The New Australian Agriculture Visa: What Actually Exists in 2026

Searching for a “new Australian agriculture visa” and not finding a straight answer? Here’s the straight answer. It doesn’t exist, and it never launched.

A standalone Agriculture Visa was announced back in 2021. It was meant to bring workers from Southeast Asia into farm jobs. It got shelved before a single visa was granted. What replaced it is a scheme most backpackers will never need to use, because it isn’t built for them.

If you’re on a working holiday visa and looking for picking, packing or pruning work, the pathway you actually need already exists. This explains what happened to the Agriculture Visa, what took its place, and which visa gets you into a farm job this harvest.

What was the Australian Agriculture Visa?

The Agriculture Visa was announced in August 2021 by the government at the time. The plan was to create a dedicated visa class for agricultural workers, with a focus on recruiting from Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia.

It was pitched as a fix for labour shortages in horticulture and meat processing. A formal agreement with Vietnam was even signed in early 2022.

Then the government changed at the 2022 election. The new government reviewed the plan and did not proceed with it. No Agriculture Visa was ever issued.

What replaced it: the PALM scheme

Instead of a new visa, the government expanded an existing one. The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme lets approved Australian employers sponsor workers from Pacific nations and Timor-Leste for seasonal or longer-term agricultural work.

In 2023, the government added a small pilot to PALM, bringing in workers from Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. That pilot effectively absorbed the idea behind the old Agriculture Visa, without creating a separate visa category.

PALM workers are employed under standard Australian workplace conditions, including the relevant award. For casual horticulture work, that’s currently $32.18/hr under the Horticulture Award, the same minimum that applies to casual local and backpacker workers.

Australian agriculture visa requirements: there aren’t any

This is the part that trips people up in search results. Because the visa was never launched, there’s nothing to apply for and no requirements list to meet.

If you’ve seen a website or a recruiter offering to help you apply for an “Australian Agriculture Visa,” treat it with suspicion. At best, they’re describing PALM incorrectly. At worst, it’s a scam charging you for a visa pathway that doesn’t exist for individual applicants.

The closest real requirements belong to PALM, and they apply to employers and approved source countries, not to individual job seekers:

• The employer must be an approved PALM scheme employer.
• The worker must come from an eligible Pacific nation, Timor-Leste, or one of the pilot Southeast Asian countries.
• The arrangement is employer-sponsored from the start. There’s no path for a backpacker already in Australia to apply into PALM.

If you’re reading this from Europe, the UK, Canada, or most other working holiday visa countries, PALM was never going to be your pathway anyway.

What this means if you’re on a 417 or 462 visa

Good news. You don’t need a new visa. The 417 working holiday visa and 462 work and holiday visa already let you take farm work anywhere in Australia, for as long as your visa is valid.

If you’re chasing a second-year visa, the 88-day specified work requirement is the thing to understand, not a visa that doesn’t exist. Completing 88 days of specified regional work can make you eligible to apply for a second-year visa, depending on your current visa subclass and when you applied. Rules around this have shifted over the years, so check the current detail on our 88 days guide before you count on it.

For a side-by-side of how the two working holiday subclasses actually differ day to day, see our 417 vs 462 visa guide.

Where the work actually is in November

While the visa conversation sorts itself out online, harvest keeps moving. Here’s what’s picking across the country this month, based on our regional harvest calendar.

Cherry season around Young runs for a narrow window in November and December, so timing matters if that’s your target. Mangoes are moving across Queensland, the NT and WA right now, and the Granite Belt around Stanthorpe is just starting into stone fruit and strawberries.

For the longer regional breakdown, see our fruit picking seasons guide.

How to actually find farm work

Skip the visa confusion and go straight to the job. Here’s the short version:

1. Check your visa lets you work regionally. Most 417 and 462 visas do, with some conditions.
2. Search by region and crop, not by visa type. Jobs are advertised the normal way, through farms, labour hire contractors and job boards.
3. Apply directly. You don’t need to pay anyone for visa access to do farm work on a working holiday visa.
4. Sort transport and accommodation early. Many regional farm jobs expect you to have your own transport.

Our full walkthrough is in how to apply for farm jobs in Australia, and current listings are on all farm jobs.

A word on scams

Any offer that bundles a visa with a job, especially one requiring upfront payment, deserves a second look. There is no legitimate agriculture-specific visa that individual job seekers apply for and pay a third party to arrange.

If something feels off, our guide to avoiding farm work scams covers the common patterns to watch for before you hand over any money or personal documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a new Australian agriculture visa in 2026?

No. A standalone Australian Agriculture Visa was announced in 2021 but was never launched. The current government folded the idea into the existing PALM scheme instead of creating a new visa class.

What happened to the Australian Agriculture Visa?

It was announced in August 2021 to bring workers from Southeast Asia into farm jobs. After the 2022 election, the new government shelved it and expanded the PALM scheme instead, including a pilot that added workers from Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries.

What are the Australian agriculture visa requirements now?

There are no requirements to list because the visa doesn’t exist. The closest thing, the PALM scheme, requires an approved Australian employer to sponsor a worker from an eligible Pacific nation, Timor-Leste, or one of the pilot Southeast Asian countries. It isn’t something a backpacker applies for directly.

Can backpackers apply for the PALM scheme?

No. PALM workers are sponsored by Australian employers and come from specific partner countries. Backpackers on a working holiday visa use a different pathway, the 417 or 462 visa, not PALM.

What visa do I need to do farm work in Australia?

Most backpackers use the 417 working holiday visa or the 462 work and holiday visa. Both let you take farm jobs across Australia while you travel.

Does the 88-day rule still apply to working holiday visas?

The 88-day specified work requirement has applied to some second-year visa applicants for years, but visa rules change. Check our 88 days guide for the current detail before you rely on it for your application.

How do I find legitimate farm work without a visa scam?

Be wary of anyone offering a guaranteed visa in exchange for upfront payment or an unusual job offer. Legitimate farm jobs are advertised openly and don’t require you to pay for a visa pathway that doesn’t officially exist.