Subclass 417 — Working Holiday
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.
FULL ENGLISH GUIDE — BETA
Working Holiday visas and specified work
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
Subclass 462 — Work and Holiday
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.
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.
First visa checklist
- 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.
Application steps
- Create or sign in to ImmiAccount. 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 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 and the OMARA register. No one can guarantee a visa grant.
What a WHM visa generally allows
- 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. A general guide cannot see conditions attached to an individual visa.
Second and third WHM visas
| 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.
How specified-work time is counted
“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.
Eligible work and locations differ by subclass
Subclass 417 specified work
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.
Subclass 462 specified work
Subclass 462 has its own industries, areas and date conditions. Do not use a 417 postcode result as proof for a 462 application.
SUBCLASS 417 TOOL
Check a 417 specified-work postcode
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
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.
Working longer than six months for one employer
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.
Your workplace rights do not disappear with your visa
- 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.
Help improve this English guide
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.
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.