Does fishing work count towards your 88 days?
Fishing work generally falls under the fishing and pearling category: for a 417 Working Holiday visa it counts when carried out in Regional Australia, and for a 462 Work and Holiday visa it counts in Northern Australia.
Fishing work can count towards specified work in some parts of Australia, but it does not qualify everywhere.
Which category it falls under
Fishing and pearling
- operations relating directly to taking or catching fish and other aquatic species
- operations relating directly to taking or culturing pearls or pearl shell
Where it counts
417 Working Holiday
Counts when carried out in Regional Australia.
462 Work and Holiday
Counts when carried out in Northern Australia.
Location examples
Examples derived from the current official postcode classifications for the fishing and pearling category (subclass 417).
Check fishing worker / deckhand in a specific town
Read more about the whole category: 88 days fishing and pearling work → or see where it counts on the map. UK passport? You may not need 88 days at all.
Common questions
Does fishing work count for 88 days?
Fishing work generally falls under the fishing and pearling category: for a 417 Working Holiday visa it counts when carried out in Regional Australia, and for a 462 Work and Holiday visa it counts in Northern Australia.
Can I do fishing work in Sydney or Melbourne for my 88 days?
No. Sydney, Melbourne and the other major capitals are not within the eligible areas for fishing and pearling work, so the same job there won't count.
Do I need payslips for fishing work to count?
Yes. Specified work must be paid in accordance with Australian workplace laws, and payslips are the primary evidence Home Affairs lists. Cash-in-hand work is both unlawful pay and unprovable.
Similar jobs
Official sources
Migration (Specified work and areas for subclass 417 visas) Instrument (LIN 22/012) 2022 — Compilation No. 3
Federal Register of Legislation · last checked 12 August 2026
View official government source ↗Specified work for Working Holiday visa (subclass 417)
Department of Home Affairs · last checked 12 August 2026
View official government source ↗Migration (Specified work and areas for subclass 462 visas) Instrument (LIN 22/013) 2022 — Compilation No. 3
Federal Register of Legislation · last checked 12 August 2026
View official government source ↗Specified work for Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462)
Department of Home Affairs · last checked 12 August 2026
View official government source ↗
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General information only, based on rules last checked 12 August 2026 — not immigration advice.