Working Holiday in Australia and New Zealand from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay: quotas and rules

The Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) is for people aged 18 to 30 inclusive who want a long holiday in Australia and to work to fund it. Argentina, Chile and Uruguay are on the list of countries with an agreement ¹.

The main requirements ¹:

• Age: you must apply before you turn 31, by Australian Eastern time. The deadline expires at midnight on the day before your 31st birthday, even if you apply from abroad.
• Not having entered before on a 462 or 417 visa.
• Education: for Argentina and Uruguay, a tertiary degree from a university, institute or training centre, or two passed years of a university course. For Chile, a tertiary degree, or having completed or being approved to start the third year of the course. Certificates I to IV and a secondary school diploma do not count.
• Functional English.
• Government support letter: not required for Argentina, Chile or Uruguay.
• Funds: enough money to support yourself and leave Australia; usually about AUD 5,000 plus the ticket.
• Health and character: you must meet the health and character requirements.
• No accompanying children: dependent children cannot accompany you at any time, and if you are the parent of a child under 18 you cannot apply online.

You must apply from outside Australia and individually, without including family members ¹.

Each programme year there is a limit on first 462 visas per country. Applications from countries with a quota open on 2 July, Australian Eastern time ². Second and third visas have no quota ².

Country	Annual quota 2026-27	Status on 03/11/2026
Argentina	3,400	Open
Chile	3,400	Open
Uruguay	1,500	Open

Source: Home Affairs quota status page, updated on 3 November 2026 ².

For these three countries there is no ballot: the prior ballot applies to China, India and Vietnam ¹. While your country's quota is open, you apply in ImmiAccount. The Department can pause the quota to spread applications across the year or because it is almost full, and reopen it later; if it closes it, it does not reopen until the following 2 July ². That is why it pays to check the status page before you pay for exams or translations.

Several agency websites and blogs publish quotas from earlier years or statuses that have since changed. Use only the official Home Affairs page: it is the one the system applies when you try to apply.

You have functional English if, in the 12 months before applying, you scored at least ¹:

Test	Minimum score
IELTS	Average of 4.5 across the four parts
PTE Academic	30 overall
Cambridge C1 Advanced	147
TOEFL iBT	32 (only tests taken up to 25 July 2023)

Having studied for certain periods at institutions where all teaching was in English also counts ¹.

Documents to attach online ¹:

• Passport and birth certificate with both parents' names.
• Proof of your education.
• Proof of English.
• Proof of funds and of the exit ticket or the money to buy it.
• English translation of any document in another language. If the translator is outside Australia they do not need accreditation, but must give their name, address, phone number and experience.

You may be asked for police certificates from each country where you spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since the age of 16 ¹. You can take the medical examinations before applying or wait until they are requested ¹. Home Affairs says the average processing time is around three months and asks you not to buy tickets until you have the visa ¹.

The visa lets you stay up to 12 months from your entry, leave and return as many times as you like, do short-term jobs to fund your trip and study for up to 4 months ¹. You must enter within 12 months of the grant, and that period is not extended ¹.

If you do 3 months of specified work for the subclass 462, you can apply for a second Work and Holiday visa ¹. Do not apply for another visa (for example an eVisitor) after the 462 is granted: the new visa replaces the Work and Holiday and you lose its work rights ¹.

Immigration New Zealand publishes its own page for the Working Holiday of Argentine citizens ³. When we checked this guide we could not open it, because the site blocks automated access, so we do not repeat age, quota, funds, cost or opening status: read them on that page before you plan.

What to check there:

• Minimum and maximum age, and whether the age counts at the time of applying.
• Number of places for the year and the opening date.
• Minimum funds for your expenses and whether an exit ticket is asked for.
• Health insurance required during the stay.
• Cost of the application and the deadline to enter after issue.

Chile and Uruguay also have Working Holiday agreements with New Zealand, with their own pages at Immigration New Zealand. Check your country's quota and opening date there.