Work and Holiday visa ballot: how can Vietnamese applicants win a first 462 place?

Visa guide · 2026-10-09 · 9 min read

A young Vietnamese woman uses a laptop at a Hà Nội café, with a notebook and warm evening lights beside her.

If you hold a Vietnamese passport, you cannot simply apply for a first Work and Holiday visa to Australia. First you pay AUD25 to enter a ballot, which is a random draw. If your name is drawn, you get 28 days to send the full visa application. Registration for the 2026-2027 programme year is already closed, so this guide is about how the draw works and how to be ready for the next one.

What is the Work and Holiday visa?

The Work and Holiday visa is also called subclass 462. In Vietnam many people simply say "visa 462". The Department of Overseas Labour (DOLAB) calls the programme "lao động kết hợp kỳ nghỉ", which means work combined with a holiday.

It is a visa for young adults who want to travel in Australia and pay for the trip by working. It is not a sponsored work visa. You do not need a job offer before you apply.

Here are the basic rules from the official visa page:

You must be 18 to 30 years old (inclusive) when you apply.
You must apply from outside Australia, and you cannot bring dependent children.
The visa lets you stay for 12 months.
You can study for up to 4 months.
You can usually work for the same employer for up to 6 months.

The visa charge for a first Work and Holiday visa is AUD840.00. You also usually need about AUD5,000 in funds, plus enough money for a ticket out of Australia. You can read all of this on the first Work and Holiday visa page of the Department of Home Affairs.

How the 462 ballot works for Vietnam

Before you can apply, you must be randomly selected in a pre-application ballot. "Pre-application" just means it happens before the real visa application. Vietnam, India and China use this system.

Why is there a draw? Vietnam has an annual cap of 1,500 first Work and Holiday visas. A cap is the highest number of visas Australia will grant in one programme year. When more people want a place, a random draw is the fair way to choose who may apply.

The steps look like this:

Check that you meet the age, education and English rules before you pay anything.
Register for the ballot during the open period and pay the AUD25 fee. You need a valid 12-digit national ID card to register.
Wait for the selection rounds. Being registered does not mean you will be chosen.
If you are selected, you receive a notice. From that day, you have 28 calendar days to apply for the visa.
Lodge the full visa application, pay the visa charge and upload both sides of your 12-digit ID card with your documents.
Wait for a decision. Being selected in the ballot is not a visa; Home Affairs still decides your application.

The 28th day ends at midnight Australian Eastern Standard Time, not Vietnam time. Australia's east coast is ahead of Hà Nội and Hồ Chí Minh City, so your real deadline arrives earlier in the evening than you may think. Aim to finish a few days early.

The 2026-2027 dates in one table

These are the official dates for Vietnam in this programme year, from the Home Affairs ballot page.

Stage	Date	What it means for you
Registration opens	04/06/2026	The first day you could enter the draw.
Registration closes	25/06/2026	No new entries after this day. It is now closed.
First selection round	26/08/2026	Some registered people were chosen and told to apply.
Second selection round	29/09/2026	More people were chosen. Check your email and spam folder.
Selection period ends	30/04/2027	The last date of the selection period for this programme year.

If you registered and were chosen in a round, count 28 calendar days from the date on your own notice. Do not count from the round date you read online, because your notice is what matters.

Who can enter: education, English and ID

Education

Vietnamese applicants need a tertiary qualification. This can be a degree, a graduate certificate or a diploma from a university, college or training centre. Another option is 2 years of completed undergraduate university study.

Certificates I to IV do not count. This catches many people with short vocational courses, so check your papers carefully. If your documents are in Vietnamese, plan for certified English translations where the visa rules ask for them.

English

You need at least Functional English. This is a basic level that Home Affairs sets for some visas. If you use an English test or assessment to show it, you must have taken it within 12 months before you apply. The Home Affairs English language page lists the accepted tests, including IELTS and PTE Academic, and the scores for each level.

Timing matters here. A test taken too early may be too old by the time you are selected and ready to apply. If you want to practise for IELTS or PTE before booking, PractiseNow has practice tasks you can try at home. Remember that Home Affairs does not accept tests taken fully online at home, so book your real test at a test centre.

ID card and government letter

You must hold a valid 12-digit national ID card. The old 9-digit card is not accepted for registration. If you still have an old card, update it well before the next registration period opens.

Good news: Vietnam is on the list of countries whose applicants do not need a letter of support from their government for the first Work and Holiday visa. So nobody needs to "arrange" a letter for you.

What the money looks like in Vietnamese dong

Here is a rough comparison using the Reserve Bank of Australia rate of 18062 dong per Australian dollar published on 08 Oct 2026. Exchange rates change every day, so treat these as estimates only.

Ballot fee of AUD25: about 451,550 dong.
Visa charge of AUD840.00: about 15,172,080 dong.
Funds of about AUD5,000: about 90,310,000 dong.

The funds are not a fee. They are money you show you have, so you can support yourself when you first arrive.

After you arrive: work and a possible second year

Travellers on this visa can look for many kinds of short work, for example in cafés, restaurants, hotels and on farms. You can see what Australian kitchens ask for in a live ad such as this pizza chef role in Perth. Read every ad carefully, because some roles need a different visa.

If you do 3 months of specified work while on your 462 visa, you may be eligible to apply for a second Work and Holiday visa. "Specified work" means certain types of work in certain areas, listed by Home Affairs. Extra years have been in the news, and our guide on whether a visa draw could decide your extra year explains what may change. Farm employers are watching closely too, as our piece on why Australian farms are worried about the working holiday changes shows.

Feeling nervous about arriving alone? Our post on the Vietnamese community in Australia and New Zealand explains where people from home can really help in the first weeks.

Common mistakes Vietnamese applicants make

Paying a broker to "win" the ballot. The draw is random. Nobody can buy you a place. The Australian Consulate-General in Hồ Chí Minh City warns about visa scammers who contact people on Zalo, Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, promise a visa and ask for large payments upfront.
Registering with an old 9-digit ID card. Only a valid 12-digit card is accepted.
Counting a Certificate IV as enough. Certificates I to IV do not meet the education rule.
Taking the English test too early. It must be within 12 months before you apply, not before you register.
Missing the 28-day window. The deadline is midnight Australian Eastern Standard Time on the 28th day. Do not leave it to the last day.
Treating selection as a visa. Selection only lets you apply. You still need to meet every rule.

The Department of Home Affairs is the only official Australian Government provider of visas. If you want help, you can use a registered migration agent; their names are listed on the OMARA website. Deal only with licensed organisations and real employers, and never pay an unlicensed broker.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still register for the 2026-2027 ballot?

No. Registration for Vietnam was open from 04/06/2026 to 25/06/2026 and is now closed. If you missed it, prepare your documents now and watch the official Home Affairs ballot page for the next registration period.

Do I get my AUD25 back if my name is not drawn?

No. The ballot registration fee is not refunded if you are not selected, and it is not refunded if you withdraw. Only pay it when you are sure you meet the age, education and English rules.

Is a Certificate IV from a Vietnamese vocational school enough?

No. Certificates I to IV do not count for this visa. You need a degree, graduate certificate or diploma from a university, college or training centre, or 2 years of completed undergraduate university study.

Do I need a letter of support from the Vietnamese government?

No. Vietnam is listed among the countries whose applicants do not need a government letter of support for the first Work and Holiday visa. Be careful with anyone who offers to sell you such a letter.

How many Vietnamese applicants can get this visa each year?

Vietnam has an annual cap of 1,500 first Work and Holiday visas. This is why the ballot exists: more people want a place than the number of visas available, so names are chosen at random.

Key takeaways

Vietnamese passport holders must be drawn in a ballot before applying for a first 462 visa.
The ballot fee is AUD25 and it is not refunded.
Registration for 2026-2027 is closed; get ready now for the next period.
You need a 12-digit ID card, a tertiary qualification and at least Functional English.
After selection you have 28 calendar days to apply, counted in Australian Eastern Standard Time.
No one can buy you a place in the draw.

#work and holiday visa #visa 462 #ballot #vietnam #australia #functional english