Registration for the 2026-27 Australian Work and Holiday (subclass 462) ballot opens on Thursday 4 June 2026 and closes Thursday 25 June 2026. Citizens of China (mainland PRC passport), India, and Vietnam pay an AUD $25 non-refundable fee to register once via ImmiAccount. Selection is by random electronic draw across the program year. If selected, you have 28 calendar days from the Notification of Selection email to lodge a complete 462 application from outside Australia. The 2026-27 caps are 5,000 first 462s for China, 1,000 for India, and 1,500 for Vietnam.
- Registration window: Thursday 4 June 2026 to Thursday 25 June 2026, via ImmiAccount.
- Fee: AUD $25 per registration, non-refundable in all circumstances. One registration per applicant per round.
- Invitation validity: 28 calendar days from the date of the Notification of Selection email. Lodge from outside Australia.
- 2026-27 caps for first 462s: China 5,000, India 1,000, Vietnam 1,500.
- The $25 fee and the visa application charge are separate. The 462 visa application charge (AUD $670) is paid only if you are selected and lodge. The price goes up on 1 July each year.
- The ballot is the gate, not the visa. Selection gives you the right to apply. The Department still assesses age, English, education, funds, health, character, and no-dependent-children at lodgement.
If you hold a Chinese, Indian, or Vietnamese passport and you have been hoping to spend a year working and travelling in Australia, the next few weeks decide whether 2026-27 is your year. Registration for the Department of Home Affairs Work and Holiday (subclass 462) ballot opens on Thursday 4 June 2026 and closes on Thursday 25 June 2026. You get one shot, you pay AUD $25, and a random draw later decides whether you get an invitation to lodge.
That feels like a lot of weight on a three-week window, and it is. The ballot replaced a system where first 462 places filled in minutes, often locking out applicants who simply could not get their documents and ImmiAccount session up fast enough on the morning the cap opened. It is fairer. It is also more impersonal, and easier to misunderstand. This guide walks through how the 2026-27 ballot works, what the AUD $25 buys you, what the 28-day invitation window really means, and the preparation worth doing in the next few days before registration opens.
What is the 2026-27 462 ballot?
The 462 ballot is a pre-application registration process for first Work and Holiday visa applicants from China (mainland PRC passport holders), India, and Vietnam. Registration runs from 4 June to 25 June 2026, and selection happens by random electronic draw in rounds across the program year (1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027). It exists because demand for these three first-462 caps consistently outstrips supply, and the previous first-come-first-served model effectively turned the cap opening into a race that rewarded internet speed over eligibility.
The ballot was introduced on 1 October 2024 and is now the only way to obtain a first 462 from these three countries. Registering is not the same as applying for a visa; it is buying the right to be considered. If you are selected, you then lodge a full 462 application through ImmiAccount and pay the standard visa application charge separately.
Registration buys the right to apply. It does not buy a visa. Demand exceeds supply significantly, and the Department does not publish registration counts in advance.
2026-27 462 ballot at a glance
Who can register for the 462 ballot?
To register, you must hold a passport from China (mainland PRC), India, or Vietnam, be aged 18 to 30 inclusive, not have previously held a 417 or 462 visa, and not be applying with dependent children. Those are baseline eligibility requirements you should confirm before paying the AUD $25, because the fee does not come back if you later turn out to be ineligible.
The full 462 criteria (functional English, post-secondary education, around AUD $5,000 in funds plus a return ticket, health, character) only need to be evidenced at the lodgement stage if you are selected. But you should be confident you can meet them before you register, because a Notification of Selection is useless if you cannot put together a complete application in 28 days.
China (mainland PRC passport)
- Education: A tertiary qualification (degree, graduate certificate, diploma) or at least two years of completed undergraduate university study.
- English: Functional English, typically demonstrated by IELTS Academic or General Training with an average band of 4.5, or an equivalent score in PTE, TOEFL iBT, or Cambridge. The test must be within 12 months of lodgement.
- Funds: Approximately AUD $5,000 plus a return airfare (or evidence of funds to buy one).
India
- Education: At least two years of completed post-secondary study (degree, diploma, or equivalent).
- English: Functional English, same IELTS 4.5 threshold or equivalent.
- Funds: Approximately AUD $5,000 plus a return airfare.
Vietnam
- Education: A tertiary qualification, or two years of completed undergraduate study.
- English: Functional English. IELTS 4.5 average or equivalent, OR a year of full-time study conducted in English at secondary or tertiary level, OR a passport from a country with English as an official language (which is not Vietnam, so most applicants will need a test).
- Funds: Approximately AUD $5,000 plus a return airfare.
None of the three ballot countries require a separate government support letter.
How does the 462 ballot work step by step?
The ballot is a five-step process: confirm eligibility, register and pay, wait for the draw, lodge within 28 days if invited, then wait for the decision. Each step has its own gotchas, and the 28-day clock is the most common one to mishandle.
1. Confirm your eligibility before paying
Before you spend AUD $25, walk through the universal 462 criteria above. Age at registration, valid passport, no prior 417 or 462, no dependent children. Then check the country-specific education and English thresholds you will need at lodgement. The Department does not give refunds because you discovered after registering that you cannot meet the English requirement.
2. Register and pay AUD $25 via ImmiAccount
Between 4 and 25 June 2026, log into ImmiAccount and complete the 462 ballot registration. You enter your personal and passport details, confirm baseline eligibility, and pay AUD $25. The fee is non-refundable in every circumstance: if you withdraw, if you are not selected, if you become ineligible later, the money does not come back. Your details must be correct when you submit, because there is no correction process after registration is lodged.
3. Wait for the random draw
Once registration closes on 25 June 2026, the Department runs random electronic draws in rounds across the 2026-27 program year. You will not be notified if you are unsuccessful in a given round. Your status is visible in ImmiAccount.
If you do not hear anything for weeks, that is normal. The Department only emails people who are selected.
4. If selected, lodge within 28 calendar days
If your registration is drawn, you receive a Notification of Selection email. The same notification appears in ImmiAccount. You then have 28 calendar days from the date of that email to lodge a complete 462 application via ImmiAccount, from outside Australia. Miss the 28-day deadline and the invitation expires. There is no extension, no second chance from the same registration, no rolling over to the next round.
5. Lodge the application and pay the visa application charge
A complete 462 lodgement includes: passport bio page, English test result within 12 months, evidence of post-secondary education, evidence of approximately AUD $5,000 in funds plus a return ticket, health examinations, and character documents. The three ballot countries do not require a separate government support letter, so you can skip that one. You pay the 462 visa application charge (AUD $670, with the price going up on 1 July each year) at lodgement. This is separate from the AUD $25 ballot fee.
The Department then assesses your application against standard 462 criteria. An invitation does not guarantee a grant. If granted, your 462 has a 12-month visa period that starts on your first entry to Australia, and you have 12 months from grant to make that first entry.
What are your odds of being selected?
The Department does not publish registration counts before the draw, so true odds are not knowable when you register. The 2024-25 round gives a useful anchor. SBS reported 98,019 valid registrations from India alone for the 1,000-place Indian cap (roughly 1 in 98 odds), and 139,633 total valid registrations across China, India, and Vietnam combined. The 2026-27 caps are unchanged from 2024-25: 5,000 first 462s for China, 1,000 for India, 1,500 for Vietnam. 2026-27 demand may differ, but as a starting point the 2024-25 ratios are the most concrete signal we have.
What we can say is this. Your odds are not simply cap divided by registrations. A meaningful share of registrations belong to applicants who turn out to be ineligible, never lodge if invited, or fail to lodge within the 28-day window. The effective denominator is smaller than the headline registration count, and the practical odds for a well-prepared applicant are better than the raw ratio suggests. That is not a guarantee. It is a reason not to despair at the headline figures and not to skip registration on the assumption that the odds are hopeless.
The actionable point is simpler. If you are eligible, the AUD $25 is a small price for a non-zero chance. If you are not selected, you have lost the fee. If you are selected and not ready to lodge in 28 days, you have lost both the fee and the place.
Common 462 ballot misconceptions
The ballot is new enough that misconceptions are still circulating. These are the ones we hear most often.
- "Registering is the same as applying for the visa." It is not. Registration buys the right to be considered. The full application happens only if you are selected.
- "The AUD $25 comes back if I am not selected." It does not. The fee is non-refundable in all circumstances.
- "Registering multiple times improves my odds." It does not. One registration per applicant per round. Duplicates are excluded.
- "An invitation guarantees a visa." It does not. The Department still assesses health, character, English, funds, education, and the no-dependent-children rule at lodgement.
- "I have to be living in China, India, or Vietnam to register." No. You can register from inside or outside Australia. But if you are selected, you must be outside Australia when you lodge the actual 462 application.
- "The cap and the ballot are the same thing." The cap is the number of first 462s the Department will grant per country in a program year. The ballot is the selection process used to allocate those places fairly.
- "My invitation lasts the whole program year." It does not. It lasts 28 calendar days.
- "I can register after 25 June if I miss the window." You cannot. Late registration is not possible. Next chance is the 2027-28 ballot.
- "Last year's registration carries over." It does not. Registrations do not roll over between program years.
- "I should wait to be invited before preparing documents." This is the most costly misconception. If you are selected, you have 28 days. Functional English evidence must be within 12 months of lodgement. The applicants who handle the 28-day window calmly are the ones who already have IELTS done, education documents organised, and bank statements ready before they ever register.
What to do in the next few days before 4 June
Selection odds are slim, so do not spend money on evidence you may not need. The right preparation is an audit: for each piece of evidence you would need to lodge a 462 application, work out how long it will take you to obtain, and decide whether you can realistically do it inside the 28-day window if you are selected.
- Passport — check it is current and valid through your intended travel period in Australia. If it is not, renewing now makes sense regardless of the ballot outcome.
- English test — only book one in advance if you cannot get a test booked, sat, and the result issued inside about three weeks. In most cities IELTS, PTE, TOEFL iBT, and Cambridge tests have short lead times, so for confident English speakers it is reasonable to wait until you are selected. If your English is borderline or test availability in your city is poor, book early. The result must be within 12 months of lodgement.
- Tertiary education evidence — confirm you can get transcripts and degree certificates within a few weeks. If your institution is slow to issue documents, request them now. Two years of completed undergraduate study works for China and Vietnam; two years of post-secondary study works for India.
- Funds and return airfare — you need to be able to evidence approximately AUD $5,000 plus a return airfare (or funds to buy one). A stable balance over time is stronger evidence than a sudden balance spike, so think now about how your account history will read at lodgement.
- ImmiAccount — set one up and confirm you can log in. Do this before 4 June, not on 4 June when the system will be under load.
- Money for the fees themselves — AUD $25 for the registration, and approximately AUD $670 for the 462 visa application charge if you are selected.
The principle is: be ready to execute inside 28 days if you are invited, without committing real money to evidence preparation before you know you have a place.
What happens if you are not selected?
The Department does not notify unsuccessful registrants directly. You can monitor your status in ImmiAccount. If your registration does not come through in any of the 2026-27 rounds, you can register again in the 2027-28 ballot. There is no priority carried over for prior unsuccessful registrations.
For applicants close to the age 30 ceiling, missing one ballot can mean missing the visa entirely. The 462 age limit is 30 inclusive at the time of registration and application, so a 30-year-old registering in June 2026 is still eligible, but a 31st birthday before the registration date would close the door. Plan accordingly.
Frequently asked questions
Where to go next
Tern currently supports Work and Holiday applications for non-ballot countries: the UK, Germany, Japan, Canada, Italy, and the other 417 and 462 partner countries that allocate places without a ballot. If you are applying from one of those, our ultimate guide to the Working Holiday visa is the place to start, and our age-limits guide covers the cut-off rules that catch a lot of applicants out.
If you are registering for the 2026-27 ballot from China, India, or Vietnam, this guide is the support we can offer today. We are following the program closely and will update this post as the 2026-27 rounds run. If our coverage expands to invited-from-ballot 462 applicants in future program years, this is where we will say so first.
Primary sources worth bookmarking for the next few weeks:
