An ABC investigation has uncovered a black-market trade in Indonesia that preys on young people vying for one of the 5,000 annual Australian Work & Holiday (subclass 462) visas allocated to the country.
To lodge a valid application, Indonesians must obtain a government support letter (SDUWHV) from Jakarta’s Directorate-General of Immigration. Because the on-line system opens only briefly—and often crashes—locals call the process ‘the visa war’. Middle-men now offer to bypass the scramble for fees of up to AU$5,500, claiming to bribe officials or insert names directly into the quota. Victims interviewed by the ABC provided recordings of agents promising guaranteed letters; several later discovered their documents were false and faced Australian rejection notices that could undermine future visa bids.
![Indonesian Applicants Targeted by Scam ‘War’ for Australia’s Work & Holiday Visa]()
The scams flourish because demand far outstrips supply and most steps occur outside Australian jurisdiction. Advocates in Jakarta are pressing Canberra to take over issuance of the support letter or scrap it altogether, as Australia has already done for most other WHV partner countries. Indonesia’s parliament has scheduled hearings after more than 3,000 formal complaints about crashed servers and alleged insider access.
For Australian employers—especially in agriculture and hospitality—integrity issues in feeder countries heighten reputational and compliance risks. Hiring a worker who supplied forged documents can trigger civil penalties if the employer “reasonably suspected” fraud. Mobility teams should therefore verify the origin of SDUWHV letters and keep evidence of due-diligence checks.
In the short term, applicants are advised to avoid agents promising shortcuts, use only the official online portal, and prepare bank statements and English-language certificates well before the quota opens. Australia’s Department of Home Affairs reiterated that it never requests payments via social media and urged whistle-blowers to report scams through Border Watch.
To lodge a valid application, Indonesians must obtain a government support letter (SDUWHV) from Jakarta’s Directorate-General of Immigration. Because the on-line system opens only briefly—and often crashes—locals call the process ‘the visa war’. Middle-men now offer to bypass the scramble for fees of up to AU$5,500, claiming to bribe officials or insert names directly into the quota. Victims interviewed by the ABC provided recordings of agents promising guaranteed letters; several later discovered their documents were false and faced Australian rejection notices that could undermine future visa bids.
The scams flourish because demand far outstrips supply and most steps occur outside Australian jurisdiction. Advocates in Jakarta are pressing Canberra to take over issuance of the support letter or scrap it altogether, as Australia has already done for most other WHV partner countries. Indonesia’s parliament has scheduled hearings after more than 3,000 formal complaints about crashed servers and alleged insider access.
For Australian employers—especially in agriculture and hospitality—integrity issues in feeder countries heighten reputational and compliance risks. Hiring a worker who supplied forged documents can trigger civil penalties if the employer “reasonably suspected” fraud. Mobility teams should therefore verify the origin of SDUWHV letters and keep evidence of due-diligence checks.
In the short term, applicants are advised to avoid agents promising shortcuts, use only the official online portal, and prepare bank statements and English-language certificates well before the quota opens. Australia’s Department of Home Affairs reiterated that it never requests payments via social media and urged whistle-blowers to report scams through Border Watch.
