Vietnamese, Chinese, Indians to lottery for Australia work visas

By Phan Anh May 15, 2024 | 07:27 pm PT

People walk by the harbour in Sydney, Australia, Oct. 22, 2021. Photo by Reuters

People from Vietnam, China and India will have to participate in lottery-like bids for working holiday visas to Australia starting in the next fiscal year, the Australian government has announced.

In a statement by a spokesperson of the Australian Department of Home Affairs, the working holiday visa program had been temporarily suspended for Chinese citizens, meaning there would be a "pause" for Chinese applications for the program for this current fiscal year, the Bloomberg reported.

The fiscal year in Australia will last until June 2025.

The application process for next year, however, is expected to restart later this year, the spokesperson said, the SCMP reported.

The announcement was made as Australia makes changes to the program, with applicants from various countries competing for a limited number of available slots.

Australia’s new working holiday visa will allow people aged 18-30 to make longer visits in the country and work to fund their stays. The visa will last 12 months and can be extended.

Australia offers around 5,000 such slots for Chinese citizens every year, but demand for the visa is expected to exceed its availability in the future, the spokesperson said.