The Subclass 417 Working Holiday Visa allows some young adults aged between 18 and 30 years old (inclusive) and Canadian, French and Irish citizens 18 to 35 years old (inclusive) to have an extended holiday in Australia, while supplementing their funds with short-term work. A 417 Visa is valid for 12 months and allows for multiple instances of travel into and out of Australia during this period.
417 Visa holders are generally permitted to work for up to six months with any single employer, and to study for up to four months. Work in certain specific occupations and in regional areas of Australia may be permitted for up to 12 months.
It is possible to get a second and third 417 Visa if you hold or have previously held an Australian Working Holiday Visa, providing that you completed a minimum of three months’ (for a second 417 Visa) or six months’ (for a third 417 Visa) confirmed Subclass 417 work.
New postcodes added to bushfire and other disaster recovery work areas. On 5 April 2025, DHA updated the list of eligible areas for WHMs to undertake specified work to qualify for a second or third WHM visa. This update expands the list of postcodes for WHMs undertaking bushfire recovery work and other recovery work for natural disasters such as floods, cyclones or other severe weather in areas recently impacted by bushfires and other natural disasters. The updated list applies to Working Holiday (subclass 417) and Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa applications lodged on or after 5 April 2025, or applications lodged but not decided by this date.
417 Visa – Eligibility Requirements
Working Holiday Visas are only available to holders of passports issued by certain countries and territories. These countries are:
- Belgium
- Canada
- Republic of Cyprus
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Hong Kong
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Republic of Korea
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Sweden
- Taiwan
- United Kingdom (includes British National Overseas passport holders)
You must also be aged between 18 and 30, unless you are a passport holder of Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Italy or the UK (inc. BNO), in which case you may be as old as 35.
In addition, you must:
- apply online from outside Australia if you are applying for your first 417 Visa
- not be accompanied by dependent children
- if applying for your second Working Holiday Visa, have completed at least three months’ specified 417 Visa work
- if applying for your third Working Holiday Visa, have completed at least six months’ specified 417 Visa work
417 Visa – Working Holiday Specified Work
The Australian Government has defined certain types of work as being suitable to meet the specified work requirement for second and third Working Holiday Visa applications.
Usually, specified work for Subclass 417 Visas must be undertaken in regional Australia (i.e. most areas in Australia except the cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane).
The areas of work include:
- 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
Voluntary work can not be used to meet the specified work requirement when applying for a second or third Working Holiday visa.
Three months’ specified work is defined as an evidenced period of paid, full-time equivalent work over at least 88 calendar days. Six months’ specified work is defined as an evidenced period of paid, full-time equivalent work over at least 176 calendar days. ‘Full-time equivalent’ work is considered to be one full day of work as would be considered standard for the role and industry in which you were employed.
You can use part-time or piecework rate work alone or in combination with full-time work over a longer period of time than the minimum three months, but it must add up to the minimum full-time equivalent of five days a week over three or six calendar months.
The work can be with one employer or several, and can be spread over the period of your stay in Australia. You can also work longer than the required period in regional Australia in specified work. Paid public holiday leave and sick days are counted as a day of specified work. Unpaid leave or holidays, and unpaid days due to severe or seasonal weather, are not counted.
Working Holiday Visa vs Work & Holiday Visa
Subclass 462 Visa & Subclass 417 Visa Comparison
| 462 Visa | 417 Visa | |
| Features: | This visa is for young people who want to holiday and work in Australia for up to a year | This visa is for young people who want to holiday and work in Australia for up to a year |
| Requirements: | The candidate:
· must be at least 18 but not yet 31 years of age · don’t have a dependent child accompanying you at any time during your stay in Australia · must have a passport from an eligible country · have enough money to support her/himself on a working holiday (about A$ 5000) |
The candidate:
· must be at least 18 but not yet 31 (or 36) years of age · don’t have a dependent child accompanying you at any time during your stay in Australia · must have a passport from an eligible country · have enough money to support her/himself on a working holiday (about A$ 5000) |
| Eligible countries: | · Argentina
· Austria · Brazil · Chile · PR China · Czechia · Ecuador · Greece · Hungary · India · Indonesia · Israel · Luxembourg · Malaysia · Mongolia · Papua New Guinea · Peru · Poland · Portugal · San Marino · Singapore · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Switzerland · Thailand · Türkiye · Uruguay · USA · Vietnam |
· Belgium
· Canada · Republic of Cyprus · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Hong Kong · Ireland · Italy · Japan · Republic of Korea · Malta · Netherlands · Norway · Sweden · Taiwan · United Kingdom (inc. BNO) |
| Additional Requirements: | The candidate:
· must provide evidence that s/he meets the educational requirements, i.e. a tertiary qualification or satisfactory completion of at least two years of undergraduate university study. · must hold a secondary school (High School) qualification, if s/he is from USA, Israel, Chilie. · must have functional English, which an average band score of at least 4.5. |
N/A |
| Second Visa application Requirements: | The candidate:
· must have complied with all the conditions on her/his first Work and Holiday visa. · must have not previously held more than one Work and Holiday Visa. · must have completed three months of specified subclass 462 work in Northern Australia while on your first Work and Holiday visa. · must have not yet turned 31 years of age. |
The Candidate:
· must have completed three months of specified work in regional Australia while on her/his first Work and Holiday visa |
417 Visa – Processing Times
50% of Working Holiday Visa applications are processed in one day or less. 90% of Working Holiday Visa applications are processed within 61 days.
417 Visa – Cost
Applications for first, second and third Working Holiday Visas each cost AUD 670.
