UK and Irish Working Holiday Makers: What the 2026 Announcement Says and What Is Not Known

Status as at 12 October 2026

- UK exemption from specified work for second and third 417 visas: in force since 1 July 2024, for applications lodged on or after that date using a UK passport. Source: Home Affairs.
- Second and third year ballot (45,000 and 5,000 places): announced on 17 September 2026. No instrument, no start date.
- Ballot treatment of UK passport holders: not stated in the speech, the release or any Home Affairs page we found.
- Ballot treatment of Irish passport holders: not stated. Ireland is not mentioned in the announcement.
- Processing times: Home Affairs says it is normalising times for "most" working holiday applications to around three months. The Minister said UK applications will keep their current processing pace.

The ballot itself is covered on our page on the second and third year ballot.

The UK arrangements that are law now

The Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement entered into force on 31 May 2023. Home Affairs describes the working holiday arrangements that followed:

- From 1 July 2023, UK passport holders can apply for a Working Holiday visa between the ages of 18 and 35 inclusive.
- From 1 July 2024, "UK passport holders can be granted up to three separate Working Holiday visas without having to meet any specified work requirements. These arrangements apply to all Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa applications lodged by UK passport holders on or after 1 July 2024."
- The arrangements are only available to applicants who use a passport issued by the United Kingdom to lodge the application. That includes a British National (Overseas) passport.
- Second and third visa applications can be lodged in or outside Australia.
- The maximum stay stays at three years, made up of three 12-month visas.
- All other program settings continue to apply to UK passport holders, including the six-month work limit per employer and the four-month study limit.

Home Affairs' pages for the second and third Working Holiday visas repeat the point: UK passport holders "can be granted a second Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa without having to meet the 3 months of specified subclass 417 work if they apply on or after 1 July 2024 using their UK passport", and the same for the third visa and 6 months.

Note that this is a rule about the passport used to apply, not about nationality alone.

Ireland: the Working Holiday (417) visa and specified work

Ireland is one of the 417 partner countries. Home Affairs lists the eligible age for Irish passport holders as 18 to 35 years.

The Home Affairs pages for the second and third Working Holiday (subclass 417) visas name UK passport holders as the group exempt from the specified work requirement. They name no other country. Under the current rules, a second visa requires 3 months of specified subclass 417 work and a third requires 6 months, for passports other than the UK passport.

Some people hold both passports. Home Affairs says that, irrespective of which eligible passport a dual national uses, a person can only have three Working Holiday (subclass 417) visas in their lifetime. It gives a worked example of a dual Irish and UK national who entered on a first visa using an Irish passport. Applying for the third visa with the Irish passport would require six months of specified work. Applying with the UK passport on or after 1 July 2024 would not. Home Affairs states that UK citizens who entered on a visa using a different passport, for example an Irish passport, can apply for a second or third visa without the specified work if they use their UK passport to apply on or after 1 July 2024.

Which passport applies in an individual case is a question for that person's circumstances. This page does not give a view on it.

What the announcement says that touches the UK

The speech refers to the UK directly in two places.

On processing, the Minister said the restored speed applies to applicants who have a regional work requirement, and: "There's not a regional requirement with respect to the United Kingdom … So, at the moment we are still in the case where we will be processing at the speed we've been processing the last few years for the UK working holiday maker applications."

On numbers, the speech said that UK working holiday makers were about 17,000 when the free trade agreement was signed, that the previous peak was about 35,000, and that the number is "now just shy of 80,000". Those are the Minister's figures. We have not checked them against a published series.

On the structure of the program, the speech said that "year three, with the exception of the UK, is something that is not part of any free trade agreement". The transcript does not go on to say how that applies to a ballot.

In the question and answer session the Minister said: "We are working within all free trade agreements in everything that I've said … Almost the entirety of the working holiday maker system is dealt with through a series of free trade agreements. I referred to the UK, but it's not the only one."

SBS reported on 17 September 2026 that the changes "will not affect United Kingdom citizens under the rules of a free trade agreement". That is a news report. We found nothing in the primary sources that states it in those words, and we have not treated it as settled.

What the published data shows about UK and Irish numbers

The Home Affairs Working Holiday Maker program report for the six months to 31 December 2025 (BR0110) gives the top countries for visas granted in that period.

- First 417 visas: 83,493 granted in total. The UK was first with 20,702, about 25 per cent.
- Second 417 visas: 31,622 granted in total. The UK was first with 12,501, about 40 per cent. Ireland was third with 3,188, about 10 per cent.
- Third 417 visas: 18,377 granted in total. The UK was first with 9,555, about 52 per cent. Ireland was second with 2,375, about 13 per cent.

The percentages are our arithmetic on the report's figures.

The report also says that 47.8 per cent of second 417 visa holders granted in 2025-26 to 31 December 2025 did not nominate an industry for specified work, and 59.6 per cent of third visa holders in the six months to 31 December 2025. It attributes this to the Australia-UK FTA exemption for UK passport holders who applied on or after 1 July 2024.

These figures count visas granted. They do not tell us how many people would be inside or outside a ballot, because that has not been published.

What is not known

Stated plainly, as at 12 October 2026:

- Whether UK passport holders would be inside the ballot for second and third visas. The announcement does not say. The speech links the UK's arrangements to a free trade agreement and says the Government is "working within" such agreements.
- Whether the UK's exemption from specified work would continue unchanged. Nothing announced changes it, and no instrument has been made.
- Whether Irish passport holders would be in the ballot. Ireland is not mentioned.
- How a ballot would treat a dual UK and Irish national.
- The start date and transitional rules for any ballot.
- Whether the Minister's remarks on UK processing speeds will appear in a Home Affairs notice. The Home Affairs wording refers to "most" working holiday applications and does not name the UK.

The Minister's remarks, the Home Affairs wording and news reports are not a legislative instrument. Until one is made, the arrangements described in the Home Affairs UK page and the second and third visa pages are the current published rules.

One change that is already law

From 2 October 2026, holders of Working Holiday (subclass 417) and Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visas are among 17 classes of visa holder who must apply from outside Australia for a Student (500) or Student Guardian (590) visa. The list is in a legislative instrument, LIN 26/102. Home Affairs' Student visa page says there are "no exemptions to this rule" for those on the list, and that a person who lodges in Australia when they are required to be offshore will have an invalid application. This applies to UK and Irish working holiday makers like any other.

It is unrelated to the second and third year ballot. See our student visa pages for details.

What to watch

For UK and Irish readers, the points to watch are:

- any legislative instrument or Home Affairs page that sets out the ballot and says who is in it
- any statement from the UK or Australian Governments on how the UK free trade agreement applies
- changes to the Home Affairs "arrangements for UK passport holders" page
- any Irish government or Australian Government statement on Ireland's Working Holiday arrangement

This page will be updated if any of them appear. A registered migration agent can assess how published rules apply to a person's circumstances, including which passport they hold.

Do UK passport holders still not need specified work for a second or third working holiday visa?

Yes, on the current published rules. Home Affairs says UK passport holders applying on or after 1 July 2024 using a UK passport do not need to meet the specified work requirement. Nothing announced in September 2026 has been put into an instrument to change that.

Does the 2026 ballot apply to UK passport holders?

Not stated. The speech and release do not say, and no instrument exists. SBS reported that the changes would not affect UK citizens under free trade agreement rules, but that is a news report and we have not treated it as settled.

Does the ballot apply to Irish working holiday makers?

Not stated. Ireland is not mentioned in the announcement. Irish passport holders currently need 3 months of specified work for a second 417 visa and 6 months for a third.

Are Irish passport holders on the 417 or the 462?

The 417. Ireland is one of the Working Holiday (subclass 417) partner countries, with an age range of 18 to 35.

I have both a UK and an Irish passport. Which one matters?

Home Affairs says the passport used to apply matters for the specified work exemption. A person can have only three 417 visas in their lifetime whichever eligible passport they use. Home Affairs gives a worked example on its UK arrangements page. Which passport applies to an individual is a question for that person's situation.

Will UK working holiday visas be processed more slowly?

The Minister said UK applications will continue to be processed at the pace of the last few years, while other applications with a regional requirement return to about three months. Home Affairs' published wording refers to most applications and does not name the UK.

Can I still apply for a student visa in Australia on a working holiday visa?

From 2 October 2026, holders of 417 and 462 visas must apply for a Student (500) or Student Guardian (590) visa from outside Australia. This is law, in LIN 26/102.