“88 days” sounds simple, but it is the part of the visa rules people get wrong the most. Here is how Home Affairs counts your days, with examples.
The rule in one sentence
You need to work the same number of days or shifts as a full-time employee in that job would work over 3 months (88 calendar days) for a second visa, or 6 months (179 calendar days) for a third visa.
What counts and what doesn’t
✅ Counts
Every calendar day of a full-time period, weekends included · paid public holidays · paid sick leave · separate periods with different employers added together.
❌ Doesn’t count
Unpaid days off because of the weather · extra hours (one long day is still one day) · finishing in less than 3 calendar months · unpaid or cash-in-hand work without proof.
Full time, part time, piece rate
- Full time (5 days a week or the normal full-time roster): count every calendar day from your first day to your last, weekends included. 88 calendar days in a row = done.
- Part time: you need a longer period, in proportion. For example, 3 days a week instead of 5 means about 5 months instead of 3.
- Piece rate: it counts in the same way, as long as you have a signed piecework agreement and work the normal full-time days.
- Several jobs: you can add up periods with different employers, full time or part time, as long as each one is specified work in an eligible postcode.
Examples
On your phone, the 88 Days Calculator app is completely free and has an 88-day mode and a 179-day mode: App Store · Google Play.
Proof: keep everything
- Payslips for every period, and Australian bank statements showing the payments
- Your piece rate agreement, if you were paid by the bin or the kilo
- Your employers’ names, ABNs, addresses and postcodes, and the dates you worked
Since 1 July 2024, you don’t need any specified work for a second or third 417 visa when you apply with your UK passport.
More on the rules: second year visa (417) · second year visa (462) · third year visa · 🇫🇷 in French
Source: Home Affairs, Specified subclass 417 and 462 work (calculating 3 and 6 months), checked October 2026. WikiFarms is not a migration agent: always confirm on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.
