How do the 179 days for a third year visa work?

The third year works just like the second, only longer: 6 months instead of 3, and it has to be done on the right visa.

How long: 179 calendar days

“‘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.”

Home Affairs, specified subclass 417 work

At a normal full week (38 hours = 7 days), that’s about 26 weeks of work, or roughly 972 hours.

When: on your second visa, from 1 July 2019

Two conditions on timing:

1. The work must be done while you held your second Working Holiday visa. Home Affairs: “applicants for a third WHM visa must have undertaken all specified work while holding their second WHM visa.”
2. It must be done on or after 1 July 2019, when the third visa was introduced. Earlier work can’t count towards a third visa.

The bridging visa exception

Home Affairs allows one exception. If you applied for your second visa while your first was still valid, and your first visa ended while the second-visa application was being processed, you were on a bridging visa for a while:

“…then you can count specified work carried out on this bridging visa towards eligibility for a third WHM visa, whether you apply in or outside Australia.”

Home Affairs, specified subclass 417 work

Work done on any other kind of visa, such as a student visa, can’t count. Home Affairs’ examples (Akio and Ingrid) show the difference.

Counting the 179 days

The rules are the same as for 88 days:

• weekends and rest days count inside a period of normal full-time work;
• casual and part-time work counts in proportion;
• paid public holidays and paid sick days count, unpaid days don’t;
• one calendar day never counts as more than one day;
• the work must be in a listed postcode, doing listed work for your visa.

Watch the 6-month employer limit

You can usually only work for one employer for 6 months on a Working Holiday visa. If one job would take you past 179 days, plan a second employer, or check the exceptions on the Home Affairs 6-month limitation page.

Count your 179 days

The 179-day calculator works from your payslips and warns you if any work is dated before 1 July 2019.

Questions people also ask

Can I use work from my first visa for my third visa?

No. As a rule, all the specified work for a third visa must be done while you held your second Working Holiday visa. One exception: work done on a bridging visa while your second-visa application was being processed (after your first visa ended) can count.

Can I work for the same employer again on my second visa?

Home Affairs says you can usually only work for the same employer for 6 months, but you can work another 6 months with an employer you worked for on an earlier visa.

Do UK passport holders need the 179 days?

No. UK passport holders applying on or after 1 July 2024 with their UK passport don't need specified work for a second or third 417 visa.

Is 179 days the same as 6 months?

Home Affairs takes 6 months as the 6 shortest calendar months of the year, which is a minimum of 179 calendar days.

Sources

• Home Affairs: Third Working Holiday visa (417)
• Home Affairs: Specified subclass 417 work (bridging visas)
• Home Affairs: 6-month work limitation

General information, not immigration advice. Aussie Days is independent and not affiliated with the Australian Government. Always check the official Home Affairs pages before you rely on anything here.