If you want to stay in Australia for another year, you have the option to apply for a Second Year Visa. Prerequisite: You must have completed 3 months or 88 days of specified work in a rural area in Australia. How you calculate these 88 days is a bit complicated, but this article will surely shed light on the matter.
Requirements for the 2nd Working Holiday Visa
The same as when applying for your 1st Working Holiday Visa, you have to meet the following requirements when applying for the Second Year Visa:
- When applying, you must be between 18 and 30 years old (you can apply until your 31st birthday).
- You must have a valid passport.
- You must have worked for 3 months or 88 days in a specific job in a rural area.
Find out more about what industries and postcodes are eligible for the second year visa:
– Eligible jobs for a second year visa in Australia
– Eligible postcodes for a second year visa in Australia
Calculate the 3 months or 88 days correctly
- 3 months means 3 calendar months, e.g. 1 January to 1 April.
- 88 days means 88 days.
You can either work in one or several blocks for one or more employers. For example, you can work as a harvest helper in the Northern Territory for one month and as a miner in Tasmania for two months.
Number of hours
A day’s work: A minimum of hours spent working in the industry in which you are employed. In Australia, these are usually 35 to 40 hours a week and 7 to 8 hours a day. If you work less than what’s usual, the day is not worth a full working day.
Contract
In general, it doesn’t matter whether you are a casual, full-time or part-time employee. The important thing is that you don’t work below the industry standard. For example, if you work two weeks on two weeks off, you can count the full four weeks (28 days). But only if this is common in the industry (e.g. in mining).
In general, the weekends are included when you work full time.
If you are employed part-time or work casual, you only count the days that you actually worked.
If you work for several employers on the same day, only one day counts.
Also, if you work overtime, the day will only be counted as one. For example, if the industry standard is 6 hours, but you work 12 hours a day, you will only get one day.
Sick leave, accidents, weather
In the case of illness or an accident, the missing days for full-time employees are still counted. Provided that it was agreed on in advance that sick leave will be paid. In these cases, the employer has to explain the evidence.
If employees are unable to work and are not paid due to illness, an accident or weather-related circumstances (such as a storm during harvest), the days are not counted.
Calculate 88 days for your 2nd Working Holiday Visa – Examples
Here are some examples of how to calculate the 88 days for the 2nd Working Holiday Visa:
Requirements for a 2nd working holiday visa are met:
Work during the week:
Employment: 3 months on a farm
Working time: 5 days a week
Standard in the industry: 5 days a week
Calculated working time: In this case, the days are counted for the weekend, so 7 days a week
Shift work:
Employment: 3 months
Working time: Every fortnight
Standard in the industry: irregular working hours, e.g. 1 week of work, 1 week off
Calculated working time: 3 months
Several jobs:
Employment: 60 days as harvest helper, 28 days as construction worker
Calculated working time: 88 days
Illness:
Employment: 3 months full-time
Paid sick leave
Calculated working time: 3 months
Requirements for a 2nd working holiday visa are NOT met:
Work during the week:
Employment: 3 months on a farm
Working time: 4 days a week
Standard in the industry: 5 days a week
Calculated working time: In this case, the days of the weekends are not counted, instead of 7 days a week, you only get 4 days per week.
Employment when you are on another visa
You can only apply for the Second Year Visa if you have a Working Holiday Visa. For example, if you work for 3 months on a farm on a student visa, you will not be able to stay in Australia for another year.
Seasonal circumstances:
If you’ve worked on a farm on a number of occasions, accumulated 80 days and you can’t work for another 8 days due to inclement weather before your Working Holiday Visa expires, you can’t apply for a 2nd Working Holiday visa.
Useful hints
- Don’t forget to check which areas and jobs are eligible for a 2nd Working Holiday Visa:
- Eligible jobs for a second year visa in Australia
- Eligible postcodes for a second year visa in Australia
- Prior to employment, you should check what type of employee you are (full time, part time, casual)
- If you work as a casual, you should only count the days you actually worked on
- If you do your 88 days intermittently, you should take exact notes of your working days.
- Keep all documents in order, proving that and for how long you have worked (Payslips, photos, bank statements, etc.)
- Find out how to apply for the Second Year Visa here: Apply for Second Year Visa
It is important that your employer pays you the minimum wage! Currently this is AUD19.49 per hour, or AUD740.80 per 38 hour week (before deduction of taxes). Don’t let yourself get ripped off!
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