Migration Overseas
Two Australian temporary visas for young Indians, both of which start with a AUD 25 ballot registration. MATES (the Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme, subclass 403) offers up to 3,000 places a year for recent graduates of NIRF Top 100 institutions. The Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) gives Indian passport holders aged 18 to 30 a 12-month working holiday, with an annual cap of 1,000 first visas. Details are from Home Affairs as at 6 November 2026.
MATES and the Work and Holiday 462 have different rules, places and fees.
The MATES stream of the Temporary Work (International Relations) visa. Up to 3,000 places for primary applicants each program year; family members are not counted. For recent graduates of NIRF India Rankings Overall 2024 Top 100 institutions.
A working holiday visa for Indian passport holders aged 18 to 30 with at least two years of post-secondary study. The annual cap for first visas for India is 1,000, and the ballot does not change the cap.
A second 462 needs 3 months of specified work and a third needs 6 months. No ballot or cap applies today, but the Minister announced ballots limited to 45,000 and 5,000 places on 17 September 2026, with no start date published.
Key eligibility criteria for MATES and the Work and Holiday 462 for Indian passport holders.
A MATES qualification must be in one of seven fields.
Your bachelor degree or higher must be in one of the fields below and come from an institution on the NIRF India Rankings Overall 2024 Top 100 list. The Work and Holiday 462 has no field or institution test.
Step-by-step guide to the MATES and Work and Holiday 462 ballots.
Match your degree, institution and graduation date against the MATES rules, or your study history against the 462 rule. You may meet both sets of rules.
Before the ballotCreate an ImmiAccount, confirm that your passport and PAN card show the same details, and book an English test so that the result is under 12 months old when you apply.
Before registrationPay the AUD 25 fee during the open window. The 462 window for 2026-27 closed on 25 June 2026, and Home Affairs had not published MATES 2026-27 dates on 6 November 2026.
Open window onlySelection is random. The 462 selection period runs to 30 April 2027 and registrations then expire. Home Affairs says it will not respond to requests to be selected.
Selection periodYou have 30 calendar days after MATES selection (cut-off 11:59 pm AEDT) and 28 calendar days after 462 selection (midnight AEST on day 28). Use the same passport and attach your PAN copy.
30 or 28 daysHome Affairs expects average 462 processing of around three months and advises against booking flights until the visa is granted. Both visas must be used within 12 months of the grant, and a MATES stay is up to 2 years from first entry.
About 3 months (462 average)The ballot fee and visa charges for each visa.
Paid when you register. For the 462 it is not refunded if you are not selected
AUD 470 for the main applicant and each additional applicant aged 18 or over, AUD 120 for each applicant under 18 (price list updated 1 July 2026)
AUD 840 for the first visa and AUD 1,000 for the second and third. Budget separately for about AUD 5,000 in funds, health insurance, an English test and medicals
MATES and the Work and Holiday 462 are temporary visas. Here is how the 462 can be repeated and what comes next.
A 462 holder who completes specified work can apply for a further working holiday
3 months for a second visa and 6 months for a third, in listed industries such as plant and animal cultivation, construction, and northern or remote tourism and hospitality
No ballot or cap applies today and each visa costs AUD 1,000. Announced ballots of 45,000 and 5,000 places have no start date yet
Neither visa leads directly to permanent residence. A longer stay needs another visa, such as an employer-sponsored 482 or the Temporary Graduate visa
Find answers to the most common questions about these two ballot visas.
MATES is the Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme, the subclass 403 MATES stream. It allows up to 3,000 primary applicants a year from India to live and work in Australia for up to 2 years. You must be selected in a ballot before you can apply.
You need an ImmiAccount, a valid Indian passport, a valid PAN card and an age of 18 to 30 when registration opens. To qualify for the visa you must have graduated within two years from an institution on the NIRF India Rankings Overall 2024 Top 100 list, in one of seven listed fields.
Home Affairs has not published 2026-27 dates. Its MATES ballot page, last updated on 30 September 2026, shows only the 2025-26 window of 1 November to 14 December 2025. The ballot is annual, so watch that page.
The annual cap for first Work and Holiday visas for India is 1,000. India, China and Vietnam use a ballot, which Home Affairs says does not change the cap.
Not for 2026-27. Registration ran from 4 to 25 June 2026. Home Affairs can keep selecting from existing registrations until 30 April 2027, and it has not published dates for the next ballot.
Yes. MATES requires a valid PAN card, and Home Affairs says Indian passport holders must hold a valid PAN card, not an Aadhaar card, for the 462 ballot. Your details must match between registration and visa application.
On MATES you can include members of your family unit, and they do not count towards the 3,000 places. On the 462 you must apply alone and cannot be accompanied by dependent children.
IELTS 6.0 overall with 5 in each part, PTE Academic 50 with 36 in each, TOEFL iBT 64, OET grade C in each part, or Cambridge C1 Advanced 169 with 154 in each. The result must be within a year of applying and from a single sitting, except OET.
The ballot fee is AUD 25. The MATES charge is AUD 470 for adults and AUD 120 for applicants under 18. The first 462 costs AUD 840 and a second or third costs AUD 1,000. Budget about AUD 5,000 in funds as well; a MATES applicant can show an Australian job offer instead.
Not directly. MATES lasts up to 2 years and cannot be extended or repeated, and the 462 lasts 12 months with a second and third possible after specified work. See our permanent visas guide for longer-term routes.
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