Does my job count?

88 days with a United States passport

United States passport holders use the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462). For a second visa you need 3 months (88 calendar days) of specified subclass 462 work completed while holding your first Work and Holiday visa; for a third, 6 months (179 calendar days) of specified subclass 462 work completed while holding your second Work and Holiday visa.

Where specified work counts on a 462 Work and Holiday

The area rules depend on the kind of work:

Work categoryWhere it counts
Plant and animal cultivationNorthern Australia or Regional Australia
Fishing and pearlingNorthern Australia
Tree farming and fellingNorthern Australia
ConstructionNorthern Australia or Regional Australia
MiningDoes not count
Tourism and hospitalityNorthern Australia or Remote and Very Remote Australia or Additional tourism and hospitality postcode

The 462 differences Americans miss

US passport holders use the subclass 462 Work and Holiday visa, and its specified work rules are narrower than the 417 rules most blog posts describe. Mining does not count at all for a 462. Fishing, pearling, tree farming and felling only count in Northern Australia — not in the broader Regional Australia area that 417 holders can use.

Farm work and construction count in Northern or Regional Australia, and tourism and hospitality counts in Northern, Remote and Very Remote Australia — the same as for 417 holders.

There is no country cap for US applicants, and second and third 462 visas are available with 88 and 179 days of specified subclass 462 work respectively.

Check a specific job and town

The checker applies the 462 Work and Holiday rules — including any passport exemption — to your exact situation.

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Official sources

Other passports

General information only, based on rules last checked 12 August 2026 — not immigration advice.