{"id":17896,"date":"2026-05-17T20:56:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T20:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/?p=17896"},"modified":"2026-05-17T20:56:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T20:56:59","slug":"working-holiday-maker-grants-nationality-417-462-2021-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/working-holiday-maker-grants-nationality-417-462-2021-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"The Working Holiday Maker Boom:"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Inside International Education \/ Data Brief<\/p>\n

The Working Holiday Maker Boom: 321,116 Grants, the UK Effect, and the Tax Question<\/h1>\n

Working Holiday Maker grants just hit an all-time high. The nationality breakdown, the 417 versus 462 split, and the 408 workaround tell a more interesting story than the headline number.<\/p>\n<\/header>\n\n

The Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program just had its biggest year on record. In 2024-25, the Department of Home Affairs granted 321,116 WHM visas across subclasses 417 and 462. That figure is 24.3 per cent above the previous all-time high of 258,248 grants set in 2012-13.<\/p>\n\n

Two years earlier, in 2021-22, the program was almost extinct. Borders were still constrained, and just 97,359 visas were granted across the full year. The year before that, 2020-21, the number was 39,586.<\/p>\n\n

The growth curve since 2021 is one of the most dramatic in any visa category. But the headline number masks a more interesting story. The recovery has not been even across nationalities, one country alone explains most of the latest jump, and a separate workaround visa absorbed thousands of WHM holders who could not, or would not, meet the 88-day specified work requirement.<\/p>\n\n

This piece breaks down the WHM grants data by nationality since 2021, the policy mechanics behind it, the scale relative to international students, and what it means for migration agents and providers.<\/p>\n\n

Subclass 417 and 462: the difference matters<\/h2>\n\n

The WHM program is delivered through two visa subclasses that look similar on the surface but operate under quite different rules.<\/p>\n\n

Subclass 417 (Working Holiday visa)<\/strong> is the longer-established stream. It is reciprocal with countries that have a high level of bilateral trust and integration with Australia: the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hong Kong, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, and Cyprus. There is no annual cap. Applicants do not need to prove tertiary education or English ability. Second and third 417 visas are unlocked by completing specified regional work.<\/p>\n\n

Subclass 462 (Work and Holiday visa)<\/strong> is the newer stream and is structurally more restrictive. It is reciprocal with countries where Australia has chosen to manage flow more tightly: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Uruguay, and Vietnam. Almost every 462 arrangement carries an annual country cap, applicants must demonstrate functional English and tertiary education, and some require a government letter of support.<\/p>\n\n