If you are on a subclass working holiday or work and holiday visa, then you may be eligible to remain in Australian for an additional year. To obtain the second year extension visa holders must spend 88 days working in regional locations around Australia in areas of specified work.
Eligibility Requirements:
- You can apply from inside or outside Australia. But if you apply from inside Australia, you must be inside Australia when your visa is granted.
- You must be aged between 18 – 30 years of age at the time of applying.
- You must have completed at least 88 days of specified regional work in Australia.
- You must still currently be on your first subclass 417 or 462 working holiday visa or have finished your first working holiday visa
- You can not be accompanied by any dependent children.
- You have complied with all the conditions on your first Working Holiday visa
- You have not previously held more than one Working Holiday visa
- You have enough money to buy a return or onward travel ticket at the end of your stay
What this visa allows you to do:
- Remain in Australia for an additional 12 months
- Work for the same employer for a maximum of 6 months
- Enter Australia within 12 months of the grant of the visa
- Leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you like during the validity of the visa
- Study in Australia for up to 4 months
What is Specified Work?
Plant and Animal Cultivation Construction Fishing and Pearling Tree Farming and Felling Mining and Construction
How to apply?
You can apply for the second year visa extension either online or via hard copy. To apply online click here .
Be sure to have your passport handy and at around 30 minutes to complete the application. Once you have completed your application, you will be provided with a Transaction Reference Number. Please write this number down as you will need to provide this to the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection to check on the progress of your application.
To provide in hard copy you must complete the form 1150 Application Form 1150. You must then post all of your documents to:
Cairns Second Working Holiday Centre, Department of Immigration and Citizenship PO Box 1269, Cairns QLD 4870, Australia
To check visa conditions such as the progress of your visa application you can check through the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) system. You will need to have your Transaction Reference Number available or the password for your application. If your visa is refused you will receive a letter from the DIBP advising you and your rights to appeal.
How much work do I need to undertake?
You must complete at least 88 days of specified regional work to be eligible for the visa extension. This work can be done in a row, or at separate times across the first year of your working holiday visa. You can work for one employer or for many different employers.
How do I calculate my specified work:
‘Three months’ means three ‘calendar’ months or 88 days. Work can be in one block with one business, or in separate blocks with one business or a number of businesses. Blocks of work may be in different kinds of specified work.
How to provide evidence of regional work:
The DIBP may ask you to submit evidence of specified work for a regional employer. If you are asked to provide this you may provide: – Original copies of your pay slips – Group certificates – Ta Returns – Employer references – Or most commonly completed employment verification form (employment verification form)
List of Regional Areas (from Home Office Website on Feb 13, 2018):
| State/territory | Postcode |
| Australian Capital Territory | The Australian Capital Territory is not classified as part of regional Australia. |
| New South Wales | 2311 to 2312 , 2328 to 2411 , 2420 to 2490, 2536 to 2551, 2575 to 2594, 2618 to 2739, 2787 to 2898. Note: Excludes Sydney, Newcastle, the Central Coast and Wollongong. |
| Northern Territory | All of Northern Territory is classified as part of regional Australia. |
| Queensland | 4124 to 4125, 4133, 4211 ,4270 to 4272, 4275 , 4280 , 4285 , 4287, 4307 to 4499, 4510, 4512, 4515 to 4519 , 4522 to 4899 . Note: Excludes the Greater Brisbane area and the Gold Coast |
| South Australia | Entire State |
| Tasmania | Entire State |
| Victoria | 3139 , 3211 to 333, 4 3340 to 3424, 3430 to 3649 , 3658 to 3749, 3753 , 3756 , 3758 , 3762, 3764 , 3778 to 3781 , 3783, 3797 , 3799 , 3810 to 3909 , 3921 to 3925, 3945 to 3974, 3979, 3981 to 3996. Note: Excludes Melbourne metropolitan area. |
| Western Australia | 6041 to 6044, 6083 to 6084, 6121 to 6126, 6200 to 6799. Note: Excludes Perth and surrounding areas. |
Hello,
I have sent an online application for the second working holiday visa after working almost 100 days in specified regional works in Australia.
I have chosen to do wwoofing instead of doing the more common fruit picking and the employers assured me that they were eligible for the 2nd WHV application.
Today I have received the answer from the Immigration Department and unfortunately the have refused my visa as some of the work done “was not specified work as defined by the Minister in the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments (FRLI) F2008L02264, 24 June 2008, IMMI 08/048”.
I may understand if that is the case, but I am really disappointed because I didn’t meet the criteria to have the grant of this visa because some employer take advantage of us young people trying to build a decent future. Plus, for this application I have spent over $400 which I cannot have back even after a refusal.
I was wondering if you could advice me on this situation. Is there any chance I can ask at least for a refund, as it’s the employer’s fault if I couldn’t get the visa?
Thank you so much in advance,
Valentina
Hi Valentina, This is very unfortunate to hear. Unfortunately it is something that we are hearing a lot more from working holiday makers.
I think the very least that the WWOOFING employer could do would be to pay for your visa application fee. Have you contacted the employer?
Hi, thank you for all your posts, they’re really useful! However, I was wondering if it was possible to get a second WHV after going back to my home country for one or two years after the first working holiday (with 88 days of specified regional work ofcourse).
Thanks in advance!
Joanna
Hi Joanna,
Yes you may be able to apply for the second working holiday visa from back in your home country provided that you have completed the 88 days of regional specified work and have the evidence to prove that you did the work. Feel free to let us know if you have any other questions
Regards,
PTA Team
Hello
I have sent my Paper visa to the Cairns Working holiday centre, But I have not heard any reply as in if they have even got my application. Myself and my friend have completed our 88 days, but about 70 of them were on a wwoofing contract and when we were in the middle of it, wwofing was deemed as no longer eligible as farm work, but we were told that if you had already began a woofing contract that your’s would still work. Will it still count?
thanks
Hi Seamus, It is up to immigration to decide if the wwoofing work still counts.
Best of luck.
Hi,
I have question about lodging a paper application from outside Australia and paying for it.
I had my first WH visa in 2014 and completed my 88 days doing WWOOFing before the 2015 changes to the 2nd visa legislation. This means that while my 88 days of work ought to still be valid for a second visa, I cannot lodge an application online, since my employers didn’t have Australian Business Numbers.
So,
1) Since I am currently outside Australia, do I send my paper application to the Cairns office or to an embassy outside Australia?
2) How do I pay for it (the government website is unclear about this.)
Hi Meredith,
Your questions are quite specific.
We would recommend that you book a consultation with a Registered Migration Agent, you can do that here:
Kind regards,
PTA Team
Hi! I am in Indonesia right now traveling around. I have done 100 days of hospitality work and i have all i need to apply to the 2nd year 462 visa. My problem is this: 1) my current visa is due on March 1st 2018. 2) i still havent applied for the visa. 3) i have a flight back to Melbourne on March 6th and a flight to UK on March 7th. 4) i understand that if i apply outside of Aus, i need to stay outside until i get the visa but right now that would mean applying now and getting it in under 14 days which is a long shot. If i go back now to Aus and apply there, i might not get it before my flight to UK and i wont be able to leave the country on a bridging visa. I understand there is a bridging visa with travel rights i could apply but with the time in my clock i dont know if i have time for all of that. What can i do?? please help me, i really need to go back to aus after my first visa is due, and i need to go to the UK for 20 days and come back to work in Australia.
Hi Martin,
We have emailed you directly.
Kind regards,
PTA Team