Key facts
- Working holiday visas issued to Brits rose from 47,200 in 2023-24 to just over 77,000 in 2025-26, per Australian government data.
- Brits made up almost a quarter of the 323,000 backpacker visas issued last year.
- Albanese said Burnham had been "very constructive" and that the free trade agreement was not set in stone.
- The National Farmers Federation said backpackers make up one in seven farm jobs across Australia.
- Proposed migration changes would cap second-year working holiday extensions at 45,000, down from 57,000 who qualified this year.
- Tourism Tropical North Queensland said young Brits working in the region fell from around 20,000 to about 11,000.
Australia's government wants to revisit its free trade agreement with the UK to restore regional work requirements for British backpackers, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said after raising the issue with UK counterpart Andy Burnham at the Commonwealth leaders meeting in the Caribbean in the week before November 10, 2026.
The 2023 UK-Australia free trade deal exempted Brits on working holiday visas from having to work in regional or remote areas to stay beyond a year, and raised the age limit from 30 to 35. Working holiday visas issued to Brits rose from 47,200 in 2023-24 to just over 77,000 in 2025-26, according to the latest Australian government data. Brits made up almost a quarter of the 323,000 backpacker visas issued last year.
Albanese told reporters he had pushed for a change in the rules and that Burnham had been "very constructive about it." He said the free trade agreement was not set in stone and tweaks could be made "if there are good policy reasons." No immediate announcement was made despite speculation in the Australian media.
Businesses in Far North Queensland have lobbied for the change, citing labor shortages. Mexicairns owner Peter McLeay said he has seen far fewer British backpackers looking for jobs since mid-2023. Dan McConnell, general manager of the Mad Monkey hostel chain, said French guests now outnumber British three to one at its Cairns accommodation. Cairns restaurateur Fintan Rafferty said only five of about 180 staff across four venues are British, down from about 25 before the visa rule change.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen said young Brits temporarily living and working in the region peaked at around 20,000 and are now closer to 11,000. The National Farmers Federation said backpackers make up one in seven farm jobs across Australia, with about 52,000 people on working holiday visas doing horticulture jobs each year, and welcomed Albanese's discussions with Burnham.