Government considers changes to backpacker visa plan, but overall target stays

Australia is reconsidering how to introduce proposed working holiday visa restrictions after businesses warned of labour shortages. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on November 13 that he was open to implementation changes, but would not change the overall backpacker numbers he had announced. The discussions are not a final replacement set of visa rules.

A proposed ballot for non-British visitors seeking second- or third-year stays could be delayed. A third-year cap of 20,000, rather than the proposed 5,000, and longer regional work requirements are among options being considered. Those figures describe proposals under discussion, not an entitlement or a confirmed application limit.

Burke also said talks with the United Kingdom were continuing about reducing British working holiday arrivals without undermining the wider free trade agreement. Home Affairs figures put British arrivals at 47,238 in 2023-24 and 79,412 in 2024-25. Under the agreement introduced in 2023, eligible British visitors can stay for up to three years without the specific work requirements that apply to some other nationalities.

Farming, tourism and hospitality representatives want an early decision so regional employers and people already in Australia can plan. Anyone arranging travel, work or a visa extension should check the rules that actually apply to their nationality and application, rather than act on a possible policy change. The photograph is an illustration of backpacking, not a visa applicant identified in this report.