Australia Opens Work and Holiday Visa Applications for 23 Countries

Australia's Department of Home Affairs has recently confirmed that citizens from 23 countries, including Papua New Guinea, can currently submit applications for the Work and Holiday visa subclass 462. This announcement was made public on October 12, 2026.

Visa Application Details

The Work and Holiday visa program operates on an annual cap system, which allocates a specific number of places for applicants from each participating country. For the current program year, applications opened on July 2. However, due to high demand, some countries have already reached their application limits and are now paused.

Countries Eligible for Subclass 462

The following 23 countries have open applications for the Work and Holiday visa subclass 462:

• Argentina
• Austria
• Chile
• Czechia
• Ecuador
• Greece
• Hungary
• Israel
• Luxembourg
• Malaysia
• Papua New Guinea
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
• San Marino
• Singapore
• Slovak Republic
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• Türkiye
• Uruguay

Understanding the Cap System

The application cap for each country can change throughout the program year, with statuses shifting between "open," "paused," or "closed" based on the number of applications received. Notably, there are no caps on second or third Work and Holiday visas for those who have previously held one.

Travellers from Papua New Guinea and the other listed countries are encouraged to apply promptly, as the availability of visas may vary significantly based on demand.