Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) Verified 2026-04-19Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462)
Informational guide. The Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) allows young Indians aged 18–30 to work and travel in Australia for up to 12 months, but India has a ballot-based quota. SureshotVisa does not process work visas.
No visa is ever guaranteed — the final decision always rests with the Australia visa authority. We make sure your file is presented at its strongest.
Please note: we do not deal with work permits for foreign countries. For Australia work and migration pathways, consult the Department of Home Affairs directly or a registered Australian Migration Agent (MARA).
Processing
Variable
Stay Duration
12 months
Starting Fee
AUD 670
Apply At
11 VFS centres
Good to know before you apply
Rules that apply to every Australia visa type — worth a quick read so nothing trips up your file.
- 1All Indian applicants MUST apply online via ImmiAccount — there is no paper form, no VFS lodgement. VFS Global is only the biometrics collection agent in India.
- 2Your passport must be valid for the entire duration of your intended stay. Renew BEFORE applying if expiry is within 6 months.
- 3Australia does NOT place a visa sticker in your passport. Your visa is digitally linked to your passport — verify via VEVO after grant.
- 4You must be OUTSIDE Australia when you apply AND when the visa is decided (for most visitor and temporary visas).
- 5Be a 'genuine visitor' — you must intend to return to your home country. Australia's Department of Home Affairs scrutinises this closely for Indian applicants.
- 6Health requirement: you may need a medical examination (chest X-ray, general health check) at a Bupa Medical Visa Services panel physician. Bupa is the only authorised provider in India.
- 7Character requirement: police clearance certificate (PCC) from the passport office may be required if you've spent 12+ months in any country in the last 10 years.
- 8'No Further Stay' condition 8503 is commonly attached to visitor visas — if attached, you cannot apply for another visa while in Australia. Check your grant letter carefully.
- 9Visitor visa holders: be aware of recent laws restricting 'visa hopping' to the Student visa program — you generally cannot switch to Student visa while in Australia on a Visitor visa.
- 10The ballot is the gating step — most applicants never pass this stage because demand far exceeds quota.
- 11Ballot registration is once a year — watch homeaffairs.gov.au for announcements.
- 12Age is calculated at date of application, not date of entry. Plan accordingly.
- 13SureshotVisa does not process this category — consult a MARA-registered Australian Migration Agent.
Who Can Apply
- Indian citizens aged 18–30 (inclusive) at time of visa application
- Functional English (e.g., IELTS 4.5+ or equivalent)
- Tertiary qualification (diploma or degree) OR substantial tertiary study
- Sufficient funds (typically AUD 5,000+)
- No dependent children
- Selected in the annual India ballot (registration opens once per year on homeaffairs.gov.au)
Not eligible under this visa:
- Anyone outside the 18–30 age window
- Applicants without a tertiary qualification or ongoing tertiary study
- Those without functional English
- Applicants with dependent children
- Those not selected in the annual India ballot
What it costs
Government & VFS fees
Paid directly to Australia / VFS — these are not our service fee, and we never mark them up.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) | AUD 670 |
| Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) | AUD 670 |
| Biometrics | ₹1,850 |
The ballot registration itself has a nominal fee (~AUD 25). Only if selected in the ballot do you proceed to pay AUD 670 visa application charge. Additional costs: biometrics, health check, police clearance, English test.
Flights · Hotels · Insurance · Itinerary
What Australia actually requires — and what it does not.
Australia assesses genuine temporary intent — the bookings matter less than the reason you are coming back.
0 of 4 are compulsory for Australia
Flight reservation
A confirmed ticket is not required for the visitor stream. An indicative itinerary matching your approved leave is sufficient.
Where people slip: Applying with open-ended dates. "Genuine temporary entrant" is the test, and open dates argue against you.
How to hold a flight without payingHotel booking
Show where you are staying for the main part of the trip, or give the host's details if you are visiting family.
Where people slip: Listing a family address with no evidence of who lives there.
Refundable hotel booking, explainedTravel insurance
Not required for a visitor visa. Sometimes requested for older applicants, or where a health condition is declared.
Where people slip: Skipping it entirely at 65 or over. If a medical examination is triggered, cover strengthens the file.
What the cover must actually sayTravel itinerary
A plan tied to a real reason — a wedding, a graduation, a sporting season. Specific reasons pass; general tourism is examined harder.
Where people slip: An itinerary longer than the leave your employer approved in writing.
The letter your itinerary attaches toWe arrange all four for your Australia file.
We are a B2B travel agency as well as a visa consultancy, working with partners including Riya Travel — so the flight, the hotel and the policy all come from us, issued the same day, and you deal with one team instead of four. Every booking is a real one under your own name.
What to gather
Documents required
Having a document isn't the same as presenting it right — that's the part we handle.
Ballot-Stage Documents
3 items- Indian passport (valid)Required
- Personal details for ballot registrationRequired
- Ballot registration fee payment (~AUD 25)Required
Visa Application Stage (only if selected in ballot)
6 items- Tertiary qualification evidence (degree/diploma + transcripts)Required
- English test results (IELTS/PTE/Cambridge) at functional levelRequired
- Funds evidence (AUD 5,000+ bank statement)Required
- Police clearance certificateRequired
- Health examination at Bupa Medical Visa ServicesRequired
- Biometrics at VFS Global IndiaRequired
Required · optional / if applicable
The journey.
6 steps from intake to approval. Curved spine on the right shows the natural pace — never as linear as government sites pretend.
- 01
Wait for annual ballot registration window
The Department of Home Affairs announces the India ballot window annually on homeaffairs.gov.au. Registration is open for a short period.
- 02
Register for the ballot via ImmiAccount
Create an ImmiAccount, complete the ballot registration, pay the nominal ballot fee. Only one registration per person per round.
- 03
Ballot draw (random selection)
The Department randomly selects registrations up to the quota (around 1,000 places for India per year). If not selected, you must wait for the next annual round.
- 04
Receive invitation to apply (if selected)
Selected applicants have a limited window (typically 28 days) to lodge a full Work and Holiday visa application.
- 05
Lodge visa application with all supporting evidence
Upload qualifications, English test, funds, biometrics, health check, police clearance. Pay AUD 670 VAC.
- 06
Visa decision
2–6 months typical. Digital visa via VEVO.
Download official forms
Each link opens the official Australia page on VFS Global (we never host third-party forms): pick your visa category there and use its "Download Form" section for the current version.
ImmiAccount — Online Application Portal
Australia's official online visa application portal. ALL Australian visas for Indian applicants must be lodged here — no paper forms, no VFS lodgement. Create your ImmiAccount, select the visa subclass, pay online, and upload documents.
Department of Home Affairs — Official Website
Authoritative source for all Australian visa information. Includes Visa Finder tool, Visa Pricing Estimator, Visa Processing Time Guide, and health requirement details.
Visa Finder Tool
If you're unsure which visa is right for you — answer a few questions and the tool recommends matching visa subclasses.
VEVO — Visa Entitlement Verification Online
After visa grant, use VEVO to check your visa conditions, stay period, and entry rights. Australia grants digital visas only — no sticker in passport.
VFS application centres
Quiz not yet available for this visa type
We're actively building per-visa quizzes. For now, the best way to assess your eligibility for Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462) is a 1-on-1 consultation with our team.
Every case here is different
Tell us your situation and we will tell you what can be done.
There is no honest standard answer for Australia work and holiday visa (subclass 462) — the route depends on who is sponsoring you, what the employer has already started, and which region is processing it. So rather than publish generic answers that may not fit your case, we would rather read your actual situation. Send us what you have: an offer letter, an email from the employer, or just the facts as they stand. A licensed consultant will tell you straight what is possible, what is not, and what it would take.
Reviewed by Paramjit Singh, SureshotVisa — a government-licensed consultancy (Licence 849/DC/PTA/PLA/LC-3/2024). Verify us.
Other Australia Visa Types
Tourist Visa (Subclass 600 — Tourist Stream)
Australian visitor visa for Indian citizens travelling to Australia for tourism, sightseeing, or visiting friends and relatives. Typically 3, 6 or 12 months stay.
View guideBusiness Visa (Subclass 600 — Business Visitor Stream)
Australian business visitor visa for Indian professionals attending meetings, conferences, negotiations, or exploratory business visits. Paid employment is NOT permitted.
View guideSponsored Family Visa (Subclass 600 — Sponsored Family Stream)
Australian visitor visa for Indian citizens visiting close relatives who are Australian citizens/PR holders and who sponsor the application. An Assurance of Support may be required.
View guideElectronic Travel Authority (Subclass 601)
The ETA (subclass 601) is Australia's quick online visa for tourism/business visits, but it is NOT available to Indian passport holders. Indian citizens must apply for the Visitor visa (subclass 600) instead.
View guideeVisitor (Subclass 651)
eVisitor (subclass 651) is a free online visa for short visits to Australia, but it is exclusively for European passport holders. Indian citizens are NOT eligible — apply for subclass 600 instead.
View guideWorking Holiday Visa (Subclass 417)
Informational guide. The Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) is NOT available to Indian passport holders. Indian citizens should refer to the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) via the annual ballot.
View guideStudent Visa (Subclass 500)
The Student visa (subclass 500) allows Indian students to live in Australia and undertake a full-time eligible course of study — school, VET, undergraduate, postgraduate, or research — for up to 6 years.
View guideStudent Guardian Visa (Subclass 590)
The Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) allows an Indian parent, custodian, or close relative aged 21+ to come to Australia to provide care and support for a student visa holder under 18 (or in exceptional cases, 18+).
View guideSource & Disclaimer
Data on this page is sourced from the official VFS Global Australia website and Embassy of Australia. Last verified 2026-04-19. Always verify with the official embassy before applying — fees and requirements change without notice.
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