Australia’s government has decided to temporarily suspend its Working Holiday Visa program for Chinese nationals, alongside citizens from India and Vietnam, as confirmed by a spokesperson from the Department of Home Affairs. This suspension introduces a lottery-style bidding system for the financial year concluding in June 2025.
According to VisaGuide.World, this suspension of Chinese applicants is part of a broader pause in intake while new adjustments are made to the program. This move follows a context where, as of March 2023, over 136,600 Working Holiday Visas were active in Australia.
The Working Holiday Visa program of Australia permits individuals aged 18 to 30 to reside and work in the country for up to 12 months, with possibilities for extensions under specific circumstances. The program comprises two visa subclasses: the Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) and the Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462). Subclass 462 necessitates a letter of endorsement from the applicant’s home government and specific educational qualifications, unlike subclass 417.
Alongside these alterations, Australia intends to introduce a new visa geared towards attracting highly skilled workers, replacing a contentious investor migrant program. Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced this initiative in the annual budget, aiming to draw skilled talent globally. Nonetheless, the center-left Labour government is facing calls to prudently manage migration in the wake of a post-pandemic surge. According to Australia’s Bureau of Statistics, overseas migration contributed to a net gain of 518,000 people to Australia’s population in the year concluding on June 30, 2023, the highest figure recorded since data collection began.
These adjustments underscore Australia’s evolving immigration policies, navigating the balance between the demand for skilled labor and concerns regarding population growth and resource allocation.