Second year visa in Australia on a UK passport: no farm work, up to three visas, one age limit

Visa guide · 2026-10-10 · 8 min read

A young British man uses a laptop at an Australian coastal café, with coffee and a blank travel booklet on the table.

If you lodge with a UK passport, you do not need to do 88 days of farm work, or any other specified work, to get a second or third Australian working holiday. Since 1 July 2024, Home Affairs can grant UK passport holders up to three separate Working Holiday (subclass 417) visas with no specified work, as long as each one is lodged while you still meet the age limit. Some rules have not moved, though: the 6-month limit with one employer, the 4-month study cap and the need to keep your visa status in order between applications.

What changed for UK passport holders in July 2024

On other passports, a second or third 417 depends on specified work, which is where the familiar 88 days comes from. Home Affairs' page on arrangements for UK passport holders explains that, for applications lodged on or after 1 July 2024, UK passport holders can be granted up to three separate visas without having to meet any specified work requirement.

The specified work page repeats the point for second and third visas. A year earlier, under arrangements agreed after the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement, the eligible age for UK applicants became 18 to 35 inclusive from 1 July 2023. Our explainer on why Australia's migration reset treats UK working holidaymakers differently gives the wider picture.

Whose passport counts

The arrangement applies only to applicants who lodge with a passport issued by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and that includes a British National Overseas, or BN(O), passport. What matters is the passport on the application, not where you live or grew up.

The dual passport example

Home Affairs uses an Irish passport to illustrate it. A UK citizen who first came to Australia on a 417 granted on another passport, such as an Irish one, can use their UK passport to apply for a second or third visa without specified work. Because a working holiday visa is digitally linked to the passport used, you must then enter Australia on that UK passport.

If you travel with friends on other passports, their rules differ, and our pieces on the second-year ballot announcement and fewer extension places on the farm trail cover the changes announced for them.

First, second and third visas compared

Visa	Where you can lodge	Specified work with a UK passport	Base application charge
First 417	Outside Australia only, and outside at decision time	Not a requirement for a first visa	AUD840.00
Second 417	In or outside Australia	Not needed if lodged on or after 1 July 2024	AUD1,000.00
Third 417	In or outside Australia	Not needed if lodged on or after 1 July 2024	AUD1,000.00

The AUD1,000.00 charge for a second or third visa is roughly £520 at the RBA rate published on 22 October 2026. Rates change, so treat that as a guide only.

Timing: the age limit is the real deadline

With farm days out of the picture, your age becomes the main clock. UK passport holders can apply for a first, second and third visa at any time while they still meet the age requirement. For a first visa, Home Affairs sets that as 18 to 35 at the time of application, with lodging before midnight Australian Eastern time on the day before your 36th birthday.

You also do not need to spend three years in Australia in a row. A first year in Sydney, a spell back home in Glasgow or Cardiff, then a second year in Perth fits the rules, provided each application goes in before the age limit.

Applying from inside Australia

Second and third applications can be lodged in or outside Australia. For a second visa you must hold or have held one 417, have entered Australia on it and complied with its conditions. If you apply while in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or have had your last one expire less than 28 days ago.

What still applies on every 417

Home Affairs is clear that the six-month work limit per employer and the four-month study limit still apply to UK passport holders. So a second year does not let you stay on with the same café or building firm indefinitely, and it is not a study visa in disguise.

You still pay Australian tax on what you earn, employers still pay super once you earn over a certain amount, and Home Affairs still strongly recommends health insurance. Another rule from the first-visa page is worth knowing: if you are granted another visa, such as an eVisitor, after your Working Holiday visa is granted, the Working Holiday visa and its work rights end on that date.

If a second or third year turns into a career plan, an employer-sponsored route such as the Skills in Demand (482) visa is designed for longer-term work. Roles like this chef de partie job in Wollongong sit among the many jobs in Australia for UK citizens on the site.

Planning your second and third years

Work out your age deadline: midnight Australian Eastern time on the day before your 36th birthday.
Check which passport your first visa was granted on, and use your UK passport for the next application.
Decide whether to lodge from Australia or from the UK.
If you are in Australia, lodge while your current visa is valid, or within 28 days of a substantive visa expiring.
Pay the AUD1,000.00 charge and keep evidence that you followed the conditions of your earlier visa.
Plan your jobs around the 6-month limit with any one employer.
Avoid applying for an eVisitor or another visa while your working holiday is in place.

Farm work becomes a choice rather than a condition. If you still fancy a harvest, packing-shed or vineyard season for the experience or the pay, Seasonal Jobs Australia lists seasonal roles across the country.

Common mistakes with second and third visas

Lodging on the wrong passport. The no-specified-work arrangement only applies when you lodge with a UK passport.
Letting your status lapse onshore. More than 28 days after a substantive visa expires is too late to apply from inside Australia.
Waiting until you are past the age limit. Every application must go in while you still meet the age requirement.
Doing farm days you did not need. With a UK passport, 88 days of specified work is not a condition for these applications.
Staying past 6 months with one employer. That limit still applies on every 417.
Travelling on the other passport. Enter Australia on the passport your new visa is linked to.

Frequently asked questions

Do UK citizens still need 88 days of farm work for a second year in Australia?

No, not when they lodge with a UK passport on or after 1 July 2024. Home Affairs says UK passport holders can be granted up to three separate Working Holiday (subclass 417) visas without meeting any specified work requirement, and its specified work page says the same for second and third visas.

Can I get a third working holiday visa straight after my second?

You can apply for a first, second and third visa at any time while you still meet the age requirement, and you do not have to stay in Australia for three years in a row. A break back in the UK between visas fits the rules.

My first 417 was on my Irish passport. Can I use my UK passport for the second?

Yes. Home Affairs gives this exact example: a UK citizen who first entered on a 417 with another passport, such as an Irish one, can use their UK passport to apply for a second or third visa without specified work. Make sure you then travel on the UK passport, because the visa is linked to it.

Can I apply for my second 417 while I am in Australia?

Yes. UK passport holders can lodge second and third applications in or outside Australia. If you apply onshore, you must hold a substantive visa or have had your last substantive visa expire less than 28 days ago, so do not let your first visa run out before you lodge.

How much does a second or third working holiday visa cost?

The base application charge for a second or third Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) is AUD1,000.00, compared with AUD840.00 for a first. At the RBA rate published on 22 October 2026 that is roughly £520, and exchange rates move, so check the pound figure when you pay.

Key takeaways

UK passport holders can get up to three 417 visas with no specified work, for applications lodged on or after 1 July 2024.
Lodge with your UK passport; BN(O) passports count, and an Irish first visa does not block you.
Each application must go in while you still meet the age limit.
Second and third visas can be lodged in or outside Australia, at AUD1,000.00 each.
The 6-month employer limit and the 4-month study limit still apply.

Every case is different — book a consultation and our partner registered migration agents (MARA) / licensed NZ advisers will assess yours.

Last checked: 22 October 2026 against the official pages linked above.

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