MATES and Work and Holiday 462: Two Australia Pathways for Young Indians

Two Australian visas are built for young Indians, and both begin with a ballot registration that costs AUD 25: MATES (the subclass 403 MATES stream) and the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462). MATES offers up to 3,000 places a year to recent graduates of the top 100 Indian institutions. The 462 gives Indian passport holders aged 18 to 30 a 12-month working holiday, with 1,000 first-visa places a year. Both choose applicants at random. This guide sets out what Home Affairs had published on 6 November 2026, which dates are fixed and which are not.

What Is the MATES Scheme?

MATES stands for the Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme. It is a stream of the Temporary Work (International Relations) visa, subclass 403. Home Affairs allocates up to 3,000 places for primary applicants each program year; family members do not count towards that number. The visa lets you live, work and study in Australia for up to 2 years and travel in and out freely. It cannot be extended, and you cannot get a second MATES visa.

Who Can Register for the MATES Ballot?

To register you need an ImmiAccount, a valid Indian passport, a valid PAN card and an email address, and you must be 18 to 30 when the registration period opens. You can register once per ballot, from inside or outside Australia. A registration is not a visa application: selection only gives you the right to apply, and you must then meet every visa criterion, including the institution, qualification and field tests.

The institution rule is strict. Home Affairs uses the NIRF India Rankings Overall 2024 list and says affiliated institutions that are not named on it do not qualify. Family members can register separately; if you are selected, you become the main applicant and can include them.

MATES Ballot Dates: What Is Fixed and What Is Not

The 2025-26 ballot took registrations from 1 November to 14 December 2025 and allowed random selection from 15 December 2025 to 30 June 2026. Home Affairs' ballot page, last updated on 30 September 2026, still shows only that table, and no 2026-27 dates are published. The age test and the two-year graduation window are both measured from the day registration opens, so you cannot confirm that you qualify next time until that date is announced.

If you are selected, Home Affairs sends a Notification of Selection letter and gives you 30 calendar days to lodge the visa application online, with a cut-off of 11:59 pm AEDT on the last day. Use the same passport and attach a PAN card copy. If you miss the date, the selection expires. You must also show a job offer or, without one, usually about AUD 5,000 for your first stay, and hold adequate health insurance.

The visa charge is AUD 470 for the main applicant, AUD 470 for each additional applicant aged 18 or over and AUD 120 for each under 18. The visa starts when you first enter Australia, which must happen within 12 months of the grant.

The Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462) for Indian Passport Holders

The 462 is open to citizens of 30 partner countries. India, China and Vietnam are the three high-demand countries that must use a ballot for the first visa. To register you need a valid Indian passport, a valid PAN card and an age of 18 to 30. At the visa stage you need at least two years of completed post-secondary study, functional English, about AUD 5,000 for your initial stay plus an onward fare, and health and character clearance. You apply alone, without dependent children, from outside Australia.

You can do any kind of work to fund the trip, normally for no more than 6 months with one employer, and study for up to 4 months (17 weeks). You may stay up to 12 months from the day you enter. The first visa costs AUD 840. Home Affairs expects average processing of around three months.

Registrations expire on 30 April 2027, and Home Affairs says it will not respond to requests to be selected. ImmiAccount shows whether your registration is received, selected or expired. If you registered and were not chosen, a later selection is still possible until that date. If you missed the window, you wait for the next ballot.

Second and Third Work and Holiday Visas

A second 462 needs 3 months of specified work and a third needs 6 months, in listed industries and areas such as plant and animal cultivation, construction, and tourism and hospitality in northern or remote Australia. Today there is no ballot and no cap for second or third visas, and each costs AUD 1,000.

That may change. In a National Press Club address on 17 September 2026 the Minister said second and third year working holiday visas will move to ballots limited to 45,000 and 5,000 places, with regional work requirements unchanged. The Home Affairs pages we read on 6 November 2026 give no start date and still limit the ballot to first visas from China, India and Vietnam, so it is not yet clear when this reaches Indian 462 holders.

MATES or 462: Which Should You Prepare For?

The pages we read do not bar you from registering in both ballots if you meet both sets of rules, but check each page before paying. If you fit neither, consider the Temporary Graduate visa, an employer-sponsored Skills in Demand 482 visa or our temporary visas guide. Young Indians weighing a second country can compare the UK India Young Professionals Scheme ballot.

Steps to Take Now

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MATES and who can use it?

MATES is the Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme, the subclass 403 MATES stream. It is open to Indian passport holders aged 18 to 30 who graduated within two years, with a bachelor degree or higher in a listed field from an institution in the NIRF India Rankings Overall 2024 Top 100 list. You must be selected in a ballot before you can apply.

When does the next MATES ballot open?

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.

How many Indians can get a Work and Holiday 462 visa each year?

The annual grant 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.

Can I still register for the 462 ballot?

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.

Can I bring my spouse or children?

On MATES you can include members of your family unit. On the 462 you must apply alone and cannot be accompanied by dependent children.

Is a PAN card compulsory?

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. The details must match between registration and visa application.

Do these visas lead to permanent residence?

Not directly. MATES lasts up to 2 years and cannot be extended or repeated. The 462 lasts 12 months, with a second and third visa possible after specified work. A longer stay needs another visa, such as an employer-sponsored or skilled visa.