You've ground out your specified work, kept every payslip, and now the big one is in front of you: the actual application for your second — or third — year Working Holiday visa. The good news is the form is essentially the same both times. What changes is how many days you have to prove and when you did them. Here's exactly what to put in each section.
Second or third year: how many days do you need?
You can extend your Working Holiday stay twice — once to a second year and once to a third year. You apply with the same online form each time; the difference is the amount of specified work you have to prove and which visa year you completed it in.
| Second-year visa | Third-year visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Specified work needed | 88 days | 6 months (around 179 days) |
| When you must complete it | During your first-year visa | During your second-year visa |
| Visa you link to | Your first Working Holiday visa | Your second Working Holiday visa |
Those aren’t calendar days — they’re visa-accredited days worked out from your weekly hours, so a full-time week can count for more than the days you actually clocked in. We break that calculation down in our 88-day guide. You also need to be under the age limit (usually 30, or 35 for some countries) when you apply, and hold or have held the relevant earlier visa.
Step 1: Get your evidence ready
Before you open the form, gather everything that proves your specified work. Immigration wants consistent, matching records — dates, location and hours that line up across every document.
- Payslips for every week of specified work, showing the employer, dates and hours.
- Form 1263 — the official 'Working holiday visa employment verification' declaration, signed by each employer.
- Bank statements showing your wages landing, matching the payslips.
- Payment summary / income statement (or PAYG details) from your employer(s).
- Your passport — the same one, or the details of any new one if you renewed.
- Your first visa grant number, from your original grant letter.
The application, section by section
You apply online through ImmiAccount while you're still in Australia — the same process whether it's your second or third year. Here's what each part asks for and exactly what to enter.
Create or log into ImmiAccount
Go to online.immi.gov.au, create an ImmiAccount (or log into the one you used for your first visa), then choose New application → Working Holiday and pick the same subclass as your first year — 417 or 462.
Application context
The first questions ask where you are and confirm this is a Working Holiday application. Answer honestly — being in Australia is what lets you get a bridging visa to stay lawfully while the application is processed.
Passport & identity details
Enter your passport exactly as printed: number, country, issue and expiry dates, and your name in the same order as the document. If you renewed your passport since your first visa, use the new one and keep the old number handy.
Contact & residential address
Give your current Australian address, email and phone. This is where your grant notification goes — use an email you actually check, not the one from three backpacker hostels ago.
Visa history
Declare your current/previous visa and enter the grant number of the visa you’re extending from — your first Working Holiday visa for a second year, or your second visa for a third year. This links the applications and tells the system which year you’re applying for.
Declare your specified work
The section that matters most. For each job, enter the employer name and ABN, the address and postcode (it must be an eligible regional postcode), the type of work, and the exact start and finish dates. Use the Add button to list several employers, and enter the total days you actually worked — including any paid leave. Make every detail match your payslips and Form 1263, to the day.
Health & character declarations
Answer the standard questions about your health and any criminal history truthfully — a false declaration can get a visa refused or cancelled. Most backpackers won’t need a medical, but you may be asked for a police certificate.
Attach your evidence
Upload the documents from Step 1 — payslips, Form 1263, bank statements and your passport photo page. Use clear PDFs or photos, name them sensibly, and leave no gaps in your work dates.
Pay & submit
Pay the application charge by card, review every section once more, and submit. You’ll get a confirmation and, because you applied onshore, usually an automatic bridging visa that keeps you lawful while you wait.
What it costs and what happens next
The Working Holiday visa application charge is AUD 670, charged again for each year — a second and a third visa are separate payments. After you submit, you’re typically granted a Bridging Visa A, which lets you stay and keep working on the same conditions until a decision is made. Many applications are decided within days, though some take longer — the department aims to finish most within a couple of months.
The single biggest reason these applications stall is messy evidence — dates that don’t match between your payslips, the form and Form 1263. If you logged every shift in Orary, you already have a clean, week-by-week record of hours, dates and employers to copy straight into the specified-work section and to cross-check your uploads against.
Keep a clean record of every shift, so your visa evidence matches to the day.
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