Changes to Specified Work for Working Holiday Visa

There will be changes to specified work for working holiday visa holders. These changes come into effect this year, and impact visa subclasses 417 and 462. You can learn more about Australia’s working holiday visa on our dedicated webpage.

Specified work for Working Holiday Visa

In order to qualify for a second and third year working holiday visa, applicants must complete specified work in regional Australia. To be eligible for a second year, you must have carried out at least 3 months of specified work. To be eligible for a third year, you must have carried out at least 6 months of specified work on or after 1 July 2019.

Currently, specified work includes the following industries:

tourism and hospitality in northern or remote and very remote Australia, from 22 June 2021
plant and animal cultivation in regional Australia
fishing and pearling in regional Australia
tree farming and felling in regional Australia
mining in regional Australia
construction in regional Australia
bushfire recovery work in declared bushfire affected areas only, after 31 July 2019
critical COVID-19 work in the healthcare and medical sectors anywhere in Australia, after 31 January 2020

Reference: Department of Home Affairs on 21/04/2022

Regional Australia can be determined by postcodes listed on the Department website.

Plant and animal cultivation in regional Australia is a popular choice for working holiday makers

Changes to specified work for Working Holiday Visa

The type and locations of specified work for working holiday makers is changing. From 1 July 2022, more areas of Australia will be classified as regional. Moreover, new job roles will be included as specified work.

These changes include:

add flood recovery work and areas for this work as specified work for these visas
update bushfire recovery work details to include voluntary work
increase the areas in which tourism and hospitality work must be carried out

If you would like to learn more, you can read the Migration Amendment Instrument.

You can complete our free online assessment to see if you qualify for a working holiday visa. Alternatively, you may wish to learn about Australia’s skilled visa pathways. These are suitable for those wishing to live and work in Australia on a more permanent basis. Moreover, you may choose this pathway if you’ve already used your working holiday visa or do not qualify. In most instances you can include family members in a skilled visa application.