Working Holiday visa age limit is now 35 for Korea, Germany, Finland and Cyprus

From 1 July 2026, the maximum age for a subclass 417 Working Holiday visa rose from 30 to 35 for passport holders from South Korea, Germany, Finland and Cyprus. Applicants from these four countries who had assumed they were too old for the visa may now be eligible.

The change is specific, the age rule operates through the Migration Regulations 1994, a timing point catches applicants out, and the visa can do some things for you and not others. A Working Holiday visa is often the first step in a longer plan.

What changed on 1 July 2026

Until now, most subclass 417 applicants had to be between 18 and 30 at the time they applied. A small number of countries had already negotiated a higher cap of 35. On 1 July 2026, four more joined that list: Cyprus, Finland, Germany and the Republic of Korea. Citizens of these countries can now apply for a subclass 417 visa if they are aged 18 to 35 inclusive.

The change is reflected on the Department of Home Affairs Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) page and the department’s Working Holiday Maker program news. The legal structure beneath those pages explains why the age limit differs between nationalities.

Why some nationalities get to 35 and others do not

The subclass 417 criteria are in Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994, the principal instrument that sets out who qualifies for the visa. The default age requirement in that schedule is that an applicant has turned 18 but has not turned 31. That is the general ceiling of 30, expressed as legislation expresses it: you are eligible up to, but not including, the day you turn 31.

The higher limit of 35 comes from the bilateral Working Holiday arrangements Australia negotiates country by country. Each arrangement is a separate agreement between the two governments, and the age cap is one of its terms. Where an arrangement sets the ceiling at 35, that raised limit is given effect for passport holders of that country. The answer to “how old can I be?” therefore depends on which passport you hold. A German applicant and an applicant from a country still capped at 30 are treated differently because they are eligible under different arrangements.

For Cyprus, Finland, Germany and the Republic of Korea, the arrangements now sit at 35. That is the legal reason a 34-year-old Korean passport holder can apply in July 2026 when the same person could not have applied in June.

How your age is assessed

Your age is assessed at the moment you lodge the application, not when a case officer decides it. The age criterion in Schedule 2 is a time-of-application criterion. Once you have validly lodged before you turn 36, the age rule is met, and a decision that arrives weeks or months later, after a birthday, does not undo it.

You can therefore apply up to 11:59 pm AEST on the day before your 36th birthday. Lodge in time and a later decision does not matter, even if it arrives after you turn 36. The rule is generous to applicants who understand it.

The timing point applicants miss

A time-of-application rule also means the deadline is fixed. There is no discretion to accept an application a day late because a document would not upload. If the application is not validly lodged before your 36th birthday, the age criterion is not met, and no explanation changes that.

Ordinary problems can push lodgement past the line: a document that fails to upload, a card payment that does not process, a passport that needs renewing before you can apply, or a health or character step that has to be completed first. Each is minor on its own. Near a birthday deadline, any one of them can defeat the application.

If you are close to 36, do not aim for the last available day. Apply well before your 36th birthday, with a buffer of weeks rather than hours, so that a technical problem is an inconvenience rather than the end of the application.

Why five extra years matters

Raising the cap from 30 to 35 brings in a different kind of applicant. People in their early thirties usually arrive with a trade or a profession, savings, and a clearer idea of what they want from a year in Australia. The programme is no longer only for backpackers and seasonal work.

For those applicants, the Working Holiday visa is a low-commitment way to test whether Australia is where they want to build something longer term. Working here shows how your occupation is treated, whether an employer would sponsor you, and whether your skills line up with a skilled visa. That is direct information about the local job market and sponsorship prospects that research from abroad cannot provide.

A note for our Korean clients

The inclusion of the Republic of Korea matters. Korea has long sent a strong cohort of working holidaymakers to Australia, and for many the age-30 ceiling arrived just as they finished study, military service and a first job. Five more years changes that calculation.

We act for Korean clients regularly and have Korean-speaking lawyers who can advise you in your own language. Our Korean-language pages are a starting point, and we can then discuss how a working holiday year could set up a longer stay.

What the visa does, and what it does not do

A subclass 417 visa lets you work and travel in Australia for up to twelve months. You can work for any employer, generally for up to six months with a single employer, and study for up to four months. You will need to show you have enough money to support yourself at the start, typically around AUD 5,000. As at 1 July 2026, the application charge is AUD 840 for a first Working Holiday visa and AUD 1,000 for a repeat application, set by the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026 (F2026L00874), registered on legislation.gov.au.

The visa does not lead directly to permanent residence. It is a temporary visa. Its value, if you want to stay, lies in what you do with the year. Time spent in a shortage occupation, references from Australian employers, and a documented work history can all feed into a later skilled or employer sponsored application. Planning that pathway early in the working holiday year gives you more time to meet the requirements of a subsequent visa.

Should you apply now or wait?

If you are comfortably within the age range and ready to go, there is little reason to wait. If you are approaching 36, apply with room to spare so that a lodgement problem never becomes a missed deadline. If your goal is to stay in Australia beyond the working holiday, obtain advice on the pathway before you leave home, so that the year builds toward the next visa.

If you would like advice on whether the Working Holiday visa fits your plans, and what comes after it, Visa Plan Lawyers can map it out with you. Start with our Working Holiday visa guide or contact us to discuss your situation.

General information only, current at the date shown. It is not legal advice on your situation. To get advice on your matter, book a consultation.