2nd VISA SIGN OFF
Working Holiday Visas (417) are normally valid for a year and allow the worker to work for up to 6 months for one employer.
Holders of Working Holiday Visas (417) and Work and Holiday Visas (462) are able to apply for an extension to their Visa that allows them to come back to Australia for a second year of working holiday. This can be taken at any time up to their 31st birthday.
This is currently a very strong motivation for many working holiday workers, but not all workers require this.
To qualify workers are required to complete 88 days of properly paid qualifying work in regional Australia and must be able to substantiate this with payslip evidence. This is the same for 462 Visa holders except that the work can also be in the hospitality field and must be in a location North of the tropic of Capricorn.
Working Holiday Visas (417) are normally valid for a year and allow the worker to work for up to 6 months for one employer.
Holders of Working Holiday Visas (417) and Work and Holiday Visas (462) are able to apply for an extension to their Visa that allows them to come back to Australia for a second year of working holiday. This can be taken at any time up to their 31st birthday.
This is currently a very strong motivation for many working holiday workers, but not all workers require this.
To qualify workers are required to complete 88 days of properly paid qualifying work in regional Australia and must be able to substantiate this with payslip evidence. This is the same for 462 Visa holders except that the work can also be in the hospitality field and must be in a location North of the tropic of Capricorn.
2nd Visa regional area qualifying postcodes
Regional areas that qualify for 2nd visa sign off are defined by postcode of the place of work. You can check these under the 'Regional areas' section after clicking the button below.
Regional areas that qualify for 2nd visa sign off are defined by postcode of the place of work. You can check these under the 'Regional areas' section after clicking the button below.
2nd visa qualifying work types
Qualifying work is typically farm work in most of its forms but can also include other sectors such as rural construction.
Information about the types of work that can be signed off for 2nd visas can be found at the following pages of the Department of Immigration's websites. Please click on the 'Specified work' sections after clicking the buttons below.
Information about the types of work that can be signed off for 2nd visas can be found at the following pages of the Department of Immigration's websites. Please click on the 'Specified work' sections after clicking the buttons below.
Overview of the process to sign off your employees
Requirements
Implications for employers
Form 1263
Claiming the Visa
Requirements
- Complete qualifying work - (in broad summary this is work related to plant and animal cultivation)
- Complete the work in a regional postcode of Australia (excludes most large cities and immediate surroundings)
- Receive proper payment for work done (according to Fairwork) and receive payslips as a record of employment and pay.
Implications for employers
- Workers seeking their 2nd visa require full payment at award rates, either with or without keep.
- The employer should be registered with the ATO as a working holiday maker employer.
- Workers can be employed 'full time' or 'casual' and are expected to work at least a 38 hour week. Full time is preferred.
- Full payslips must be provided to the worker at the time of payment.
- Tax should be withheld at 15%.
- The employer should provide Super and workcover insurance for the employee.
Form 1263
- The worker will need to submit payslips and a completed form 1263 to the department of immigration.
- At the end of the employment the Employer should sign and complete the appropriate sections of form 1263 which can be seen and downloaded below. , This form provides the employment declaration to the department of immigration that qualifies the worker for their 2nd visa.
Claiming the Visa
- May claim 88 days by counting all days (including weekends) from employment start to employment end date
- Casual employed' workers may only claim the actual full days worked, for example 5 days per week. (A full day is at least 7h36min)
Evidence required
From the employer for the employee to claim the 2nd visa
taken from https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/417-#tab-content-1
(under the ‘specified work’ section)
Evidence of specified work
From the employer for the employee to claim the 2nd visa
taken from https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/417-#tab-content-1
(under the ‘specified work’ section)
Evidence of specified work
- If the Working Holiday visa holder applies for a second Working Holiday visa, they will need to provide evidence that they have satisfied the specified work eligibility requirement. Acceptable evidence of specified work (completed while on their first Working Holiday visa) includes original or certified copies of the following:
- pay slips (must be supplied for all specified work performed from 31 August 2015)
- group certificates
- payment summaries
- tax returns
- employer references
- a completed employment verification form signed by the applicants employer
- original Australian bank statement covering the period of declared specified work, Form 1263 (Working Holiday visa: Employment verification (75 kB PDF file)
|
Form 1263 download
Please download, print, complete and sign the form and hand to your employee when their employment with you ends. |
Payslip Template (Microsoft Word)
A simplified version of that provided by Fairwork. In our experience this is sufficient however we recommend you check this with your accountant. A template provided by Fairwork is below. |
|
| ||||||