The Australian government released details on the ballot initiative for the Work and Holiday program for Mainland China, India and Vietnam.

Key Points:

• The government will implement a visa pre-application ballot process in the 2024-2025 program year for these high-demand countries later in 2024.
• The registration fee will be AUD25 and open periods for each country will be released at a later date when the Department of Home Affairs releases the supporting legislation.
• Effective July 1, the Philippines will be added to the program after the recent publication of an amendment to the Work and Holiday subclass 462 visa.

Additional Information: Previous registrations lodged for the program in 2023 cannot be used for selection in the new program and the pre-application process will only apply to first Work and Holiday subclass 462 visa applicants from China, Vietnam and India. Foreign nationals from these countries who have already been granted a first Work and Holiday visa can continue applying for a second or third Work and Holiday visa online. Information on the pre-visa application process will be published on the Department’s website.

BAL Analysis: Officials stated that the new ballot aims to provide an equitable, streamlined and transparent means of selecting applicants. The new initiative is specifically designed to address the number of Work and Holiday visa registrations which significantly exceed the number of places available from the participant countries each year. BAL will continue following implementation of the new ballot program and will provide updates as information becomes available.