Australia Stops Temporary Labor Visa Applications From 24 Countries

The Australian government has temporarily halted the acceptance of new Work and Holiday visa applications from citizens of 24 countries, as part of efforts to slow down processing under its Working Holiday Maker program. This suspension affects a wide range of countries, including Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and Thailand, among others.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke did not provide further details on the specific reasons behind the decision, but noted that applications may be paused when a country's annual visa allocation is close to being filled. The move affects most countries participating in the capped subclass 462 program, which currently covers 29 countries.

The decision has been described as unusual, as individual countries have faced pauses in the past, but stopping applications from almost the entire group is different. The changes were not formally announced and appeared on the Department of Home Affairs website. The move has been suggested to be linked to Australia's efforts to reduce net overseas migration, although the government has not confirmed this.

Immigration lawyer Chris Johnston noted that the scale of the suspension is significant, as individual countries have faced pauses in the past, but stopping applications from almost the entire group is unprecedented.

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