Update on SC 417 & 462: Recovery Work Is Now Included for Visa Extensions
There have been some recent changes to the Working Holiday (Subclass 417) Visa and the Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) Visa in expanding the designated areas across Australia where recovery work can be performed to meet the specified work requirements for both visas.
Under the new regulations, the Migration Legislation Amendment (Specified Work and Areas for Subclass 417 and 462 Visas) Instrument 2025, recognises areas affected by disasters, including bushfires, floods, cyclones, and other severe weather events, as designated locations where recovery work can contribute toward eligibility for a second or third visa.
This significant change takes effect from 5 April 2025 onwards. The update will revise the list of affected areas to ensure that applicants who have engaged in recovery work in these locations can count their contributions towards the “specified work” requirement.
What are the Affected Areas?
Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417)
| Recovery work | States | Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire affected areas | Australian Capital Territory (ACT) | All Areas. |
| New South Wales (NSW) | Armidale, Ballina, Bathurst, Bega Valley, Bellingen, Blayney, Blue Mountains, Bogan, Brewarrina, Byron, Cabonne, Central Coast, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Cobar, Coffs Harbour, Coonamble, CootamundraGundagai, Cowra, Dubbo, Dungog, Maitland, Edward River, Eurobodalla, Glen Innes Severn, Goulburn Mulwaree, Gwydir, Greater Hume, Hawkesbury, Hilltops, Inverell, Kempsey, Ku-ring-gai, Kyogle, Lake Macquarie, Lismore, Lithgow, Liverpool Plains, Mid Coast, Mid-Western, Moree Plains, Muswellbrook, Nambucca, Nambucca Valley, Narrabri, Oberon, Penrith, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Richmond Valley, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Snowy Monaro, Snowy Valleys, Sutherland, Tamworth, Tenterfield, Tweed, Upper Hunter, Upper Hunter, Upper Lachlan, Uralla, Walcha, Walgett, Wagga Wagga, Warren, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Wollongong, and Yass Valley. | |
| Northern Territory (NT) | Alice Springs, Barkly, Central Desert, East Arnhem, MacDonnell, Roper Gulf, Victoria Daly and West Daly. | |
| Queensland (QLD) | Balonne, Bundaberg, Bulloo, Cairns, Carpentaria, Cassowary Coast, Central Highlands, Cook, Douglas, Etheridge, Gladstone, Gold Coast, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Hinchinbrook, Hope Vale, Ipswich, Kowanyama, Livingstone, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Maranoa, Mareeba, Noosa, North Burnett, Redland, Scenic Rim, Somerset, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast, Tablelands, Toowoomba, Townsville, Quilpie, Western Downs, Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah. | |
| South Australia (SA) | Adelaide Hills, Coorong, Kangaroo Island, Kingston, Lower Eyre Peninsula, Mid Murray, Mount Barker, Murray Bridge, Playford, Southern Mallee and Yorke Peninsula. | |
| Tasmania (TAS) | Break O’Day, Central Highlands, Latrobe, and Southern Midlands. | |
| Victoria (VIC) | Alpine, Ararat, Ballarat, Bass Coast, Baw Baw, Benalla, Buloke, Cardinia, Casey, Central Goldfields, Colac Otway, East Gippsland, Falls Creek, Frankston, Glen Eira, Glenelg, Golden Plains, Greater Bendigo, Greater Dandenong, Greater Geelong, Greater Shepparton, Hepburn, Hindmarsh, Horsham, Indigo, Kingston, Knox, Latrobe, Macedon Ranges, Mansfield, Maroondah, Melton, Mitchell, Monash, Moorabool, Mornington Peninsula, Mount Alexander, Mount Buller, Mount Hotham, Mount Stirling, Moyne, Murrindindi, Northern Grampians, Pyrenees, South Gippsland, Southern Grampians, Strathbogie, Towong, Wangaratta, Warrnambool, Wellington, West Wimmera, Whitehorse, Wodonga, and Yarra Ranges. | |
| Western Australia (WA) | Beverley, Brookton, Broome, Cue, East Pilbara, Greater Geraldton, Meekatharra, Murchison, Port Hedland, Swan, Upper Gascoyne, Wanneroo and Wiluna. | |
| Area affected by flood, cyclone or other severe weather | New South Wales (NSW) | Albury, Armidale, Ballina, Balranald, Bathurst, Bayside, Bega Valley, Bellingen, Berrigan, Blacktown, Bland, Blayney, Blue Mountains, Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Byron, Cabonne, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Carrathool, Central Coast, Central Darling, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Cobar, Coffs Harbour, Coolamon, Coonamble, Cootamundra-Gundagai, Cowra, Cumberland, Dubbo, Dungog, Edward River, Eurobodalla, Fairfield, Federation, Forbes, Georges River, Gilgandra, Glen Innes Severn, Goulburn Mulwaree, Greater Hume, Griffith, Gunnedah, Gwydir, Hawkesbury, Hay, Hilltops, Hornsby, Inner West, Inverell, Junee, Kempsey, Kiama, Ku-Ring-Gai, Kyogle, Lachlan, Lake Macquarie, Leeton, Lismore, Lithgow, Liverpool, Liverpool Plains, Lockhart, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Mid-Western, Mid-Western Regional, Moree Plains, Murray River, Murrumbidgee, Muswellbrook, Nambucca, Nambucca Valley, Narrabri, Narrandera, Narromine, Newcastle, Northern Beaches, Oberon, Orange, Parkes, Parramatta, Penrith, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan Palerang, Randwick, Richmond Valley, Ryde, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Snowy Monaro, Snowy Valleys, Strathfield, Sutherland, Tamworth Regional, Temora, Tenterfield, The Hills, Tweed, Unincorporated area (postcode 2011, 2898), Upper Hunter, Upper Lachlan, Uralla, Wagga Wagga, Walcha, Walgett, Warren, Warrumbungle, Waverley, Weddin, Wentworth, Willoughby, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Wollongong and Yass Valley. |
| Northern Territory (NT) | Alice Springs, Barkly, Central Desert, East Arnhem, Katherine, MacDonnell, Roper Gulf, Victoria Daly, West Arnhem and West Daly. | |
| Queensland (QLD) | Aurukun, Balonne, Banana, Barcaldine, Barcoo, Blackall-Tambo, Boulia, Brisbane, Bulloo, Bundaberg, Burdekin, Burke, Cairns, Carpentaria, Cassowary Coast, Charters Towers, Central Highlands, Cloncurry, Cook, Croydon, Cherbourg, Diamantina, Doomadgee, Douglas, Etheridge, Flinders, Fraser Coast, Gladstone, Gilgandra, Gold Coast, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Hinchinbrook, Hope Vale, Ipswich, Kowanyama, Livingstone, Lockhart River, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Longreach, Maranoa, Mareeba, McKinlay, Moreton Bay, Northern Peninsula, Mount Isa, Murweh, Noosa, North Burnett, Palm Island, Paroo, Quilpie, Redland, Richmond, Rockhampton, Scenic Rim, Somerset, South Burnett, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast, Tablelands, Tenterfield, Toowoomba, Torres, Torres Strait, Townsville, Western Downs, Whitsunday, Winton, Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah. | |
| South Australia (SA) | Alexandrina, Berri Barmera, Coorong, Karoonda East Murray, Loxton Waikerie, Mid Murray, Murray Bridge and Renmark Paringa. | |
| Tasmania (TAS) | All Areas. | |
| Victoria (VIC) | Alpine, Ararat, Ballarat, Bass Coast, Baw Baw, Benalla, Berrigan, Boroondara, Buloke, Campaspe, Cardinia, Casey, Central Goldfields, Colac Otway, Corangamite, East Gippsland, Frankston, Gannawarra, Glen Eira, Glenelg, Golden Plains, Greater Bendigo, Greater Dandenong, Greater Geelong, Greater Shepparton, Hepburn, Horsham, Indigo, Kingston, Knox, Latrobe, Loddon, Macedon Ranges, Mansfield, Maribyrnong, Maroondah, Melbourne, Melton, Mildura, Mitchell, Moira, Monash, Moonee Valley, Moorabool, Mornington Peninsula, Mount Alexander, Murrindindi, Nillumbik, Northern Grampians, Pyrenees, Snowy Valleys, South Gippsland, Southern Grampians, Strathbogie, Swan Hill, Towong, Wangaratta, Warrnambool, Wellington, Whitehorse, Wodonga, Yarra and Yarra Ranges. | |
| Western Australia (WA) | Ashburton, Augusta-Margaret River, Beverley, Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Brookton, Broome, Bruce Rock, Bunbury, Busselton, Carnarvon, Coolgardie, Corrigin, Cue, Dardanup, Derby West Kimberley, Dundas, East Kimberley, East Pilbara, Greater Geraldton, Halls Creek, Jerramungup, KalgoorlieBoulder, Karratha, Laverton, Leonora, Meekatharra, Menzies, Morawa, Murchison, Ngaanyatjarraku, Northampton, Port Hedland, Ravensthorpe, Sandstone, Swan, Upper Gascoyne, Wanneroo, Wiluna, Wyndham-East Kimberley and Yalgoo. |
Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462)
| Recovery work | States | Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire affected areas | Australian Capital Territory (ACT) | All Areas. |
| New South Wales (NSW) | Armidale, Ballina, Bathurst, Bega Valley, Bellingen, Blayney, Blue Mountains, Bogan, Brewarrina, Byron, Cabonne, Central Coast, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Cobar, Coffs Harbour, Coonamble, CootamundraGundagai, Cowra, Dubbo, Dungog, Maitland, Edward River, Eurobodalla, Glen Innes Severn, Goulburn Mulwaree, Gwydir, Greater Hume, Hawkesbury, Hilltops, Inverell, Kempsey, Ku-ring-gai, Kyogle, Lake Macquarie, Lismore, Lithgow, Liverpool Plains, Mid Coast, Mid-Western, Moree Plains, Muswellbrook, Nambucca, Nambucca Valley, Narrabri, Oberon, Penrith, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Richmond Valley, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Snowy Monaro, Snowy Valleys, Sutherland, Tamworth, Tenterfield, Tweed, Upper Hunter, Upper Hunter, Upper Lachlan, Uralla, Walcha, Walgett, Wagga Wagga, Warren, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Wollongong, and Yass Valley. | |
| Northern Territory (NT) | Alice Springs, Barkly, Central Desert, East Arnhem, MacDonnell, Roper Gulf, Victoria Daly and West Daly. | |
| Queensland (QLD) | Balonne, Bundaberg, Bulloo, Cairns, Carpentaria, Cassowary Coast, Central Highlands, Cook, Douglas, Etheridge, Gladstone, Gold Coast, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Hinchinbrook, Hope Vale, Ipswich, Kowanyama, Livingstone, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Maranoa, Mareeba, Noosa, North Burnett, Redland, Scenic Rim, Somerset, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast, Tablelands, Toowoomba, Townsville, Quilpie, Western Downs, Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah. | |
| South Australia (SA) | Adelaide Hills, Coorong, Kangaroo Island, Kingston, Lower Eyre Peninsula, Mid Murray, Mount Barker, Murray Bridge, Playford, Southern Mallee and Yorke Peninsula. | |
| Tasmania (TAS) | Break O’Day, Central Highlands, Latrobe, and Southern Midlands. | |
| Victoria (VIC) | Alpine, Ararat, Ballarat, Bass Coast, Baw Baw, Benalla, Buloke, Cardinia, Casey, Central Goldfields, Colac Otway, East Gippsland, Falls Creek, Frankston, Glen Eira, Glenelg, Golden Plains, Greater Bendigo, Greater Dandenong, Greater Geelong, Greater Shepparton, Hepburn, Hindmarsh, Horsham, Indigo, Kingston, Knox, Latrobe, Macedon Ranges, Mansfield, Maroondah, Melton, Mitchell, Monash, Moorabool, Mornington Peninsula, Mount Alexander, Mount Buller, Mount Hotham, Mount Stirling, Moyne, Murrindindi, Northern Grampians, Pyrenees, South Gippsland, Southern Grampians, Strathbogie, Towong, Wangaratta, Warrnambool, Wellington, West Wimmera, Whitehorse, Wodonga, and Yarra Ranges. | |
| Western Australia (WA) | Beverley, Brookton, Broome, Cue, East Pilbara, Greater Geraldton, Meekatharra, Murchison, Port Hedland, Swan, Upper Gascoyne, Wanneroo and Wiluna. | |
| Area affected by flood, cyclone or other severe weather | New South Wales (NSW) | Albury, Armidale, Ballina, Balranald, Bathurst, Bayside, Bega Valley, Bellingen, Berrigan, Blacktown, Bland, Blayney, Blue Mountains, Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Byron, Cabonne, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Carrathool, Central Coast, Central Darling, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Cobar, Coffs Harbour, Coolamon, Coonamble, Cootamundra-Gundagai, Cowra, Cumberland, Dubbo, Dungog, Edward River, Eurobodalla, Fairfield, Federation, Forbes, Georges River, Gilgandra, Glen Innes Severn, Goulburn Mulwaree, Greater Hume, Griffith, Gunnedah, Gwydir, Hawkesbury, Hay, Hilltops, Hornsby, Inner West, Inverell, Junee, Kempsey, Kiama, Ku-Ring-Gai, Kyogle, Lachlan, Lake Macquarie, Leeton, Lismore, Lithgow, Liverpool, Liverpool Plains, Lockhart, Maitland, Mid-Coast, MidWestern, Mid-Western Regional, Moree Plains, Murray River, Murrumbidgee, Muswellbrook, Nambucca, Nambucca Valley, Narrabri, Narrandera, Narromine, Newcastle, Northern Beaches, Oberon, Orange, Parkes, Parramatta, Penrith, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan Palerang, Randwick, Richmond Valley, Ryde, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Snowy Monaro, Snowy Valleys, Strathfield, Sutherland, Tamworth Regional, Temora, Tenterfield, The Hills, Tweed, Unincorporated area (postcode 2011, 2898), Upper Hunter, Upper Lachlan, Uralla, Wagga Wagga, Walcha, Walgett, Warren, Warrumbungle, Waverley, Weddin, Wentworth, Willoughby, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Wollongong and Yass Valley. |
| Northern Territory (NT) | Alice Springs, Barkly, Central Desert, East Arnhem, Katherine, MacDonnell, Roper Gulf, Victoria Daly, West Arnhem and West Daly. | |
| Queensland (QLD) | Aurukun, Balonne, Banana, Barcaldine, Barcoo, Blackall-Tambo, Boulia, Brisbane, Bulloo, Bundaberg, Burdekin, Burke, Cairns, Carpentaria, Cassowary Coast, Charters Towers, Central Highlands, Cloncurry, Cook, Croydon, Cherbourg, Diamantina, Doomadgee, Douglas, Etheridge, Flinders, Fraser Coast, Gladstone, Gilgandra, Gold Coast, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Hinchinbrook, Hope Vale, Ipswich, Kowanyama, Livingstone, Lockhart River, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Longreach, Maranoa, Mareeba, McKinlay, Moreton Bay, Northern Peninsula, Mount Isa, Murweh, Noosa, North Burnett, Palm Island, Paroo, Quilpie, Redland, Richmond, Rockhampton, Scenic Rim, Somerset, South Burnett, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast, Tablelands, Tenterfield, Toowoomba, Torres, Torres Strait, Townsville, Western Downs, Whitsunday, Winton, Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah. | |
| South Australia (SA) | Alexandrina, Berri Barmera, Coorong, Karoonda East Murray, Loxton Waikerie, Mid Murray, Murray Bridge and Renmark Paringa. | |
| Tasmania (TAS) | All Areas. | |
| Victoria (VIC) | Alpine, Ararat, Ballarat, Bass Coast, Baw Baw, Benalla, Berrigan, Boroondara, Buloke, Campaspe, Cardinia, Casey, Central Goldfields, Colac Otway, Corangamite, East Gippsland, Frankston, Gannawarra, Glen Eira, Glenelg, Golden Plains, Greater Bendigo, Greater Dandenong, Greater Geelong, Greater Shepparton, Hepburn, Horsham, Indigo, Kingston, Knox, Latrobe, Loddon, Macedon Ranges, Mansfield, Maribyrnong, Maroondah, Melbourne, Melton, Mildura, Mitchell, Moira, Monash, Moonee Valley, Moorabool, Mornington Peninsula, Mount Alexander, Murrindindi, Nillumbik, Northern Grampians, Pyrenees, Snowy Valleys, South Gippsland, Southern Grampians, Strathbogie, Swan Hill, Towong, Wangaratta, Warrnambool, Wellington, Whitehorse, Wodonga, Yarra and Yarra Ranges. | |
| Western Australia (WA) | Ashburton, Augusta-Margaret River, Beverley, Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Brookton, Broome, Bruce Rock, Bunbury, Busselton, Carnarvon, Coolgardie, Corrigin, Cue, Dardanup, Derby West Kimberley, Dundas, East Kimberley, East Pilbara, Greater Geraldton, Halls Creek, Jerramungup, KalgoorlieBoulder, Karratha, Laverton, Leonora, Meekatharra, Menzies, Morawa, Murchison, Ngaanyatjarraku, Northampton, Port Hedland, Ravensthorpe, Sandstone, Swan, Upper Gascoyne, Wanneroo, Wiluna, Wyndham-East Kimberley and Yalgoo. |
How Can Agape Henry Crux Help
If you have any questions or doubts about the amendments for these Visas Subclasses, book a time with an immigration lawyer at Agape Henry Crux for professional advice. The team specialises in handling highly complex matters and works together with 2 of our Accredited Specialist Immigration Lawyer(s). You can schedule an appointment with one of our lawyers or agents to seek professional advice by calling 02-8310 5230 or emailing us at info@ahclawyers.com.
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