Working Holiday visa changes from 1 July 2026: age is now tested at lodgement
Before you rely on this. This article was published on 11 July 2026 and describes the changes that commenced on 1 July 2026. Migration rules and charges change often. Always confirm the current position with the Department of Home Affairs, or speak to a registered migration agent, before you lodge.
Two changes to the Working Holiday Maker program commenced on 1 July 2026, and both are good news if you were worried about ageing out.
Your age is now assessed when you lodge
The age criteria for the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) and the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) now sit in Schedule 1 of the Migration Regulations, which Home Affairs checks at lodgement.
In plain terms: if you met the age requirement on the day you lodged, having a birthday while your application is being processed no longer affects your eligibility. That removed a genuine risk for anyone applying close to the cut-off.
The age limit rose to 35 for four countries
Passport holders from Cyprus, Finland, Germany and the Republic of Korea can now apply for a Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) if they are aged 18 to 35 inclusive, up from 18 to 30. They can lodge up to 11:59pm AEST on the day before their 36th birthday.
Two limits on that:
- If your passport is from any other country, the subclass 417 age limit stays at 18 to 30.
- The Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) age limit is unchanged at 18 to 30 across the board.
All of the above applies to applications lodged on or after 1 July 2026.
What this means for you
If you hold a Cypriot, Finnish, German or South Korean passport and assumed you had aged out at 30, you may not have. It is worth checking, because the window is now five years wider.
If you are close to the cut-off in any country, the lodgement change means the date you apply is what counts. Lodging a complete application before your birthday is what protects you.
You can confirm current eligibility on the Home Affairs Working Holiday Maker program page.
Talk it through before you lodge
If you are not sure which working holiday visa you qualify for, or whether your age still works, ask us. AIS Immigration Solutions are registered migration agents in Brisbane, and we work with clients around the world. Call +61 7 3216 0052 or send us a message and we will give you a straight answer.