Who needs specified work?
A second Working Holiday Maker visa generally requires three months of specified work; a third generally requires six months. Home Affairs describes these minimum periods as 88 and 179 calendar days respectively. The work must meet the rules for the visa subclass you are applying for and the relevant period of your visa history.
The UK passport exception
For second and third subclass 417 applications made on or after 1 July 2024 using a UK passport, the specified-work requirement does not apply. This exception is not a general exemption for everyone holding a 417 visa.
Check duties and postcode together
Eligibility depends on the actual work, not the phrase “88-day job” in an advertisement. Plant and animal cultivation can include harvesting, crop maintenance and qualifying immediate packing or processing. Home Affairs lists approved activities and areas separately for subclass 417 and subclass 462. Their industry lists are not interchangeable: for example, mining appears in the 417 list, not the 462 list.
Tourism and hospitality can qualify in the approved northern, remote and very remote areas and specifically listed postcodes. A hospitality job in any regional town does not automatically qualify. Use the worksite postcode, rather than the employer’s head-office address, and compare your exact duties with your subclass’s official list.
Sources: Home Affairs · specified work for subclass 417 · Home Affairs · specified work for subclass 462
88 calendar days is a work-pattern rule
To meet the minimum, you must complete the equivalent normal working days or shifts that a full-time worker in that role and industry would work over three or six months. A continuous normal full-time arrangement can include equivalent rest days. Part-time or irregular work usually takes a proportionately longer period. You can combine eligible periods and employers.
Working longer shifts does not let you compress three months into a shorter total calendar period. Overlapping jobs do not turn one date into two calendar days. A piecework arrangement changes how earnings are calculated, rather than creating extra visa days.
For a third visa: 179 calendar days
Home Affairs expressly defines six months as at least 179 calendar days, subject to the normal full-time-equivalent work pattern. The qualifying work for a third visa must have been carried out on or after 1 July 2019 and satisfy the applicable visa-history requirements.
Sources: Home Affairs · specified work for subclass 417 · Home Affairs · specified work for subclass 462
Build the evidence while you work
Keep the employer’s legal name and ABN, the host business if labour hire is involved, the actual worksite postcode, your duties, employment dates, hours and pay. Store contracts, payslips, bank payment records and correspondence confirming the location. Label records by employer and pay period so they can be matched later.
Use the document checklist for the application you are lodging in ImmiAccount. An employer’s assurance, a job-board badge or your own tracker total does not replace the evidence requested by Home Affairs. Ask for missing records while your supervisor still remembers the placement.
Sources: Home Affairs · specified work for subclass 417 · Home Affairs · specified work for subclass 462 · Fair Work · pay, entitlements and working conditions
Before accepting the next placement
- Check your subclass and whether you need specified work.
- Get the duties and actual worksite postcode in writing.
- Confirm the award, pay arrangement and expected roster.
- Compare the duties and location with the appropriate Home Affairs page.
- Plan enough time for weather interruptions and a proportionate part-time calculation.
- Keep a private work log and the supporting payment records.
Check pay and conditions and use the seasonal calendar to plan a route. These are planning resources; Home Affairs makes the visa decision.
Sources: Home Affairs · specified work for subclass 417 · Home Affairs · specified work for subclass 462
88 calendar days. Check the work pattern.
Three months means at least 88 calendar days of qualifying work equivalent to normal full-time employment in that role and industry. Part-time work takes proportionately longer. The six-month requirement is at least 179 calendar days.
Read the counting rules ↗Common questions
Do weekends always count?
No. Rest days can be counted in a qualifying normal full-time arrangement, but a casual or part-time roster does not automatically make every non-working day eligible. Use Home Affairs’ work-pattern examples.
Can I do the work with more than one employer?
Yes. You may combine eligible periods with different employers, keeping separate records for the actual work and dates. You still need the required full-time-equivalent period.
Do UK passport holders need 88 days?
The specified-work requirement does not apply to second or third subclass 417 applications lodged on or after 1 July 2024 using a UK passport. Other eligibility requirements still apply.
Sources & last checked
- Home Affairs · specified work for subclass 417 ↗
- Home Affairs · specified work for subclass 462 ↗
- Fair Work · pay, entitlements and working conditions ↗
Last checked: 8 October 2026. Visa rules, pay rates and recruitment dates can change; follow the linked official source for your circumstances.