How to apply for a second year visa in Australia

Have you already completed a Working Holiday Visa in Australia and wish to extend your stay Down Under? Know that it is possible to renew your WHV twice under certain conditions. Here is all the information you need to renew your working holiday visa and enjoy more time in this beautiful country or give you the possibility of returning later.

Conditions to get a second year visa in Australia

Several conditions apply to renew your Working Holiday Visa:

• You will need to be under 31 years old (35 for Irish, Canadians, French, Italian and Danish citizens),
• have a valid passport,
• will not be accompanied by dependent children
• be able to show that you have health cover for the length of your stay in Australia.
• complete three months or 88 days of specified work in regional Australia while on your first Working Holiday visa.

Since 2019, holders of WHV visas carrying out 6 months of eligible work in regional areas while on their second working holiday visa (417 or 462) can claim a third WHV. The 6 months of work must have been carried out after July 1, 2019.

Eligible areas

For 417 visa holders, all areas in Tasmania, South Australia and Northern Territory are eligible for renewal. For the other states and territories only certain postcodes are eligible.

Tourism and hospitality work carried out from 22 June 2021 in remote and very remote Australia areas will be considered eligible specified work for the purpose of a second or third Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa application lodged from March 2022.

Bushfire recovery work carried out after 31 July 2019 in specifics areas is eligible specified work for the purpose of a second or third Work and Holiday visa.
Flood recovery work carried out after 31 December 2021 in specifics areas is eligible specified work for the purpose of a second or third Work and Holiday visa.

Eligible regions to renew your WHV

Find the list of postcodes eligible to renew your second and third WHV in Australia.

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Eligible jobs

There are many different industries you can work in to qualify for a second working holiday visa. Industries differ depending on your visa type (417 and 462).

For 417 Visa Holders

Approved specified regional work include:

• Agriculture industries (harvesting, cultivation, processing)
• Fishing and pearling
• Tree farming and felling
• Mining
• Construction
• Bushfire recovery work carried out after 31 July 2019 in specifics areas is eligible specified work
• Critical COVID-19 work in the healthcare and medical sectors, after 31 January 2020
• Tourism and hospitality in northern, remote or very remote Australia only (from 22 June 2021)
• Flood recovery work carried out after 31 December 2021

For 462 Visa Holders

Approved regional work include:

• tourism and hospitality in northern or remote and very remote Australia
• plant and animal cultivation in northern Australia and other specified areas of regional Australia
• fishing and pearling in northern Australia only
• tree farming and felling in northern Australia only
• construction in northern Australia and other specified areas of regional Australia
• bushfire recovery work in declared bushfire affected areas only, after 31 July 2019
• flood recovery work in declared flood recovery areas only, undertaken on or after 1 January 2022
• critical COVID-19 work in the healthcare and medical sectors anywhere in Australia, after 31 January 2020

The Department of Home Affairs provides a list of all jobs that are eligible to renew your working holiday visa. 

Good to know: It is the place where you are working, and not the company headquarter, that must be located in the regional area. Work completed in a non-eligible area, which has an office in a regional area, does not meet the requirement.

Eligible Jobs to renew your Working Holiday Visa

The Australian government provides a list of all jobs that are eligible to renew your working holiday visa. Find all eligible jobs here:

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How to calculate your days to renew your WHV?

Calculating the hours and days

The government has set rules regarding the calculation of the days.

For a second year: Three months’ means three ‘calendar’ months, that is, a minimum period of 88 calendar days, including weekends or equivalent rest days during your period of employment.
For a third year: ‘6 months’ is taken to mean a period equivalent to the 6 shortest ‘calendar’ months of the year, that is, a minimum period of 179 calendar days, including weekends or equivalent rest days during your period of employment.

To meet the requirement for a minimum period of specified work you must complete the same number of normal work days or shifts as a full-time employee in that role and industry would normally work in a 3 months or 6 months period.

One single day of work is considered to be the normal number of hours per day or shift that is considered standard practice in the industry and role in which you are employed. One full day of work is defined as seven to eight hours of work during the day. On average, the Australian working week is 35 to 40 hours.

You can complete the 3 months or 6 months requirement in a variety of ways:

• working multiple short periods of work in any combination of full time, part time or on a piecework rate, which add up to the equivalent of 5 days a week over 3 or 6 calendar months
• working 5 days a week for a continuous period of 3 or 6 calendar months, including on a piecework rate agreement
• working less than 5 days a week over a period longer than 3 or 6 calendar months, including on a piecework rate agreement

Note that you cannot count work carried out on any one calendar day as more than one day of specified work. If the industry’s standard day is 5 hours long for example, working 10 hours on one day won’t count as 2 days of specified work.

Workers can count sick days only during periods where they are in paid employment and entitled to sick leave. Supporting evidence must be provided by the employer. Australian public holidays can be counted as a day of specified work if you are paid for that day. 

What about the wage?

Some applications for a second or third visa have been denied because the government considered that the people had been underpaid. So remember to check that you are paid the legal minimum wage before starting a new employment.

Minimum wages for fruit picking or any other job in Australia are set by collective agreements (awards). They can vary depending on your age and the type of contract under which you are employed (full time, part-time or casual). Casual workers must be affected more than permanent employees (15 to 25% depending on the collective agreement).

To know the legal minimum wage to which you are entitled, it is important to know the professional sector on which you depend. Indeed, the minimum wage varies from job to job because it is set by collective agreements. For example, if you work in horticulture, you will depend on the Horticulture Award. On the contrary, if you work on a construction site, it will be the “Building and Construction General On-site Award”.

Since 28 April 2022, workers paid a piece rate are guaranteed a minimum hourly wage. A pieceworker working full time or part time at the average productivity of a competent pieceworker must earn at least $23.38 per hour. For a casual pieceworker, it is $29.22 per hour.

The national minimum wage has been set at $20.33 per hour since July 2021 (before tax). This represents $772.60 for a week at 38 hours.

Do I need to work with the same employer for 3 months?

You can either work in one block with the same employer or in separate blocks with one employer or a number of employers. Days of work may be in different kinds of specified work. For example, you can complete 60 days of harvest work, travel for a month and complete another month in a construction job to get your 88 days. You are free to spread the work over the stay period of your WHV visa.

How to apply for a second year visa?

Application

Applying for a working holiday visa, whether first, second or third year, is quite easy. You can apply for a second Working Holiday visa online on the government website: 

You can apply in or outside Australia.
If you apply from Australia, you must be in Australia when the visa is granted.
If applying from outside Australia, you must be outside Australia when the visa is granted.

How much does the second year visa cost?

To apply for your Second WHV, it will cost you $495 (July 2021).

Evidence of specified work to provide

It is important to keep evidence of your specified work.
We advise you to keep:

• Keep the payslips received (paper or email). Make sure you have the ABN and details of your employer.
• Keep your employment contract if you have one, the document setting the payment terms if you are paid on performance (piecework agreement).
• Ask your employer, at the end of the fiscal year, to provide you with the PAYG, i.e. a summary of the payslips received. This document can only be sent to you by your employer after the end of the fiscal year (after June 30 of each year). So remember to keep a contact (email, phone) to contact the employer after this date.
• Bank statements from your Australian account where you can see your check deposits or wage transfers for the periods worked. If you are paid in cash, keep your pay stubs.

Tip: Keep as much evidence of your presence in the region and of the work done as possible. For example, keep photos, bus tickets, receipts for purchases made in the region, etc.

Finally, be aware that the government can call your employers to verify the information provided during your request.

Please note: You may be asked to submit a photocopy of your passport (page with your details).

When to apply for a second or third year visa?

You may apply either while you still hold a first or second Working Holiday visa or at a later date.
If you want to extend your visa straight after the first visa, you should apply before your first working holiday visa expires.
If you wish to come back later, you should apply before your 31st birthday (35 for some nationalities). You will have one year after approval to enter Australia.

UK passport holders age will be increased to 35 years old following the signature of the Free Trade Agreement between Australia and UK on 17/12/21. This will come into force within the next few months.

Bridging Visa

If you apply for your second year and your first visa is about to expire, you will be granted a bridging visa. You will be able to remain in Australia and to work while waiting for your second year visa.

The processing time varies. Some applications are granted within a few hours whereas others are investigated and can take up to 2 months.

When lodging your application for a second or third year visa, you should upload all the supporting evidence at the same time. This will avoid delay in processing your application.

Apply for a third-year visa

WHV visa holders doing 6 months of eligible work in regional areas while on their second working holiday visa (417 or 462) are eligible for a third WHV. You must complete the 6 months of work after July 1, 2019. To qualify for the third year, an age condition is imposed depending on your nationality (30 or 35), a valid passport is also necessary. You must not have a dependent child and must be able to prove that you have health insurance for the duration of your stay.

Eligible regions and jobs

To renew your visa for the third year, you will need to complete 6 months of eligible work. The jobs eligible for renewal are the same as those for a second year. The eligible regions are also the same for a second or third year.

Information extracted from the Australian Immigration Website.

Last updated 03/06/2022