Counting 88 Days of Specified Work: Part-Time Rosters, Multiple Jobs and Overlapping Dates
Counting specified work is not simply adding payslips, clock-ins or the hours from two jobs. The official guidance considers the normal full-time workload and the overall period. Where the second-visa work requirement applies, three months corresponds to a minimum of 88 calendar days; the relevant six-month requirement for a third visa corresponds to at least 179 calendar days. Establish which requirement and visa stage apply before calculating.
Start with eligible work and an honest record
Check the activity, area, dates and immigration stage first. UK passport arrangements may remove the relevant specified-work requirement, but that exception should not be assumed for another passport. Shared counting guidance for 417 and 462 does not make every eligible activity and area identical. An accurate calculation cannot turn work outside the applicable scope into qualifying evidence.
Record to organise | Underlying evidence |
Employer, worksite and activity | Employment details, address and actual duties |
Applicable visa stage | Grant notices and personal records |
Start, finish and interruption dates | Rosters and actual history |
Normal roster and actual work | Industry, role and hours records |
Payments and discrepancies | Payslips, bank records and source explanations |
Keep payment dates separate from the days worked. A deposit at the end of a month does not establish employment on every day of that month. A contract spanning a period does not explain every interruption either. Preserve the originals alongside your calculation rather than changing source documents to fit an estimate. Resolve discrepancies with the real source instead of selecting only the more favourable record.
Three months of part-time employment may not be enough
The guidance requires the normal number of workdays or shifts that a full-time employee in the relevant role and industry would usually complete over the applicable period. Part-time work can accumulate over longer. A contract lasting three months with only limited weekly shifts does not automatically supply the equivalent full-time workload. Do not assume a universal eight-hour day for every role.
Normal rest arrangements within continuous full-time employment must be distinguished from interruptions, unpaid non-work and other absences. For weather stoppages, leave or unusual shift patterns, record actual attendance, payment and contractual arrangements before applying the corresponding guidance. Subtracting the first date from the last date is not a sufficient calculation on its own.
Separate employers do not multiply calendar dates
Eligible work can be accumulated across periods rather than entirely with one employer, but each segment must satisfy the applicable scope. Eligibility in the first role does not establish eligibility in a different second role. Retain travel and gaps. Different paying-company names may also relate to the same underlying work, so explain the real employment structure before adding totals.
Working two jobs on one date does not turn it into two calendar days. The official guidance also prevents completion within an overall period shorter than the required three or six months. Extra hours therefore cannot compress the minimum period into a few weeks. Overtime pay, rest and workplace rights remain separate concerns rather than conditions to disregard in pursuit of another visa.
Do not calculate the third visa by doubling 88
The stated minimum six-month period is 179 calendar days, not 88 multiplied by two. Check when the work occurred and the relevant immigration stage. Surplus first-year work cannot simply be carried into the third-visa calculation. Any bridging-visa work must meet the particular rules; permission to work alone does not settle whether it counts for this purpose.
Piecework earnings or output cannot be converted into extra calendar days using a private formula. Obtain genuine rosters, payment records and employer explanations where evidence is missing. Before submission, trace each segment back to its originals and identify unresolved items. Ask the adviser to explain the method, applicable period and missing support. A private check, a valid application and a government grant are separate outcomes, and collecting records does not extend the current visa.
Official sources and verification date
18 October 2026
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