Australia working holiday visa for Indian citizens

This page is for citizens of India who want to apply for an Australian working holiday. The program is the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462). It allows you to stay in Australia for up to 12 months. To be eligible, you must be between 18 and 30 years old.

The application fee for a first visa is AUD840.00. You will also need to show you have sufficient funds for your stay, which is about AUD5,000 plus the cost of your fare to leave Australia. This visa lets you do short-term work to help pay for your holiday and study for up to 4 months.

Passport

India

Age range

18 to 30

Stay

Up to 12 months

Fee

AUD840.00 (first visa)

Funds

About AUD5,000 plus your fare out

Places

1,000 first visas per program year

Status when checked

Managed by ballot

Conditions for Indian citizens

• Education: At least 2 years of post-secondary study (study after Year 12 or equivalent) successfully completed.
• English: you need at least Functional English (for example an IELTS average band of 4.5 or more, or PTE Academic 30 or more, from a test in the last 12 months).
• First visas for this passport go through a pre-application ballot.

General rules of the program

• Up to 12 months from first entry; you must enter within 12 months of the grant date.
• Short-term work to help pay for the holiday; usually no more than 6 months with the same employer.
• Study for up to 4 months (17 weeks).
• Usually about AUD5,000 for the initial stay, plus the fare to leave Australia.
• Apply online from outside Australia; you must also be outside Australia when the visa is decided.
• You cannot include family members, and dependent children cannot accompany you.
• You must not have entered Australia before on a subclass 417 or 462 visa.
• 3 months of specified subclass 462 work can make you eligible for a second Work and Holiday visa.
• Apply before midnight Australian Eastern time on the day before your 31st birthday.
• Home Affairs says the average processing time is expected to be around three months and advises against booking travel before the grant.

What stands out

For Indian passport holders, this visa program is managed by a ballot system and has a cap of 1,000 first visas per program year. This means you must enter a pre-application ballot before you can apply for the visa itself. There are also specific education and English language requirements. You must have completed at least 2 years of post-secondary study and demonstrate at least Functional English, for example with an IELTS average band of 4.5 or a PTE Academic score of 30 from a test taken in the last 12 months.

How to apply, step by step

1. Check that your passport is on the list for this subclass and that you are within the age limit on the day you lodge.
2. Gather your passport pages, birth certificate, proof of funds and the other documents Home Affairs lists.
3. For subclass 462, check the cap status for your country, and get your education evidence, English evidence and any required government support letter ready.
4. Apply online through ImmiAccount from outside Australia and pay the visa application charge.
5. Wait for the decision outside Australia; Home Affairs advises not to book travel until the visa is granted.
6. Enter Australia within 12 months of the grant.

All passports for this program: Australia working holiday visas: subclass 417 and 462.