88 Days Not Counted? Why Your Second Year Visa Got Refused

You did the work. You did the time. Then the refusal letter lands and says your specified work does not meet the requirements for a second Working Holiday visa.

It is one of the most stressful things that can happen on a working holiday, and it usually comes down to a handful of fixable mistakes rather than anything dramatic. Here is what the department is actually checking, why days get thrown out, and what to do next.

First, How the 88 Days Actually Work

For a second Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) you need three months of specified work. The department counts that as at least 88 calendar days, and the days are counted inside your employment period, so weekends and normal rest days count while you are employed.

That last part is where people get caught. It is not 88 days of shifts. It is 88 calendar days of being employed in specified work, in an eligible job, in an eligible location, while you held the right visa.

The Reasons Days Get Rejected

Wrong industry or wrong postcode. Plant and animal cultivation counts anywhere in Australia. Mining and construction only count in Northern Australia, which covers all Northern Territory postcodes plus specified northern Queensland and Western Australian postcodes. Work in the right industry in the wrong postcode earns you nothing towards the 88 days.

Work done on the wrong visa. The work has to be done while you hold the Working Holiday visa you are extending from. Student visa work, or work done before your WHV started, does not count.

Unpaid days counted. Unpaid leave, unpaid public holidays, and days lost to rain or weather do not count. Paid public holidays and paid sick or compensation leave generally can.

Cash work with no paper trail. If there is nothing that proves the employer, the location, the dates, the duties and the pay, the case officer cannot approve it. This is the single most common self-inflicted wound.

Volunteering or an internship. HelpX, WWOOFing, unpaid farm stays and unpaid internships are not paid specified work.

Counting the whole calendar, not the job. If you worked six weeks, went to Bali for a month, then worked another six weeks, the gap does not count, even if the calendar adds up to 88 days.

What Evidence to Send Instead

Build a file that a stranger could read and understand without calling anyone. The strongest combination is:

• Payslips for every pay period, showing the employer and the dates
• Bank statements showing those wages landing
• Your employment contract or letter of offer
• Rosters or timesheets covering the full period
• Tax records, such as your income statement or payment summary
• A signed employer letter stating your duties, the work location, your start and end dates, and that the work was paid

If the employer has gone quiet, a payslip plus bank statements plus a roster is far better than a letter you wrote yourself. If two documents disagree on dates, explain the difference in a short cover note rather than leaving the officer to guess.

What to Do If You Have Already Been Refused

Read the refusal letter properly. It will name the specific requirement that failed, and that tells you whether this is a recount problem, an evidence problem, or an eligibility problem.

Then check the review deadline, because it is short and it does not pause while you gather paperwork. If the decision was made on evidence you now have, a review request with the new documents is the usual route. If the problem is that the work was never eligible, extra paperwork will not fix it, and you are better off looking at other visa options or a different pathway to a second year.

Do not rely on forums for this part. The rules changed in 2024 and 2026, and old threads are full of advice that no longer applies. The department's specified work page for subclass 417 was last updated 12 October 2026, so start there.

If You Hold a UK Passport

Since 1 July 2024, UK passport holders applying for a second Working Holiday visa have not needed to do specified work at all. If that is you, the 88 days question may not even apply to your application. Check the current wording on the department's site for your exact situation before you assume anything, because the exemptions are specific.

How to Avoid This Happening Next Time

• Check the postcode before you accept the job, not after
• Keep every payslip the day you get it, in one folder
• Photograph your roster and timesheets each week
• Ask the employer for the signed duties letter while you still work there
• Track your days in a spreadsheet with dates, hours and location

Frequently Asked Questions

Does part-time work count?

It can, as long as it is specified work, in an eligible location, while you hold the right visa, and you are employed across 88 calendar days. A three-day-a-week farm job for three months is a different claim from three months of full-time hours, so keep the rosters either way.

Can I combine two jobs?

Yes, as long as every job is specified work in an eligible location and the days add up. Keep separate evidence for each employer.

Do weekends count?

Yes, weekends and normal rest days count while you are employed. That is why an uninterrupted three-month job is the cleanest claim you can make.

My employer will not give me a letter. Am I stuck?

No. Payslips, bank statements, contracts, rosters and tax records can carry the claim on their own. A letter makes it easier, it is not the only proof.

Planning the work itself? My guide to 88 days of regional work in Australia covers how to find the job, and the Ultimate Australia Working Holiday Guide covers the visa rules around it.