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Australia visa by nationality: which routes your passport opens, and which it never will

Visa guide · 2026-11-09 · 10 min read

Your passport decides more than you might expect when you look up an Australia visa by nationality: a handful of programmes are open only to named passports, while the main employer-sponsored and points-tested visas are open to everyone. Below are the passport-specific routes on the Home Affairs pages as read on 8 November 2026, who they cover and what each one costs, so you do not plan around a concession that was written for someone else.

The quick map: which routes belong to which passports

Treat this table as a starting point only. Every row applies to the passports named in it and to no others.

MATES: a ballot route for Indian graduates and early career professionals

MATES (subclass 403) lets Indian graduates and early career professionals in fields such as renewable energy, mining, engineering, ICT, artificial intelligence, financial technology and agricultural technology live and work in Australia for up to 2 years. Up to 3,000 visas are available a year, and Indian nationals are selected through a pre-application ballot. The base application charge on the price list is AUD470.00.

The ballot comes first, so being selected is the step that matters before any application. The official MATES page sets out the fields and the process. For a reader-side walkthrough of who qualifies, MigrateJobs has written about which Indian graduates qualify for MATES.

Pacific Engagement visa: permanent, but only through the ballot

The Pacific Engagement visa (subclass 192) is a permanent visa for citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Applicants must be aged 18 to 46, be selected in the PEV ballot and apply by the date in their selection letter.

It has a job requirement, and the Australian Government provides a free support service to connect applicants with employers. The price list shows AUD345.00 for the Pacific Engagement stream and AUD205.00 for the Treaty stream for Tuvalu. The number of places each year was not stated on the page, so no figure is given here. Details are on the official Pacific Engagement visa page.

Pacific passports and a lower cost on employer-sponsored visas

A separate concession sits on the employer-sponsored visas. From 1 July 2026 a lower 482 visa cost applies when the primary applicant holds a valid passport from the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu or Vanuatu. Family members are charged on the basis of the primary applicant's passport.

The same lower cost applies from 1 July 2026 to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid 482, 186, 189, 190 or 494 application, as each visa page states. Note that this list is not identical to the Pacific Engagement list: it also names Nauru. Read the page for the visa you want rather than assuming the two lists match.

Hong Kong passports: a longer 482 stay and their own 189 stream

A subclass 482 visa allows a stay of up to 4 years, or up to 5 years for Hong Kong passport holders. The longer stay applies only to Hong Kong passports. The Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) also has a separate Hong Kong stream, with a base application charge of AUD6,135.00 on the price list. For the general rules, see our guide to the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482).

Working holiday visas: two lists, not one

The Working Holiday (subclass 417) and Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visas look alike but cover different countries, and the age limits differ.

• 417, ages 18 to 35: Canada, Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom (including British National Overseas passports).
• 417, ages 18 to 30: Belgium, Estonia, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Taiwan.
• 462, ages 18 to 30: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, Uruguay, United States of America and Vietnam.

The 417 list was last updated on 5 November 2026; see the official first Working Holiday page. The price list shows AUD840.00 for a first 417 or 462 and AUD1,000.00 for a second or third. From 1 July 2026 Cyprus, Finland, Germany and Republic of Korea passport holders can apply for a 417 at 18 to 35.

Extra conditions on the 462

A government letter of support (or the stated alternative) is needed from Ecuador, Greece, Indonesia, Malaysia (a Good Conduct Certificate), Mongolia, Peru, Poland, San Marino, Slovenia, Thailand and Türkiye. Applicants usually need about AUD5,000 for the initial stay plus an onward fare. China, India and Vietnam passport holders enter a pre-application ballot for a first 462, and first 462 applications from Indonesian passport holders will be managed through a ballot, with registrations expected to open later in 2026. A letter of support from Indonesia does not reserve a place or exempt anyone from that ballot.

Caps matter too. The country-cap table, last updated on 3 November 2026, lists annual first-462 caps including Argentina 3,400, Chile 3,400, Spain 3,400, Israel 2,500, Singapore 2,500, Thailand 2,000, Peru 1,500, Poland 1,500, Uruguay 1,500 and Malaysia 1,100, with Brazil, Ecuador, Mongolia and Switzerland shown as paused. That is a dated observation: check the status of country caps page on the day you apply. Caps open each program year on 2 July, and there are no caps for second or third 462 visas.

What was announced on 17 September 2026

The 17 September 2026 announcement said the Working Holiday Maker program will change to introduce a ballot system for years two and three, with a regional work requirement, and that processing times will be stabilised at three months. No start date for the ballot was given, so treat it as an announced change, not a rule in force. Our earlier article on working holiday status changes and regional work covers the farm and travel side.

A closed route you may still see mentioned: the 189 New Zealand stream

The New Zealand stream of the Skilled Independent (subclass 189) visa permanently closed to new primary applications on 1 July 2023, in support of the direct pathway to Australian citizenship for New Zealand citizens. If a site or agent still advertises it, treat that as a warning sign. New Zealand has its own work visa structure, covered in our guide to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV).

The routes open to every passport

If your passport is on none of the lists above, you are not shut out. The 482 Skills in Demand visa needs an employer nomination. The 186 visa lets the holder live, work and study in Australia indefinitely. The 494 visa lets the holder live, work and study only in designated regional areas for 5 years and requires at least Competent English. The 189 and 190 visas also need at least Competent English at the time of invitation. Our visa guides and our page on working in Australia take each of these in turn, and our note on visa charges after 1 July 2026 helps with budgeting.

How to find the routes that apply to your passport

1. Write down the exact passport you will lodge with. Dual citizens should check each passport separately.
2. Open the Home Affairs page for each route in the table and look for your country in its list.
3. Note the "last updated" date, the age limit and whether a ballot, cap or letter of support applies.
4. Check the price list for your visa and passport, because lower charges apply only to named passports.
5. If no passport-specific route fits, compare the open employer-sponsored and points-tested visas against your occupation.
6. Re-check the page just before you lodge, since dates, caps and ballots change.

Common mistakes with passport-specific routes

• Assuming a concession for a neighbouring country also covers your passport, for example reading the Hong Kong longer 482 stay as a general rule.
• Treating the Pacific Engagement list and the Pacific 482 cost list as the same list.
• Booking flights before a working holiday grant, when Home Affairs says to wait for the grant before booking flights or commitments.
• Counting on a letter of support to secure a ballot place, which the Indonesian announcement says it does not.
• Using a cap figure from an old article instead of the current table.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a visa route that is listed for another passport?

No. Each programme page names the passports it covers, and the department assesses eligibility on the passport you hold. A concession written for Indian, Pacific or Hong Kong passport holders does not pass to anyone else, so check the page for your own passport first.

Does a lower visa charge mean the visa is easier to get?

No. A lower charge only changes what you pay when you lodge. The 482 still needs an employer nomination and the other usual requirements, so the concession affects cost, not eligibility. Family members are charged on the basis of the primary applicant's passport.

Is the Pacific Engagement visa the same as a working holiday visa?

No. The Pacific Engagement visa (subclass 192) is a permanent visa for people selected in a ballot, and it has a job requirement. A working holiday visa is a temporary visa for young travellers who want to work while they are in Australia, and it has its own passport list and age limits.

What happens if my passport is not on any special list?

Most of the pathways that matter for working in Australia are open to every passport. Employer-sponsored visas such as the 482, 186 and 494, and the points-tested 189, 190 and 491 visas, are assessed on your occupation, skills, English and other criteria rather than on a country list.

Where do I check whether a ballot or cap is open?

Use the Home Affairs page for the programme and, for Work and Holiday visas, the status of country caps page. Both show dates, so read the "last updated" line before you act on a figure, because caps and ballot rules can change between program years.

Key takeaways

• MATES, the Pacific Engagement visa, the Hong Kong 482 and 189 streams and the working holiday lists each apply only to named passports.
• Ballots decide MATES, the Pacific Engagement visa and, for some passports, the first 462.
• The Hong Kong concessions and the Pacific cost concession do not transfer to other passports.
• Most employer-sponsored and points-tested visas are open to every passport.
• Read the "last updated" date on every official page before relying on a figure.

Last checked: 9 November 2026 against the official pages linked above.

Every case is different — book a consultation and our partner registered migration agents (MARA) / licensed NZ advisers will assess yours.

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