Work and Holiday visa ballot scams in India: why no agent can sell you a selection

Tips · 2026-10-20 · 10 min read

A young Indian woman checks her phone while a man points to a laptop at a sunlit café table in Pune.

A Work and Holiday visa ballot scam sells Indian applicants something that does not exist: a better chance in a random draw. Selection in Australia's Work and Holiday (subclass 462) ballot and in the MATES ballot is made at random by the Department of Home Affairs, and the registration fee is AUD25. Anyone charging you for a "confirmed seat", "priority entry" or a "reserved slot" is selling a promise the department never offers to anyone.

This guide is for Indian graduates and young professionals eyeing either ballot: the official process, the scams built around it, how to check a message and what to do if you have paid.

How the two ballots actually work

The Australian High Commission announced on 1 October 2024 that India had joined the Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa program under a new pre-application process. Indian passport holders must register in a ballot, pay the AUD25 registration fee and be randomly selected before they can apply for a first Work and Holiday visa. Home Affairs shows an annual grant cap of 1,000 Work and Holiday visas for India.

MATES works on the same principle. It is a stream of the Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403) that lets Indian graduates and early career professionals live and work in Australia for up to 2 years, and applicants must be selected in a ballot before they can apply. If you are not sure whether your degree fits, our guide to which Indian graduates qualify for the MATES visa walks through the rules.

Point	Work and Holiday (subclass 462)	MATES (subclass 403)
Ballot fee	AUD25 registration fee	AUD25 registration fee
Places	Annual grant cap of 1,000 for India	Up to 3,000 primary applicants per program year
Who can register	Indian passport holders aged 18 to 30 with at least 2 years of completed post-secondary study	Indian passport holders aged 18 to 30 with a bachelor degree or higher from a NIRF Top 100 Overall 2024 institution in a listed field
How selection works	Random selection by Home Affairs	Random selection by Home Affairs
After selection	28 calendar days to apply; visa charge AUD840.00	Visa costs from AUD470.00

In rupees, the AUD25 ballot fee is roughly INR 1,650 and the AUD840.00 Work and Holiday visa charge roughly INR 55,350. That is a rough comparison only, at the Reserve Bank of Australia rate of 65.89 rupees per Australian dollar published on 16 October 2026; rates change.

Why nobody can sell you a better chance

The department sets the dates and runs the draw. For program year 2026-2027, India's Work and Holiday ballot registration ran from 4 June 2026 to 25 June 2026 and is closed. Selections were made on 10 August 2026 and 25 September 2026, and all registrations expire on 30 April 2027. Someone taking money today to "enter you in this year's draw" is selling a window that has already shut.

The High Commission is blunt about it: there is only one official Australian Government provider of visas, the Department of Home Affairs. Home Affairs adds that no one can promise an Australian visa, and that anyone promising a visa, permanent residency or citizenship is misleading you. A random ballot sits upstream of the visa, so a promise of selection is even emptier.

Indian applicants were targeted almost immediately. On 4 October 2024, three days after India joined the program, the High Commission posted a warning about scammers targeting Work and Holiday visa ballot registrations. Read its scam-safe advice for visa applicants in India before you speak to any agent.

Already paid someone who promised a ballot place? Our step-by-step guide to making a complaint against a fake overseas job agent shows how to report it in India and through Australia's Border Watch.

Five ballot scams aimed at Indian applicants

The patterns below follow the warning signs that the High Commission, Home Affairs and Scamwatch list.

Paid "priority" registration

The pitch is a higher place in the draw, a second entry or a confirmed seat for a few thousand rupees. Selection is random, so there is no priority to buy. Large upfront payments are one of the High Commission's named signs of a scam.

A selection message on WhatsApp or social media

Contact through social media or WhatsApp is another named sign. Emails claiming to come from Home Affairs whose address does not end in .gov.au are scams, and the High Commission says personal email accounts of officials are not channels for visa enquiries.

"Send us your passport and PAN, we will handle it"

Asking for your passport is on the High Commission's list, and Scamwatch advises never sending your passport or identity documents unless you are certain the other party is genuine. Selected Work and Holiday applicants must hold a valid PAN card (not an Aadhar card) whose details match the ballot registration, so keep control of every detail entered in your name.

A job package bundled with the ballot

Some offers pair the ballot with a job promised on arrival, which the High Commission also names as a sign. Others claim you can enter Australia on a visitor or transit visa and work while you wait. That is illegal and leads to refused entry, and you cannot work in Australia on an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or Visitor visa.

A "fast-track" fee after selection

Once you are selected, the clock is real: 28 calendar days to apply. Scammers use that pressure to demand a large payment to "fast-track" the application. The High Commission says anyone promising a visa or permanent residency, or demanding a large upfront payment to fast-track an application, is running a scam.

How to check a ballot selection or visa yourself

Start from the official Home Affairs page on the Work and Holiday pre-application process or the MATES ballot registration page, never from a link in a message.
Check the sender. A genuine Home Affairs email address ends in .gov.au; anything else is a scam.
Use ImmiAccount, the only official website for applying for an Australian visa, and do it yourself so you see each screen and each payment.
Have your PAN card ready before you are selected, with details that match your registration exactly, so the 28-day window is not lost to paperwork.
After a grant, look your visa up in VEVO. A visa grant that cannot be found in VEVO is probably fake.
If something still feels wrong, call the Visa/Citizenship helpline listed by the High Commission, +61 2 6196 0196 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, local time).

Planning the MATES year in order, from documents to the window itself? Our MATES ballot registration timeline covers what to prepare before registration opens.

Who can legitimately help

You do not need anyone's help to register for a ballot. If you do want help with an Australian visa application, anyone giving immigration assistance must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person. Each registered migration agent has a Migration Agents Registration Number (MARN) and is listed on the OMARA register; someone claiming to be an agent without a MARN or OMARA listing is not legitimate. Exempt persons, such as a close family member, may help but must not charge a fee. Home Affairs sets out these checks on its page on visa scams and what you need to know.

On the Indian side, a recruiting agent must hold a registration certificate under the Emigration Act 1983, and you can check one in the "List of active RA" on emigrate.gov.in. That registration covers recruitment for jobs abroad; a ballot entry is not a job offer, and no Indian licence turns a random draw into a sure thing. As on 9 April 2026, MEA had notified 3,505 illegal agents on the e-Migrate portal. Our guide to recruiting agent service charges in India explains what a registered agent may legally charge.

The one area where preparation genuinely improves your position is English. Work and Holiday applicants need at least functional English, and an English test must have been taken within 12 months before applying. Practice tests on PractiseNow can help you prepare before you book the real test, so a selection is not wasted.

If you have already paid a ballot "agent"

Stop paying. Keep every receipt, chat, call log and bank transfer record, because you will need them for any complaint. The High Commission says ballot and visa scams can be reported anonymously through Australia's Border Watch Online Report. In India, MEA's MADAD portal accepts grievances directly from the public, including recruiting agent problems.

Above all, do not follow an agent's advice to give false details. People who engage in visa fraud through a scam agent risk visa refusal or cancellation and a ban from Australia of up to 10 years, which would close the door on a later skilled visa too.

If you were not selected, the ballot is not your only route. Employer sponsorship works on a job offer, not a draw: our planning guide to the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa explains how it works, and graduates in technology can compare both routes in IT jobs in Australia for Indians: ballot or sponsorship.

Common mistakes Indian applicants make with the ballots

Paying someone to "register" you after the official window has closed, or for a program year whose dates Home Affairs has not published.
Treating a WhatsApp forward or a screenshot as proof of selection instead of checking through the official site.
Letting a stranger enter your details, then finding that your PAN card does not match the ballot registration.
Handing over an original passport to an agent who has no MARN and no OMARA listing.
Believing that a ballot place comes with a job, or that you can work on a visitor visa while you wait.
Losing days of the 28-day window waiting for an agent to "process" an application you could lodge yourself.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Work and Holiday ballot cost for Indian applicants?

The ballot registration fee is AUD25. If you are randomly selected, the Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa itself costs AUD840.00 and must be applied for online from outside Australia. Any other charge for "registration" is not set by Home Affairs.

Can an agent improve my chances in the Work and Holiday or MATES ballot?

No. Selection in both ballots is random, so no agent, coaching centre or consultant can raise your chances or reserve a place. Home Affairs is the only official provider of Australian visas.

How can I tell whether a selection message is real?

Check that any email claiming to be from Home Affairs comes from an address ending in .gov.au, and go to the official site yourself instead of clicking a link. ImmiAccount is the only official website for applying for an Australian visa, and a grant that does not show in VEVO is probably fake.

Can I still register for the 2026-2027 Work and Holiday ballot?

No. Registration for India ran from 4 June 2026 to 25 June 2026 and is closed, and all registrations expire on 30 April 2027. Watch the official Home Affairs page for the next program year's dates rather than relying on an agent's announcement.

Where can I report a ballot or visa scam?

The Australian High Commission says scams can be reported anonymously through Australia's Border Watch Online Report. Complaints about recruiting agents in India can be registered on MEA's MADAD grievance portal.

Key takeaways

Both ballots are random draws run by Home Affairs, and the registration fee is AUD25.
The 2026-2027 Work and Holiday window for India is closed; registrations expire on 30 April 2027.
WhatsApp contact, passport requests, large upfront fees and promised jobs are named warning signs.
Check senders end in .gov.au, apply through ImmiAccount and confirm any grant in VEVO.
Only registered migration agents with a MARN may charge for Australian visa help.

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