Working Holiday

Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417)

  1. About this Visa
  2. How this Visa Works
  3. Eligibility
  4. Obligations
  5. Applying for this Visa

Specified Work



Specified work* is work that is undertaken in a 'specified' field or industry in a designated regional area.
See: Regional Australia Postcode List

* Work that is eligible for a second Working Holiday visa was changed on 1 July 2008. Eligible work is now referred to as 'specified work' not 'seasonal work'. The specified work definition below applies to:

If you were refused a second Working Holiday visa for not meeting the seasonal work requirement, but now meet the specified work requirement you may be able to apply again. You would need to pay another visa application charge.
See: Working Holiday and Work and Holiday Visas

Definition of specified work

Specified work is any type of work in the list below:

Specified work:

How to calculate specified work

'Three months' means three 'calendar' months or 88 days. Work can be:

Full time workers may include weekends in calculating the number of days worked.

Applicants who work part time or on a casual basis can only count the full days actually worked. The shortest period that can be counted is one day of full time work (for that industry).

Full time workers can count sick days only during periods where they were in paid employment and entitled to sick leave or covered by a workers compensation scheme. In these situations, supporting evidence must be provided by the employer.

Applicants who were prevented from obtaining employment because of injury or seasonal circumstances (for example, cyclone) cannot count any time they were unable to work towards the three month period.

Some possible examples to help clarify the definition of three months of specified work are outlined below.

Examples of 3 months

Examples that meet the three  month requirement

Examples that do not meet the three month requirement

Evidence of specified work

The department may contact you to confirm you meet the specified work requirement, and may request evidence that the actual work was undertaken in regional Australia. Acceptable evidence of specified work (completed while on your first Working Holiday visa) includes either:

See: Form 1263 Working Holiday visa: Employment verification (92KB PDF file)

  1. About this Visa
  2. How this Visa Works
  3. Eligibility
  4. Obligations
  5. Applying for this Visa