翻訳
In 2026, a counting mistake is no longer recoverable
Before the 2026 reforms, if your day count came up short you worked a bit longer and applied. Now that second and third year visas go through a capped ballot (45,000 and roughly 5,000 places), being short when the registration window opens can mean missing the entire program year.
So count properly, the first time.
What actually counts as a day
A day counts when all of these are true:
- The work is specified work for your visa subclass and year.
- It was performed in an eligible postcode for that industry.
- It was paid work for a legitimate employer with a valid ABN (volunteering generally does not count).
- You can evidence it — payslips, contract, bank deposits.
A day does not count just because you were on a farm. Location plus industry plus evidence is the test.
Eligible industries (specified work)
Depending on your subclass and visa year, specified work typically includes:
- Plant and animal cultivation — fruit and vegetable picking and packing, pruning, planting, livestock work, dairy, fishing and pearling, tree farming and felling
- Construction in eligible areas
- Mining
- Tourism and hospitality in northern, remote and very remote Australia
- Bushfire recovery and natural disaster recovery work, where applicable
Each category has its own postcode list. Hospitality that counts in remote northern Australia does not count in a coastal tourist town further south.
The part-time and piece-rate trap
This is where most claims quietly fall apart.
- Full-time day: one day of work as defined by the industry standard or award for that role = one day.
- Part-time / short shifts: you cannot claim a full day for three hours of work. Days convert based on the standard full-time hours for that role.
- Piece rate: if you are paid per bin, box or bucket, your days are worked out from what a full day's pay at the relevant rate looks like — not from how many calendar days you turned up.
- Unpaid or cash-in-hand: with no payslip and no ABN trail, expect it to be rejected.
If your payslip shows hours worked and gross pay, you can convert honestly. If it does not, ask your employer for a compliant payslip — they are legally required to provide one.
Postcodes: verify before you start
The single most expensive mistake is working weeks in a postcode that does not qualify for your industry. Employers are not always right about this, and "everyone here does their days" is not evidence.
Before day one:
- Get the exact postcode of the workplace (not the employer's head office).
- Check it against the list for your industry.
- Take a screenshot or note of the check, with the date.
Evidence pack: what to keep
Keep a single folder — digital, backed up — containing:
- Every payslip, showing employer name, ABN, pay period, hours and gross pay
- Employment contract or letter of offer
- Bank statements showing the deposits
- Workplace address and postcode for each job
- A day-by-day log you fill in as you go
- Your form 1263 employment verification details, if requested
Home Affairs can and does ask for this. Reconstructing it later is how people lose days.
A realistic timeline
- 88 days is roughly three months of full-time specified work.
- Rain, machinery breakdowns, seasonal gaps and hostel waiting lists routinely add weeks.
- Plan for four months to comfortably bank three, and finish well before any ballot registration window.
Do this today
- Upload your existing payslips and get a verified day count, not an estimate.
- Check every postcode you have worked in against your industry.
- Identify your gap in days, and book the work needed to close it — with a buffer.
Next step: the AI payslip scanner reads your payslips, checks the postcode, flags ineligible days and keeps your evidence log in one place. Start with one payslip and see what it finds.
