🇦🇺 Australia pauses caps for certain nationalities on its Work and Holiday Visa

Volare Editorial | July 31, 2026

The Australian Department of Home Affairs has implemented a temporary "Paused" status on the receipt of new applications for the Work and Holiday program (Subclass 462), affecting dozens of nationalities. This measure, based on the management of the Australian government's annual quota system, forces many future travelers to stay alert to official updates.

For more information visita page dedicated to Australia Working Holiday Visa

Australian immigration management closely monitors issuance limits to ensure the sustainability of the program. Below, we break down the latest official data to understand what this pause means, which countries are currently affected, and how the system works.

The quota system and visa statuses

According to Australian immigration sources, the working holiday program is mainly divided into two categories: the Working Holiday (Subclass 417), which generally has no cap on places for eligible countries, and the Work and Holiday (Subclass 462), which operates with an annual maximum cap of visas granted per country.

The government updates the application status for first Work and Holiday visas (Subclass 462) in the following main categories:

• Open: Caps are available and applications are being received normally.

• Paused: The Department deliberately spaces out applications. This is done to avoid exhausting the limit prematurely in the year or because the cap is close to being filled. A "paused" status means the system may reopen later in the same Australian financial year.

• Closed: The country has reached its official limit of granted visas. The system will not receive more applications until the start of the new program year (July 2).

Which countries are Paused or Open?

According to the latest official update from the Department of Home Affairs on July 29, 2026, the situation varies drastically depending on the nationality.

Below is a summary board with the current status of the main nationalities of interest:

Country	Current Status	Official Annual Cap
🇦🇷 Argentina	⏸️ Paused	3,400
🇨🇱 Chile	⏸️ Paused	3,400
🇪🇸 Spain	⏸️ Paused	3,400
🇺🇾 Uruguay	⏸️ Paused	1,500
🇧🇷 Brazil	⏸️ Paused	500
🇵🇹 Portugal	⏸️ Paused	500
🇪🇨 Ecuador	✅ Open	100
🇵🇪 Peru	✅ Open	1,500

Note on other regions: High-demand countries like Thailand and Indonesia are also in a Paused status. For nationalities like China, India, and Vietnam, the government does not use the regular pause system, but a pre-selection ballot system.

What happens if I already applied?

It is essential to clarify that this measure has an exclusive restrictive impact on new applications for the first Subclass 462 visa.

If your visa has already been approved and granted, your country of origin's "paused" status does not affect your right to travel or enter Australia. Similarly, the annual cap restrictions do not apply to applications for second or third Work and Holiday visas.

Future applicants are advised to constantly monitor the official channels of the Department of Home Affairs, as statuses can change from "Paused" to "Open" throughout the operational year.