. In the Minister's words: "Not everybody will get through because we need to have some control and certainty of what those numbers are."
The year-two ballot will be limited to 45,000 places. The Minister said 57,000 people qualified for a second year last year.
The year-three ballot will be limited to 5,000 places. The Minister said there were 31,000 people in this group last year.
The regional work rules do not change: 88 days of specified work to qualify for the year-two ballot, and six months to qualify for the year-three ballot.
The Minister said UK passport holders have no regional work requirement and that their visas sit inside the Australia and UK free trade agreement. UK Working Holiday applications will keep the current, slower processing for now.
The Minister said normal processing speed will return for first Working Holiday applications from countries that have the regional work requirement.
As of 27 September 2026, the Home Affairs Working Holiday Maker news page (last updated 23 September 2026) does not mention the second and third year ballot yet, and gives no start date.

Reported, not yet confirmed

In the news or on migration websites, but not yet published by Home Affairs.

Start date: Time Out Australia reports that Home Affairs said the ballots would begin rolling out by the end of 2026. We have not found this on a Home Affairs page yet.
UK passport holders exempt: Time Out reports that UK backpackers will not be in the ballot caps because of the free trade agreement. This fits what the Minister said, but he did not say the words "exempt from the ballot", and Home Affairs has not published it.
Pacific nations exempt: some migration websites say Pacific passport holders are exempt. In the Minister's speech, the Pacific and ASEAN exceptions were about the new limits on student visa family members, not the Working Holiday ballot. We have found no official source saying Pacific passport holders skip the ballot.
No new law needed: ABC News reports the change does not need new legislation and will be done with existing powers. The detailed rules still have to be published before anything starts.

Unknown yet

Nobody official has said. Do not trust anyone who claims to know.

The exact start date, and whether applications lodged before that date are decided under the old rules.
How you enter the ballot: registration window, fee, and whether you register before or after finishing your days.
Whether the 417 (Working Holiday) and 462 (Work and Holiday) visas share one cap or have separate ones. The Minister spoke about all working holiday makers with a regional work requirement and did not name subclasses.
Whether the caps run per program year (1 July to 30 June), and when selections happen.
What happens to your specified work if you are not selected, and whether you can enter again.
Whether any other countries are exempt.

Who is affected

Subclass 417 (Working Holiday)

Holders who need specified work for a second or third visa: everyone except UK passport holders, who have not needed specified work since 1 July 2024. Whether UK holders are formally outside the ballot is reported, not yet confirmed.

Subclass 462 (Work and Holiday)

Second and third 462 visas also need specified work, so 462 holders are expected to be covered. The Minister did not name subclasses, so wait for Home Affairs to confirm the detail.

First-year visas

The announcement is about years two and three. Some 462 countries already have a separate ballot for the first visa (China, India and Vietnam, with Indonesia announced), and that is unchanged by this news.

Third-year hopefuls

The biggest cut: 5,000 places against 31,000 last year. If your plan depends on a third year, have a plan B.

What has not changed

You still need 88 calendar days of specified work for a second visa and 179 for a third, done while you hold the previous visa.
Specified work must be paid at award rates. Unpaid work only counts for declared bushfire or natural disaster recovery.
The postcode of the worksite still decides whether the work counts.
The age limit (30, or 35 for some passports) still applies when you apply.
Until Home Affairs publishes a start date, the current rules are the ones in force.

What to do now

1Keep doing your specified workNothing announced removes the 88-day or six-month requirement. If the ballot starts, you will need the days just to enter it.
2Keep every payslip and recordHome Affairs asks for proof covering every period you worked: payslips, bank statements, piece rate agreements and employer details. Save them as you go, not at the end.
3Log your days in the Matey 88-day passportRecord each stint with the employer, ABN, postcode and dates, and attach payslips, so your evidence is ready on day one of any ballot.
4Do not pay anyone promising a guaranteed visaA ballot is random. Nobody can sell you a place, a shortcut or a guaranteed second or third year. Only registered migration agents or lawyers may give paid immigration assistance: check who can help on the Home Affairs site, and report scams to Scamwatch.
5Watch the official pageRules will be published on the Home Affairs Working Holiday Maker news page. We will update this page when they are.

Questions backpackers are asking

Is the Working Holiday visa ballot law yet?

No. It was announced on 17 September 2026, but as of 27 September 2026 Home Affairs has not published the rules or a start date. Time Out reports Home Affairs said the ballots would roll out by the end of 2026. Until then, the current rules apply.

How many second and third year Working Holiday visas will there be?

The Minister announced a cap of 45,000 for the year-two ballot (57,000 qualified last year) and 5,000 for the year-three ballot (31,000 last year).

Do I still need to do 88 days of farm work?

Yes. The Minister said the regional work requirement is unchanged: 88 days to qualify for the second-year ballot and six months to qualify for the third-year ballot.

Are UK backpackers in the ballot?

UK passport holders do not need specified work, and the Minister said their visas sit inside the UK free trade agreement. Time Out reports they are exempt from the ballot caps, but Home Affairs has not published this yet.

Are Pacific nations exempt from the Working Holiday ballot?

Not as far as we can find. The Pacific and ASEAN exceptions in the Minister's speech were about student visa family members. No official source says Pacific passport holders skip the Working Holiday ballot.

Should I stop my 88 days?

No. You need the specified work to enter the ballot at all, and the current rules still apply until Home Affairs publishes a start date. Keep working, keep payslips and keep a record of every day.

Can someone guarantee me a place in the ballot?

No. A ballot is random. Anyone selling a guaranteed second or third year visa is running a scam. Report it to Scamwatch.

Sources

General information, not migration or legal advice. Rules and pay rates change, so confirm anything your visa depends on with the official source.

Keep your days and proof in one place

Log every day with the farm, the postcode and your payslips, so your evidence is ready whatever the ballot looks like.

Open the 88-day passport