# Australian Working Holiday visas: 417, 462 and specified work | Aussie WHV Compass - Canonical source: https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/ - Language: en - Source content modification date (not a new fact check): 2026-10-11 - Editorial status: editorial-draft-unreviewed-by-native-domain-professional - Evidence scope: no-evidence-card - Evidence checked: Not recorded - License: CC BY-SA 4.0; original-page attribution required. > Independent guide, not a government or professional determination. Official sources and the original page govern; this export is not a new review. Forms, live user listings and interactive results are omitted. No available-item count or generated calculator result is asserted. FULL ENGLISH GUIDE — BETA # Working Holiday visas and specified work [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#main-content) A passport-neutral guide to subclass 417 and subclass 462. Start with your passport, then verify every rule on the linked Australian Government page. Sources checked 2026-08 **Editorial status:** this is a complete English editorial draft, not an Australian Government translation and not yet reviewed by a native-speaking immigration professional. Your grant letter, VEVO and the Department of Home Affairs always control. Working Holiday Maker rules, application caps and fees can change. Do not book travel until Home Affairs confirms your visa grant in writing. ## Step 1: choose the correct visa subclass [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#choose) ### Subclass 417 — Working Holiday [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#main-content) Available to passport holders from the countries and jurisdictions on the official 417 list. The upper age limit is 30 or 35 depending on the passport. [Check official 417 eligibility](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/first-working-holiday-417) ### Subclass 462 — Work and Holiday [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#main-content) Available to passport holders on the official 462 list. Extra requirements can include English ability, education or a government support document. Most countries also have an annual first-visa cap. [Check official 462 eligibility](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462/first-work-holiday-462) **Do not guess from nationality alone.** Check the passport you will actually use. China, India and Vietnam currently use a pre-application ballot for first subclass 462 visas; the live cap page also flags Indonesia's ballot rollout for later in 2026. Cap and ballot status can change during the program year. Sources: [First 417](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/first-working-holiday-417) · [First 462](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462/first-work-holiday-462) · [Live 462 cap status](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/whm-program/status-of-country-caps) | checked 2026-08-29 ## First visa checklist [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#first) - **Passport and age:** open the official first-visa page for your subclass and check the age deadline in Australian time. - **Previous visas:** a first WHM application generally requires that you have not previously entered Australia on a 417 or 462 visa. - **Money:** Home Affairs usually expects about **AUD5,000** for the initial stay, plus a ticket out of Australia or enough money to buy one. - **Family:** family members cannot be included in the application, and dependent children cannot accompany you while you hold the visa. - **Health and character:** you must meet the applicable requirements. Police certificates, health examinations or biometrics are requested according to your circumstances. - **Subclass 462 only:** check passport-specific education, English and support-letter rules, plus the live cap or ballot status. Source: the official [417](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/first-working-holiday-417) and [462](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462/first-work-holiday-462) eligibility pages | checked 2026-08-29 ## Application steps [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#apply) - Create or sign in to [ImmiAccount](https://online.immi.gov.au/). Use only the official service. - Read the document checklist for your subclass and passport. Upload clear colour scans and English translations where required. - Declare your current location accurately. Location rules affect whether Home Affairs can grant the visa. - Pay the charge shown in ImmiAccount. Check the current amount with the [Visa Pricing Estimator](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/visa-pricing-estimator) instead of relying on an old guide. - Respond inside ImmiAccount if Home Affairs asks for health checks, biometrics, police certificates or more evidence. - Wait for the written grant notification. Save the letter and read its entry deadline and conditions before booking travel. **You do not need an agent for a routine application.** If you pay for immigration assistance, first check who is legally allowed to help on the [Home Affairs guidance](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/who-can-help-with-your-application) and the [OMARA register](https://www.mara.gov.au/). No one can guarantee a visa grant. ## What a WHM visa generally allows [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#while-here) - Stay in Australia for the period shown in the grant notice—commonly up to 12 months after first entry for a first visa. - Do short-term work in any occupation or industry, subject to visa condition 8547. - Study or train for up to **4 months** on each WHM visa under condition 8548. - Leave and re-enter Australia during the visa’s travel period. Always check your own conditions in the grant letter or [VEVO](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/already-have-a-visa/check-visa-details-and-conditions/check-conditions-online). A general guide cannot see conditions attached to an individual visa. Source: [WHM work and study conditions](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/whm-program/specified-work-conditions) | checked 2026-08-29 ## Second and third WHM visas [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#second-third) | Next visa | Usual specified-work requirement | Important qualification | | --- | --- | --- | | Second 417 or 462 | 3 months of eligible work completed in qualifying circumstances during the first visa | Subclass 417 and 462 have different eligible work and location rules. | | Third 417 or 462 | 6 months of eligible work completed in qualifying circumstances during the second visa | The work must fall within the relevant subclass rules and dates. | - UK passport holders applying with a UK passport on or after 1 July 2024 can access second and third subclass 417 visas without the specified-work requirement. - For everyone else, never rely only on an employer saying a job “counts”. The job duties, location, dates, pay and your visa subclass all matter. - Specified work must normally be paid according to Australian workplace law. Volunteer work counts only in limited disaster-recovery categories stated by Home Affairs. Source: [WHM specified work and conditions](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/whm-program/specified-work-conditions) | checked 2026-08-29 ## How specified-work time is counted [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#counting) **“88 days” is common shorthand, not permission to compress three months into any 88 calendar dates.** Home Affairs describes the requirement as three months or six months of specified work. Your work pattern must be consistent with the normal full-time days or shifts for that industry and period. - A calendar day can count only once, even if you work more than one job that day. - Weekends or rest days within a full-time employment period may count when you complete the normal full-time roster for that period. - Paid public holidays and paid sick leave may count; unpaid days when no work is performed generally do not. - If you are paid piece rates, keep the written piecework agreement showing the rate and how it is measured, plus evidence of payment. - Do not plan to the exact minimum. Missing payslips or an ineligible shift can put the whole next-visa plan at risk. Source: the “How to count specified work” guidance on the official [417](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/specified-work) and [462](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462/specified-462-work) specified-work pages | checked 2026-08-29 ## Eligible work and locations differ by subclass [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#specified) ### Subclass 417 specified work [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#main-content) Categories include plant and animal cultivation, fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling, mining, construction, tourism and hospitality in designated areas, and eligible bushfire or natural-disaster recovery work. [Open the official 417 rules and postcode tables](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/specified-work). ### Subclass 462 specified work [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#main-content) Subclass 462 has its own industries, areas and date conditions. Do not use a 417 postcode result as proof for a 462 application. [Open the official 462 specified-work rules](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462/specified-462-work). SUBCLASS 417 TOOL ### Check a 417 specified-work postcode [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#postcode-tool) Enter the work location’s four-digit postcode and choose the work category. The result uses the official subclass 417 tables retrieved on 2026-08-29. It does **not** decide whether your duties, employer, pay or dates qualify, and it must not be used for subclass 462. Try a common location: ## Keep evidence from the first day [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#evidence) Keep evidence covering every claimed period: **payslips**, Australian bank statements showing pay, written piece-rate agreements, payment summaries or tax records, rosters and an employer reference. Save copies outside the employer’s system. A promise to sign a form later is not a substitute for lawful pay records. Cash work without payslips can leave you unable to prove the period. Sources: official second and third visa evidence guidance for [417](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/second-working-holiday-417) and [462](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462/second-work-holiday-462) | checked 2026-08-29 ## Working longer than six months for one employer [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#six-month) Condition 8547 usually limits work with one employer to six months. Current exemptions allow longer work without asking permission in these circumstances: - different locations for the same employer, with no more than six months at any one location; - plant and animal cultivation anywhere in Australia; - natural-disaster recovery work anywhere in Australia; - agriculture, food processing, health, aged and disability care, childcare, tourism and hospitality anywhere in Australia; - fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling, construction or mining in Northern Australia. These exemptions apply until the Government makes further decisions. If no exemption applies, request permission before the first six months ends. Home Affairs currently says you may continue working while a timely request is being decided. Source: [Home Affairs — 6 month work limitation](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/whm-program/specified-work-conditions/6-month-work-limitation) | checked 2026-08-29 ## Your workplace rights do not disappear with your visa [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#rights) - Visa holders and migrant workers have the same workplace entitlements and protections as other employees in Australia. - Your employer cannot cancel your visa. Only Home Affairs can grant, refuse or cancel a visa. - Contacting the Fair Work Ombudsman for information or help does not itself cause your visa to be cancelled. - Keep your own records of hours, rosters, messages, payslips and bank payments before raising a dispute. [Fair Work help for visa holders](https://www.fairwork.gov.au/find-help-for/visa-holders-migrants) [Latest WHM news](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/whm-program/latest-news) Source: [Fair Work Ombudsman — workplace rights and entitlements](https://www.fairwork.gov.au/tools-and-resources/fact-sheets/rights-and-obligations/visa-holders-and-migrant-workers-workplace-rights-and-entitlements) | checked 2026-08-29 ## Help improve this English guide [Section permalink](https://www.aussiewhvcompass.com/lang/en/visa/#review-title) If you spot unclear English or a rule that no longer matches the official source, open a public GitHub issue without including passport numbers, application details or other personal information. [Report a translation or source issue](https://github.com/jason201385-commits/aussie-whv-compass/issues/new?template=report.yml&title=%5Bi18n%20en%5D%20Visa%20guide) This guide is general information, not migration or legal advice. For a personal immigration question, use an Australian legal practitioner or an [OMARA-registered migration agent](https://www.mara.gov.au/).