What’s changing for second and third-year visas
| What changed | Before 17 Sept 2026 | If the reform takes effect |
|---|---|---|
| Places a year | About 57,000 | 45,000, by ballot |
| How you got in | Guaranteed once you’d done the work | The work would only enter you in the ballot |
| Regional work needed | 88 days | 88 days, unchanged |
| What changed | Before 17 Sept 2026 | If the reform takes effect |
|---|---|---|
| Places a year | About 31,000 | 5,000, by ballot |
| How you got in | Guaranteed once you’d done the work | The work would only enter you in the ballot |
| Regional work needed | 6 months | 6 months, unchanged |
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke proposed this on 17 September 2026, part of a wider migration cut. It would affect people renewing a working holiday visa into a second or third year, not first-timers. The UK is handled separately under its trade deal with Australia, and it isn’t law yet.
The visa itself isn’t changing, only your odds of extending it. Compare fares now, but Home Affairs says to wait until your visa is granted before you book.
Which Australian city to fly into
Australia’s biggest job market for hospitality and retail work, but the priciest rent of the four.
A deep hospitality and retail scene, with an easy train out to Victoria’s fruit-picking regions.
Closest of the four to Queensland’s farm regions, where regional work counts toward your 88 days.
Closest to Western Australia’s mining and farm regions, and the cheapest fare of the four.
All four cities sit within about USD 10 of each other from London.
Questions
Does the new ballot mean I might not get a second-year visa at all?
Yes, if the proposal takes effect. Completing 88 days of regional work currently guarantees a second-year visa. Under the proposal it would only enter you into a ballot for one of 45,000 places, cut from about 57,000.
Do I still need to do regional work?
Yes, unchanged. It’s 88 days for a second-year visa and 6 months for a third-year visa, whether or not the ballot goes your way.
How does the ballot actually work?
If it goes ahead, you’d complete the regional work first, then be entered into a draw for one of the capped places. The government hasn’t published how often draws would run or what happens if you miss out.
Who will be affected by the new ballot?
The government hasn’t published full nationality-by-nationality rules for the proposed ballot yet. UK Working Holiday Makers are treated separately under the Australia-UK free trade agreement, and detail for other passport holders is still to be confirmed.
When do these changes actually start?
Minister Tony Burke proposed the ballot on 17 September 2026, but it isn’t law yet. The Department of Home Affairs hasn’t published a start date. The same announcement also limits how many family members international students can bring, covered in our Australia student dependants guide.
How much does a Working Holiday visa cost now?
A first Working Holiday visa has cost AUD 840 since 1 July 2026. A second or third one is currently AUD 1,000.
Sources
- VisasNews, “Australia announces reforms to Working Holiday and Visitor visas”, retrieved 21 September 2026.
- PathwayToAus, “Tony Burke’s 17 Sept 2026 Announcement: Explaining Every Australia Migration Change”, retrieved 21 September 2026.
- The Daily Aus, “Government to slash working holiday visa allocations”, retrieved 21 September 2026.
- Gulf News, “Australia’s New Visa Rules Explained: Key Changes for Backpackers and International Students in 2026”, retrieved 23 September 2026.
- dpa international via Yahoo Travel, “Months-long waits threaten Australian working holiday plans”, 16 September 2026, retrieved 23 September 2026.
- Australian Department of Home Affairs, Working Holiday Maker visa program (subclass 417 and 462): named as the primary regulator. Implementation detail for the ballot had not been published at the time of writing.
- Wego flights search, sampled 16 November 2026, in USD.
How these figures were produced
- Cap figures (about 57,000 for year two, about 31,000 for year three) are the government’s own stated prior-year numbers, rounded, as reported in the 17 September 2026 announcement.
- Fares are a one-way economy snapshot sampled 16 November 2026, priced from London in USD and shown without an origin selector because Working Holiday Maker arrivals come from more than 40 passport countries. USD was chosen as the neutral currency for that reason, not a conversion from another currency.
- Ballot places, work requirements and fees reflect the 17 September 2026 proposal and government fee schedule. It is not yet law and every figure could still change.
- The UK is exempt from the ballot under the Australia-UK free trade agreement. Full nationality-by-nationality rules for other passport holders have not been published.
- Correction, 23 September 2026: an earlier version of this page said Pacific-nation and PhD-student applicants were also exempt from this ballot. That exemption belongs to a different part of the same announcement, the cap on international students bringing family members, and has been removed from this page.
Disclaimer: We’ve worked hard to make sure the information in this article is as accurate and up to date as possible at the time of publishing. Travel details such as prices, schedules, visa rules, and entry requirements can change at short notice, so it remains your responsibility to verify the current details with official sources before you book or travel. Wego accepts no liability for any loss or inconvenience arising from the use of this content.
