Australia Stops Temporary Labor Visa Applications From 24 Countries

Australia has temporarily halted accepting new Work and Holiday visa applications from citizens of 24 countries as the administration slows processing under its Working Holiday Maker program.

Key points

• Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke remarked Working Holiday Maker visas were being processed more gradually than before but did not provide further details regarding the change.
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• The Department of Home Affairs remarked reforms to the Working Holiday Maker program would assist control demand and provide a fairer system for allocating visas.
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• The suspension applies to the subclass 462 Work and Holiday visa, a temporary visa that allows young individuals from eligible countries to travel and work in Australia.

In practice, the suspension applies to the subclass 462 Work and Holiday visa, a temporary visa that allows young individuals from eligible countries to travel and work in Australia. The program is additionally employed to support address short-term labor shortages. Canada Increases Processing Time for Citizenship Applications.

According to Australia's Department of Home Affairs, applications have been paused for.

Meanwhile, the administration has additionally not given a specific reason for pausing applications from the 24 countries. The Home Affairs website notes applications may be temporarily suspended when a country's annual visa allocation is close to being filled, to spread applications throughout the program year, or to backing the government's broader migration settings.

Notably, the move affects most countries participating in the capped subclass 462 program. It at present covers 29 countries.

Applications remain open for San Marino and Türkiye. It each have an annual allocation of 100 places. China, India, and Vietnam are additionally continuing under a ballot-based application system.

Immigration lawyer Chris Johnston described the scale of the suspension as unusual, noting that individual countries have faced pauses previously but that stopping applications from almost the entire group is different. US Tightens Green Card Application Rules.

Meanwhile, the changes were not formally confirmed and instead appeared on the Department of Home Affairs website.

Although the administration has not confirmed this, experts have suggested the decision could be linked to Australia's efforts to reduce net overseas migration. The Labor administration is targeting annual net migration of 225, 000 residents.

For context, the Department of Home Affairs remarked reforms to the Working Holiday Maker program would assist control demand and provide a fairer system for allocating visas.

Applicants who have not yet submitted applications from the affected countries will have to wait until applications reopen. Those who have already applied may additionally face longer processing times. Obtain the latest international news and global stories wherever you prefer.

Taken together, the developments around australia Stops Temporary Labor Visa Applications From 24 Countries point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.