Full-time work evidence for subclass 887 in 2026: what officers accept and what gets a refusal

Full-time work for subclass 887 means 35 hours a week, and the file has to prove those hours week by week — not just that a job existed. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs Skilled Regional visa (Subclass 887) official page, applicants must have worked full-time for at least 12 months as the holder of one or more eligible visas, in the regional or designated area attached to their eligible visa, and full-time work means 35 hours per week. Most work-related refusals are not disputes about the rule; they are files where the hours are never evidenced, or evidenced only for part of the 12 months.

This article is general information only and not advice for any individual case — for your own circumstances, rely on the latest official publication or a registered migration agent or legal practitioner.

What counts as full-time work for subclass 887?

The benchmark is stated plainly: 35 hours per week, for a total period of at least 12 months, while holding an eligible visa (subclass 489, 495, 496, 475 or 487, or a relevant bridging visa). The same page confirms two flexibilities: you can combine hours worked in concurrent part-time employment, and you can work in your nominated occupation or any other occupation.

The 12-month period must also be served in the right place — a regional or low-population growth metropolitan area if a state or territory government nominated you for the eligible visa, or a designated area of Australia if a family member sponsored you. Work done outside that area does not build toward the requirement, even when the employer is the same.

The Migration Regulations 1994 and the department's PAM3 procedures describe this area of discretion slightly differently. Treat that as policy guidance rather than the statutory test, and check the latest official publication before relying on it.

Note the gap this opens: 30 hours might be argued up in a narrow set of occupations, but it is the number below which a file is treated as not demonstrating full-time work at all. A week that averages 28 hours is not a partial week of full-time work; across a year, it converts 12 months of employment into zero months of qualifying work.

Why do work-evidence files actually fail?

Refusals cluster around documents that prove the wrong thing. The patterns below are recurring ones in this area.

The hours are asserted, not shown. An employment letter confirming a job title and dates but no weekly figure leaves the officer unable to test the 35-hour standard.
Average rather than actual weekly hours. A letter saying "approximately full-time" or "averaged over the year" cannot be reconciled with a week-by-week test.
Coverage gaps. Payslips for eight months of a twelve-month claim, with no explanation or substitute documents for the rest.
Only one job documented. Combined hours across two or more employers require suitable evidence for each position, and files often document only one.
Location not evidenced. Work evidence that never states where the work was performed cannot establish that it occurred in the specified regional or designated area.
Self-employment without activity evidence. Registration documents prove a business exists; they do not prove it required you to be active at least 35 hours a week.

A further risk sits after lodgement. The Department's page states plainly that it might ask for more information, but is not obliged to, and may decide the application without requesting further documents. Lodging with evidence gaps is therefore a gamble, not a holding position.

What must an employment reference contain?

The document requirements are spelled out in the "Evidence of work" section of the same page. Employment references should be on company letterhead and include information about your position, the period of your employment, and your weekly work hours. All three elements matter; a letter missing the weekly hours is the most common single defect.

Evidence type	What it establishes	What it usually fails to establish alone
Employment reference	Position, dates, weekly hours	Pay periods actually worked at those hours
Payslips covering the period	Weekly hours and pay actually received	That the employer itself confirms the arrangement
ATO Notice of Assessment	Annual income for a financial year	Weekly distribution of work
Bank statements	Salary deposits by employer	Hours worked, or the work location
Superannuation documents	Employment relationship and contributions	Whether hours reached 35 per week

The table explains why the strongest files overlap: payslips corroborate the reference, bank statements corroborate the payslips, and tax and superannuation records corroborate the relationship. Each document type plugs a hole left by the others.

Can you combine two part-time jobs to meet the requirement?

Yes. The Department's page states that to satisfy the full-time work requirement the 35 hours can comprise hours worked in one or more jobs in each week, and that suitable evidence will need to be provided for each position to support your claims.

The unit of assessment is the week, not the year. Thirty-five hours split across two employers in one week counts; twenty hours for six months followed by fifty hours for six months does not reconstruct 35 hours a week. This is where shift work and casual rosters tend to unravel: rosters fluctuate, and a fortnight below threshold is a fortnight that does not count.

Combine carefully:

Confirm the hours fall inside the same week for each concurrent employer.
Obtain a separate letter from every employer, each stating weekly hours.
Keep payslips from every employer for the full claimed period.
Reconcile the total yourself before lodging, using the payslip weeks as the calendar.

What if you were self-employed or contracting?

Self-employment can count, but the test shifts from "hours paid" to "hours active." For periods of self or contract employment the Home Affairs page lists proof such as taxation documents including business activity statements, evidence of business registration, evidence of business activity such as a statement from your account, correspondence from customers and suppliers, audited financial statements for the relevant periods, contracts or franchise arrangements, advertising and marketing material, a company profile or prospectus, and memberships of business or professional associations.

The decisive sentence is the closing one in that section: the evidence should demonstrate that your self-employment activities require you to be active in the business for at least 35 hours a week. A registered ABN and a BAS are necessary but thin; customer correspondence, dated invoices and a contemporaneous record of weekly activity carry the point.

Does the COVID-19 concession change the hours?

It changes the period, not the definition. Eligible prospective applicants who lodge during the concession period get a shorter employment requirement — evidenced full-time work of at least 9 months, with the residence requirement varying by whether lodgement is inside or outside Australia. Full-time still carries the 35-hour meaning, and the evidence rules for references, payslips and self-employment remain the same.

Persons relying on a concession period should take particular care with dates, since eligibility depends on when the application was lodged and on the Minister's specification of any shorter period by legislative instrument.

How to assemble a work-evidence file

Work through the claim period in this order.

Write out the claimed 12 months week by week.
Mark every week where total hours fell below 35.
Exclude those weeks from your count.
Extend the period forward until you reach 52 qualifying weeks.
List every employer covering those weeks.
Request a letter from each employer on company letterhead.
Check each letter has position, employment period and weekly hours.
Collect payslips for every week claimed.
Add bank statements showing the matching salary deposits.
Add ATO Notices of Assessment and superannuation documents.
Record the work location for every position.
Check each location against the specified regional or designated area applying to your eligible visa.
Scan everything and name files by employer and date range.

Steps 1 to 4 are the ones applicants skip, and they are the ones that prevent a refusal: the arithmetic tells you whether you can claim 12 months before you lodge, rather than after a decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is working 30 hours a week enough for subclass 887?

The official page sets the standard at 35 hours per week, and the department's PAM3 procedures indicate work of less than 30 hours a week is not treated as full-time. A 30-hour week is not below that 30-hour floor, but it still does not meet the 35-hour standard.

Can casual or irregular shifts count toward the 12 months?

Yes, if the hours reach 35 in a given week and you can evidence them. Concurrent part-time employment can be combined, so irregular rosters are workable provided payslips and employer letters exist for each position and week claimed.

My employer letter does not state my weekly hours. Can payslips fix that?

They can fill the gap, because payslips covering the employment period are listed as acceptable evidence. A letter without hours is weaker than one with them, so ask for a replacement letter first and use payslips, bank statements and superannuation records as corroboration.

Does the work have to relate to my nominated occupation?

No. The page states you can work in your nominated occupation or any other occupation, so changing jobs or occupations does not by itself break the claim — provided the work is in the correct specified area and evidenced as before.

What happens if my work evidence is incomplete when I lodge?

The Department may request further information but is not obliged to, and may decide the application without asking for more documents. Incomplete work evidence is therefore a live refusal risk rather than a delay.

Can self-employed months count toward full-time work?

Yes, where the evidence demonstrates the self-employment activities required you to be active in the business for at least 35 hours a week. Business activity statements, registration documents, customer and supplier correspondence and financial statements should all point to that level of activity.