Australia Subclass 462 Ballot: What to Do If You Are Selected
For a Chinese passport holder seeking a first Australian Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462), the ballot and the visa decision are separate stages. Registration, random selection, lodging the visa application and receiving a grant are four different events. Being selected does not create a visa or confirm that the applicant meets age, health, character or other visa criteria.
First-time Chinese passport applicants must use the ballot
Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has a pre-application ballot for first Work and Holiday (subclass 462) applicants holding passports from China, India and Vietnam. To register, a Chinese passport holder must create or use an ImmiAccount, meet the registration age requirement, hold a valid passport and national identity card from an eligible participating country, provide and verify an email address, agree to the registration declarations and pay the AUD 25 registration fee. The applicant must be aged 18 to 30 inclusive when registering. The ballot registration fee is separate from the visa application charge.
As at 22 October 2026, the Department lists China’s 2026–27 registration period as closed. People who have already registered may still be selected in later random selections during the program year. The Department says it will continue selections during the year and publish dates after they occur. Do not describe the closed registration period as open, or treat an unannounced selection date as confirmed.
Selection is followed by a separate visa application
If you receive a selection notice, follow the notice and the current instructions in ImmiAccount. The Department says selected first-time applicants can apply for the first subclass 462 visa only from outside Australia. The ballot is a pre-application process; the visa application must still be lodged separately, the applicable visa charge paid, and the applicant assessed against the full criteria. A ballot registration fee is not the visa application charge, and selection itself is not approval.
Check these details before lodging
Confirm that the passport is eligible for subclass 462, then check age, any previous subclass 417 or 462 travel history, the applicant’s location, health and character requirements, and whether dependent children are involved. A first subclass 462 application generally must be made from outside Australia, and visa holders cannot be accompanied by dependent children during their stay. Someone who has already entered Australia on a 417 or 462 visa may need to consider the rules for a second visa instead. Residence in Hong Kong, a Hong Kong identity card or the language used for an enquiry does not change the visa category attached to the passport.
Create or sign into ImmiAccount, answer the form accurately, attach the required documents, pay the application charge and keep the transaction reference and lodgement acknowledgement. Respond to any request for further information. Processing varies with the case and checks required; Home Affairs advises applicants not to book flights or make work or study commitments until the visa is granted.
What should applicants do now?
If you have registered, keep the confirmation and email, and monitor ImmiAccount and Department notices. Do not submit duplicate registrations or pay an unverified third party for a supposed ballot place. If you missed the 2026–27 registration period, check Home Affairs for a new program-year announcement; before a new period is formally opened, no one can guarantee when another registration will be available or whether an applicant will be selected. Applicants with another eligible passport should check the correct 417 or 462 route against that passport and their travel history.
卓越移民 Premiervisa Group can help check the passport route and organise application documents. The Australian Department of Home Affairs controls the ballot, visa criteria and decision; registration or lodgement does not guarantee selection or grant. Checked against Home Affairs guidance on the ballot and first subclass 462 visa on 22 October 2026.
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