Is your 462 country cap open, or do you need an alert?

See live status for every Working Holiday Maker (WHM) country, and get a free email alert when yours changes.

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We'll only email you when your country's cap status changes. When a cap opens, Tern submits its customers' prepared applications first, then the free alert list goes out, up to 90 minutes later. Unsubscribe with one click, anytime.

An alert only helps if you can act on it

The free alert is great for watching, but you still need to be ready to act the moment it fires. Caps generally open on Australian weekdays during Canberra office hours, with no notice, which for applicants in Europe and South America usually means the middle of the night. A high-demand window can close before you wake up. Prepare your application with Tern instead: we hold it ready and submit it automatically the moment your cap opens.

The official status page can lag by 48 hours

Home Affairs publishes cap status on its website, but by its own admission, updates may not appear straight away, sometimes for up to two days. Tern checks ImmiAccount, the actual government application system, at least every 2 hours, and more often when a cap is about to change. What you see below reflects what's really happening right now, not what's been published yet.
Check Home Affairs for yourself

Live cap status, every country

Caps generally open on Australian weekdays during Canberra office hours. There's no notice and no published schedule.
Last checked Oct 3, 2026, 11:54 PM
Country
Annual cap
Status
Openings
Opened Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 11:17 AM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 20 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 12:10 PM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 28 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
OpeningsNo openings detected since our record began on Jun 27, 2026.Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 01:42 PM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 28 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 04:10 PM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 28 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 08:52 AM GMT+10, open for about 12 hours
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 32 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 10:22 AM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 28 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 01:42 PM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 28 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
India
1,000
Ballot
Indonesia
5,000
Ballot
Openings
Opened Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 04:10 PM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 28 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 10:22 AM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 28 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 11:17 AM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 24 hours
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
OpeningsNo openings detected since our record began on Jun 27, 2026.Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Mon, Jul 6, 2026, 10:10 AM GMT+10, open for about 18 days
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 3 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
People's Republic of China
5,000
Ballot
Openings
Opened Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 10:57 AM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 36 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 04:10 PM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 28 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 01:42 PM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 24 hours
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, still open
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 08:52 AM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 28 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 12:10 PM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 28 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 10:22 AM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 27 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 08:52 AM GMT+10, still open
Opened Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 10:22 AM GMT+10, open for about 4 hours
Opened Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 01:42 PM GMT+10, open for about 6 hours
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 24 hours
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 01:42 PM GMT+10, open for about 2 days
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 24 hours
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 08:52 AM GMT+10, still open
Opened Thu, Sep 3, 2026, 06:10 PM GMT+10, open for about 6 hours
Opened Thu, Sep 3, 2026, 10:10 AM GMT+10, open for about 4 hours
Opened Thu, Sep 3, 2026, 04:10 AM GMT+10, open for about 4 hours
Opened Wed, Sep 2, 2026, 10:10 PM GMT+10, open for about 4 hours
Opened Wed, Sep 2, 2026, 04:10 PM GMT+10, open for about 4 hours
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 28 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Thu, Aug 27, 2026, 10:10 AM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 36 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Openings
Opened Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 12:10 PM GMT+10, still open
Opened Fri, Jul 3, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+10, open for about 28 days
Times are when our checks detected each change, so durations are approximate. Checks run about every 2 hours, so a shorter opening can be missed.
Vietnam
1,500
Ballot
A paused status doesn't mean the places are gone. Home Affairs deliberately pauses high-demand countries to spread applications out across the year, and says it reopens paused caps later in the same program year.

How the 462 country cap works

What is the 462 country cap?

The subclass 462 (Work and Holiday) visa limits how many visas Australia grants from each country every program year. The cap counts visas actually granted, not applications received, so a country can stop accepting new applications well before it reaches its limit. That's because Home Affairs also pauses high-demand countries on purpose, to spread applications out across the year rather than process them all at once. Not every capped country fills its quota, and lower-demand countries stay open for longer. The ones people worry about are the high-demand countries, like Spain, Brazil and Portugal, where Home Affairs actively manages the flow of applications. Limits are set country by country, and they can change from one year to the next.

What OPEN, PAUSED, CLOSED and BALLOT mean

There are four cap statuses, and the difference between them decides what you can do today. Open means the country is accepting applications right now. Paused doesn't usually mean the places are gone (more on that below), but new applications aren't being accepted at this moment. Closed means the year's limit has been reached, and the cap won't reopen until the new program year starts. Ballot is different again, and applies only to China, India and Vietnam. A first 462 visa from these three countries isn't first come, first served. An application can't be submitted until you've registered for a pre-application ballot and been invited, so watching the cap status doesn't apply to them at all.

Why a paused cap usually isn't full

Home Affairs pauses a cap for one of two reasons. Most often, it's deliberately spacing applications out so it can process them steadily through the year instead of all at once. Less often, it's watching a country closely because it's nearing its annual limit. Either way, Home Affairs says it reopens a paused cap later in the same program year to accept new applications. A pause is usually temporary, and your country may still have places available this year. Reopenings are real, but they're ad hoc. Nobody announces a date in advance, and how long a cap stays open depends on demand: for some countries only a few hours, for others days or weeks. That's exactly why watching the live status beats assuming a pause will resolve on its own.

The program year, and when closed caps reset

Australia's working holiday program year runs from 1 July to 30 June. A closed cap doesn't reopen until the start of the next program year, in early July (2 July for 2026-27, with 1 July set aside for departmental systems maintenance). Every country's annual limit resets on that date, so a country that closed months earlier becomes available again. Indonesia and Mongolia are flagged to open later in the year, with timing still to be confirmed. The ballot countries don't follow this pattern at all, since a first 462 visa there depends on an invitation, not a cap resetting.

Why the official status page can be wrong

The Department of Home Affairs runs an official cap status page, and it says plainly that the information can be up to 48 hours out of date. That means a cap can reopen on a Monday while the page still shows it closed on Wednesday. In a high-demand country where places refill fast, two days can be the difference between getting in and waiting for the next program year. Tern checks ImmiAccount, the actual government application system, at least every 2 hours, and more often when a cap is about to change, so the table above reflects what's really happening right now, not what's been published yet.

Common questions

A paused cap usually doesn't mean your country has run out of places. Home Affairs pauses a cap either to deliberately space applications out and process them steadily through the year, or to watch a country closely as it nears its annual limit. Either way, it says paused caps reopen later in the same program year. Keep watching: a paused cap can change to open at any time, without notice.
Closed caps reopen at the start of the new program year, in early July (2 July for 2026-27, with 1 July set aside for departmental systems maintenance). The program year runs 1 July to 30 June, and every country's annual limit resets on that date. Indonesia and Mongolia are flagged to open later in the year, with timing still to be confirmed.
At least every 2 hours, and more often when a cap is about to change. Tern checks ImmiAccount directly, the actual government application system, rather than relying on the Department's published status page. Around the early-July reopening, when timing matters most, we check even more often.
Generally, caps open on Australian weekdays during Canberra office hours. There's no notice and no published schedule. For applicants in Europe and South America, that usually means the middle of the night. How long a cap stays open depends on demand: for some countries only a few hours, for others days or weeks. Pauses can land at any hour. Tern holds your prepared application and submits it the moment the cap opens.
The Department of Home Affairs says its own status page can lag reality by up to 48 hours. A cap can reopen while the page still shows it closed, so refreshing that page isn't a reliable way to catch a reopening.
Most 462 countries have an annual cap you can watch, including Spain, Brazil, Indonesia and Portugal. China, India and Vietnam work differently: a first 462 visa from these three runs through a pre-application ballot instead of a cap, so entry depends on being invited, not on cap status. Cap alerts don't apply to these three countries.
No official 'one out, one in' system exists. The cap counts visas granted, and a reopening is an administrative decision Home Affairs makes when it chooses to release more places, in tranches, not an automatic swap triggered by someone else's refusal or withdrawal.
Usually, but it isn't guaranteed. In 2024-25, Malaysia's paused cap turned into a closure without reopening first. Treat 'paused caps reopen' as the usual pattern, not a promise, which is exactly why a live alert beats assuming a pause will resolve in your favour.
Yes. Add your country and email, and we'll let you know when your country's cap status changes. There's no charge and no application required to sign up.
When a cap opens, Tern submits every prepared application from its customers first. Once that's done, the free alert list goes out, which is why an alert can take up to 90 minutes to reach you. For a high-demand country that stays open only a few hours, that head start matters. Applying through Tern puts you in that first wave instead of on the free alert list.