Kerja di kebun Australia: ballot visa or sponsored farm job, which route fits Indonesian workers?

Tips · 2026-10-21 · 10 min read

An Indonesian man and a woman in a hijab pick oranges beside wooden crates in a sunny Australian orchard.

Kerja di kebun Australia (farm work in Australia) is open to Indonesians through two main doors. The first is the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462): no employer sponsor, but you need a Letter of Support (SDUWHV) from Imigrasi, tertiary study, an age of 18 to 30 and, for a first visa, luck in a ballot. The second is a sponsored farm job, where an Australian employer nominates you for a skilled or labour agreement visa: no ballot, but you need real experience and an employer willing to sponsor. Below, both routes side by side, with costs in rupiah and the farm pay rules.

Why Indonesians have two doors, not three

Many backpackers from Europe use the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417). Indonesia is not on the eligible passport list for that visa.

Australia also hires farm workers through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, but PALM covers 9 Pacific countries and Timor-Leste, and Indonesia is not one of them.

The two routes compared

Question	Work and Holiday visa (462)	Sponsored farm job (482, 494 or a labour agreement)
Who decides you get a place?	A Home Affairs ballot, after your SDUWHV; Indonesia's annual cap is 5,000 first visas	An employer who nominates you, then Home Affairs
Age	18 to 30 years old (inclusive)	Under 45 for the 494, unless exemptions apply
What you must show	A tertiary qualification or 2 years of completed undergraduate study, functional English	At least 1 year of relevant work experience (482) or 3 years (494), English, sometimes a skills assessment
How long you can stay	12 months, with study for up to 4 months	Up to 4 years (482); 5 years in regional areas (494)
Who you can work for	Usually up to 6 months with the same employer	Only your sponsor, in the nominated occupation (482)
Base visa charge	AUD 840.00 (first visa)	AUD 4,015.00 (482) or AUD 6,140.00 (494)
What can come next	3 months of specified work makes you eligible to apply for a second 462	Possible employer sponsorship for permanent residence (186), or permanent residence after 3 years on a 494 if eligible

In short: the 462 suits young graduates but depends on the ballot; sponsorship rewards experience rather than luck.

Route one: the 462 visa and short farm jobs

Start with the SDUWHV from Imigrasi

Before you can lodge a first 462 application, Home Affairs requires Indonesian passport holders to hold a letter of support from the Directorate General of Immigration. That letter is the SDUWHV (Surat Dukungan untuk Work and Holiday Visa); see the Imigrasi SDUWHV requirements page and apply on the sduwhv.imigrasi.go.id portal.

Imigrasi's criteria include an age of 18 to 30, at least a Diploma III or 2 years of bachelor's study, no earlier Work and Holiday program, an English certificate, active funds, good health and conduct, and no immigration prevention order.

For the funds, Imigrasi asks for a bank letter showing at least AUD 5,000. As a rough comparison at Bank Indonesia's selling rate of 8 October 2026, that is about Rp 62,600,000; rates change, so check again before you visit the bank. See our 5,000 AUD to rupiah guide for the WHV for the bank letter.

Certificates I to IV do not count for Home Affairs. If you hold a D3 or are partway through an S1, read whether your D3, S1 or unfinished degree counts before you pay for anything. For the English certificate, our post on IELTS scores for the WHV from Indonesia covers the minimum average and when to book.

The ballot and the cap

Home Affairs says first 462 applications from Indonesian passport holders will be managed through a ballot, with registrations expected to open later in 2026. An SDUWHV from a previous program year lets you register, but it does not reserve a place or give you priority.

The Home Affairs country caps page shows the current status of Indonesia's cap, so check it before you plan your dates. Our post on getting your Letter of Support ready for the ballot covers the paperwork.

What farm work looks like on a 462

The visa allows a 12-month stay and usually limits you to 6 months with the same employer, which suits moving between harvests. To browse harvest and packing-shed roles by season, Seasonal Jobs Australia lists seasonal farm jobs across Australia.

Farm work also matters for a second year. Doing 3 months of specified 462 work makes you eligible to apply for a second Work and Holiday visa. Home Affairs sets which jobs and areas count, so check the official 462 visa page before you accept a job for that reason. A second or third 462 has a base charge of AUD 1,000.00.

The first visa's base charge is AUD 840.00, roughly Rp 10,520,000 at Bank Indonesia's selling rate of 8 October 2026; rates change.

Route two: a sponsored farm job

Here an Australian business that cannot find a suitably skilled local worker nominates you. Employer first, visa second.

The visa programs farms can use

Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), Core Skills stream: the job must be on the Core Skills Occupation List and pay at least the Core Skills Income Threshold, AUD79,423 for nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027.
Industry labour agreements: there are ten, including dairy, fishing, horticulture, meat and pork, usable for the 482, 186 and 494 visas.
DAMAs: 13 Designated Area Migration Agreements give regional employers access to more occupations, after a genuine attempt to hire Australians.
Subclass 494: a regional visa for 5 years, valid everywhere in Australia except Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with possible permanent residence after 3 years if eligible.

What a sponsored worker needs

For the 482, you need at least 1 year of relevant work experience in the last 5 years, and some occupations need a skills assessment started before you lodge. For the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams, the IELTS minimum is 5.0 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking. Our guide to the Skills in Demand (482) visa covers the streams in full.

If you have worked on a plantation, a dairy farm or in a packhouse in Indonesia, list the dates, crops and machines on an English CV. Build AI CV can help you write an English CV.

For sponsored roles, start with the sponsored jobs on JobsAbroad Indonesia, where each ad states the sponsorship offered.

A note on New Zealand

An Accredited Employer Work Visa job offer cannot be for planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in horticulture or viticulture. Our guide to the AEWV, New Zealand's employer work visa explains what the visa does cover.

Pay and rights on an Australian farm

Both routes give you the same workplace rights as everyone else:

Under the Pastoral Award 2020, a farm and livestock hand level 1 earns at least $25.74 an hour, and level 2 at least $26.44, from 1 July 2026.
Under the Horticulture Award 2020, a pieceworker must be paid each day at least the minimum hourly rate for their level (plus the 25% casual loading for casuals) multiplied by the hours worked.
Your employer must give you a pay slip within 1 working day of pay day, and pay superannuation at 12% from 1 July 2026.
Working holiday makers pay tax at 15c for each $1 up to $45,000 (the 2025-26 rates).
Apply online for a tax file number (TFN) once you have a work visa; the ATO does not charge for it, and it should arrive within 28 days.

If something goes wrong, call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and ask them to call the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94. Your employer cannot cancel your visa; only Home Affairs can. See the Fair Work page for visa holders.

Step by step: from Indonesia to your first Australian farm job

Pick your route honestly. If you are 18 to 30 with a D3, S1 or 2 completed years of university, the 462 is open to you. With solid farm experience, look at sponsorship too.
Book your English test. For the 462, Home Affairs needs a test taken within 12 months before you apply, so time it with the ballot.
Prepare your papers. Passport valid for at least 12 months, ijazah, transcripts and a bank letter; certified copies from a certifier the Australian Embassy lists, such as a lawyer or a full-time teacher.
Apply for the SDUWHV on the Imigrasi portal and keep the letter safe.
Register for the ballot when Home Affairs opens registrations, and check the caps page for news.
Lodge your 462 only if selected, in your own ImmiAccount, and pay the official charge yourself.
Get your SKCK close to departure. It is valid for up to 6 months, and you can apply online or at a police office.
For sponsorship, apply to employers directly and never pay anyone for a nomination.

Common mistakes Indonesian applicants make

Paying for a "reserved" ballot place or a promised farm job. The Australian Embassy in Jakarta says anyone who promises a visa or asks a large upfront fee to fast-track it is running a scam; warning signs include contact through WhatsApp, a promised job on arrival and requests for your passport. See our guide to checking a WhatsApp visa agent against the official register.
Counting a Certificate IV as tertiary study. Home Affairs says Certificates I to IV do not count for Indonesian 462 applicants.
Using an old English test. A test older than 12 months when you apply does not meet the 462 rule.
Going on a visitor visa to "find farm work". The Embassy warns that working on a visitor or transit visa is illegal.
Paying for sponsorship. A 482 applicant must not have asked for, offered or paid a benefit in return for sponsorship in the past 3 years.

Frequently asked questions

Can Indonesians do fruit picking in Australia without a sponsor?

Yes, through the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462), which does not need an employer sponsor. You first need an SDUWHV from Imigrasi, and first 462 applications from Indonesians are moving to a ballot, so a place is not certain.

Does an SDUWHV give me a place in the 462 ballot?

No. Home Affairs says holders of an SDUWHV from a previous program year can register for the ballot, but the letter does not reserve a place, give priority or exempt anyone from the ballot.

How much does the 462 visa cost in rupiah?

The base charge for a first Work and Holiday visa is AUD 840.00. At Bank Indonesia's selling rate of 8 October 2026 that is roughly Rp 10,520,000, but exchange rates change, so check the rate on the day you pay.

Can a farm in Australia sponsor an Indonesian worker?

It can, if the job fits a visa program: an eligible occupation under the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), a regional 494 nomination, a DAMA, or an industry labour agreement such as horticulture, dairy, meat or pork. The worker still needs the experience and English the visa asks for.

Can I pick fruit in New Zealand on an AEWV instead?

No. Immigration New Zealand says an Accredited Employer Work Visa job offer cannot be for planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in horticulture or viticulture. Read the AEWV rules for other farm roles.

Key takeaways

For Indonesians, Australian farm work means the 462 visa or employer sponsorship; the 417 and PALM do not include Indonesia.
The 462 needs an SDUWHV first, and first visas for Indonesians are moving to a ballot.
Sponsorship needs an employer, experience and English, but no ballot.
Award pay floors, pay slips and super apply on every farm, whatever your visa.
Never pay for a ballot place, a promised job or a nomination.

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