What is specified work:
Specified work is any type of work described in the list below:
Plant and animal cultivation
- cultivating or propagating plants, fungi or their products or parts
- general maintenance crop work
- harvesting and/or packing fruit and vegetable crops
- immediate processing of animal products including shearing, butchery in an abattoir, packing and tanning. Note: Secondary processing of animal products, such as small goods processing and retail butchery is not eligible
- immediate processing of plant products
- maintaining animals for the purpose of selling them or their bodily produce, including natural increase
- manufacturing dairy produce from raw material
- pruning and trimming vines and trees
Fishing and pearling
- conducting operations relating directly to taking or catching fish and other aquatic species
- conducting operations relating directly to taking or culturing pearls or pearl shell.
Tree farming and felling
- felling trees in a plantation or forest
- planting or tending trees in a plantation or forest that are intended to be felled
- transporting trees or parts of trees that were felled in a plantation or forest to the place where they are first to be milled or processed or from which they are to be transported to the place where they are to be milled or processed.
Mining
- coal mining
- oil and gas extraction
- metal ore mining
- non-metallic mineral mining and quarrying
- exploration and other mining support services
Construction
- building construction
- heavy and civil enginerring construction
- construction services
What about unpaid / voluntary work?
- Specified work does not need to be paid work. For example, work undertaken as a volunteer or through the Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) scheme may qualify if the work falls within the specified work definition listed above.
- Specified work does not need to be undertaken as a direct employee. For example, work undertaken as a contractor is eligible if it falls within the specified work definition listed above.
- Specified work must be described in the list above
Examples of specified work:
Examples of eligible specified work:
- picking fruits on a farm or orchard
- feeding and herding cattle which are kept for commercial purposes
- constructing a house
- extracting ore on a mine site.
Examples of ineligible specified work:
- working at a cellar door providing wine tastings
- undertaking an archaeological survey
- working as a caterer or cook on a mine site
- working as an architect or town planner
- working as a cook or cleaner while volunteering through the WWOOF scheme
- helping to construct ships or boats.
How do I calculate my specified work:
'Three months' means three 'calendar' months or 88 days. Work can be in one block with one business, or in separate blocks with one business or a number of businesses. Blocks of work may be in different kinds of specified work.
- Full time workers may include weekends in calculating the number of days worked.
- Applicants who work part time or on a casual basis can only count the full days actually worked. The shortest period that can be counted is one day of full time work (for any given industry).
- Full time workers can count sick days only during periods where they were in paid employment and entitled to sick leave or covered by a workers compensation scheme. In these situations, supporting evidence must be provided by the employer.
- Applicants who were prevented from obtaining employment because of injury or seasonal circumstances cannot count any time they were unable to work towards the three month period. For example: Cyclones interrupting harvest activities.
Providing evidence of specified work
The Department of Immigration may contact you to confirm you meet the specified work requirement, and may request evidence that the actual work was undertaken in regional Australia. Acceptable evidence of specified work (completed while on your first Working Holiday visa) includes either:
- original or certified copies of payslips, group certificates, payment summaries, tax returns or employer references
- or, a completed employment verification form