Australia agrees that working holiday visas for Indonesian citizens will be drawn, official rates will increase

Interest in Indonesian citizens (WNI) participating in the Australian Working Holiday Visa (WHV) program continues to increase. Responding to the high level of interest, the Indonesian Government proposed that the selection process for WHV quota recipients be carried out through a lottery system to increase transparency and equal opportunity.

according to regional travel authorities and bureau field correspondents, this proposal was submitted by the Directorate General of Immigration, Ministry of Immigration and Corrections to the Australian Government.

Australia's Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Matt Thistlethwaite, said his government fully supported the proposal. According to him, implementing the lottery system will also eliminate the obligation to attach a Letter of Support for a Work and Holiday Visa (SDUWHV), which has been one of the requirements for applying for a visa.

"The Director General of your Government Department also suggested a lottery to make the system fairer, and to remove the need for letters of support as well. We think that is a suitable recommendation and we are looking at implementing the proposed lottery system to eliminate the need for letters of support. That would remove some of the barriers we have in the system and make the system much fairer," said Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Matt Thistlethwite at the Australian Embassy Jakarta, Wednesday (15/7/2026), written Saturday (18/7/2026).

So was Indonesia's proposal approved?

"Yes, we support the proposal suggested by your Director General," answered Thistlethwite.

The letter of support that Thistlethwite refers to is the Letter of Support for Work and Holiday Visa (SDUWHV). Reporting from the Indonesian Immigration website, SDUWHV is a letter of support from the Indonesian Government issued by the Directorate General of Immigration as one of the conditions for applying for an Australian Work and Holiday Visa.

So when can this lottery system be implemented?

"Creating a lottery system takes time. An electronic lottery system to be fair. Our Department of Foreign Affairs is implementing it. I can't give you a specific schedule at the moment. But soon we will inform Indonesia about the changes. We will give a date when the new system will be included. So then it will be noticed and people will be able to prepare for the new system," he said.

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