Australia subclass 462 visa closing June 25

Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has opened a three-week registration window for Indian passport holders seeking a Work and Holiday visa under Subclass 462 for the 2026-27 program year. Registrations run from Thursday, June 4, 2026, to Thursday, June 25, 2026, and the department says all advertised windows are in Australian Eastern Standard Time. The Subclass 462 route is not a straight visa application for Indian citizens. Home Affairs says passport holders from India, China and Vietnam must first complete a pre-application ballot and be randomly selected before they can lodge a first Work and Holiday visa application. For Indian applicants, that means the June 25 date is the deadline to register for the ballot, not necessarily the deadline to file the full visa application. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) Home Affairs says selected applicants will later get a period to apply, and future random-selection dates will be published on the government’s ballot page after they take place. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) ### Is June 25 the visa deadline or the ballot deadline? June 25, 2026, is the closing date for ballot registration for the 2026-27 program year. Home Affairs says registrations for China, India and Vietnam “will remain open for 3 weeks” from June 4 to June 25. The government’s visa page draws a second step. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) Home Affairs says Indian passport holders “must participate in a visa pre-application process (ballot) and be randomly selected” to apply for a first Subclass 462 visa. ### Who can enter from India? Indian passport holders must be between 18 and 30 years old, inclusive, when they register, according to Home Affairs. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) The department also says applicants must hold a valid Indian passport, a valid national identity card from an eligible ballot country, a valid email address, and an ImmiAccount. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) The visa itself is aimed at young adults taking an extended holiday in Australia while working to help fund the trip. Home Affairs says a first Subclass 462 visa allows a stay of 12 months. ### How much does it cost, and what numbers matter most? The ballot registration fee is AUD25, according to Home Affairs. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) That payment is for the pre-application ballot step. The first-visa annual cap for India is 1,000 places in the current country-cap listing on the Home Affairs website. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) That cap applies to first Work and Holiday visas, while the department says second and third Subclass 462 visas are not capped in the same way. The first Subclass 462 visa application itself is listed at AUD670 on the government visa page. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) Home Affairs also says applicants should not arrange travel before they are told in writing that the visa has been granted. ### Why are Indian applicants in a ballot at all? India joined Australia’s Working Holiday Maker program on September 16, 2024, according to the Home Affairs latest-news page. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) The department says the arrangement was reached under the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, or AI-ECTA. The ballot system exists because demand exceeds the number of places available in some partner countries. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) Home Affairs says the process is used for “high-demand” countries and is intended to select applicants randomly. ### What should applicants watch after June 25? April 30, 2027, is when all registrations for the 2026-27 ballot cycle expire, Home Affairs says. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) The department says it will conduct future random selections throughout the program year and publish those dates on the ballot page after they take place. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) The Home Affairs country-cap page currently lists India as “CHECK BALLOT STATUS,” and applicants can track that page along with the Subclass 462 ballot page for updates on selections and the next application step. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au 1) (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au 2)