Working in Australia
People granted student visas on or after 26 April 2008 will receive permission to work with 
their visa grant. This will apply to both the primary student and any family members traveling with them on their student visa. As a result, most student visa holders will no longer need to apply separately in Australia for permission to work. The new arrangement will save student visa holders time and money.
For more information, please see Fact Sheet: New permission to work arrangement for student visa holders [PDF, 78Kb] (opens in a new window)
If you were granted a Student visa before 26 April 2008 and have not yet applied for permission to work, you and your family members may only apply for Permission to Work after you have started your course in Australia.
40 hours per fortnight work condition
From 26 March 2012, student work visa conditions will be measured as 40 hours per fortnight instead of the current 20 hours per week.
Under the new arrangements, international students will be able to work up to forty hours per fortnight once their course has commenced and during any period in which their course is in session. They will be able to work unrestricted hours during any scheduled course break. This change will apply to both new and existing student visa holders and to both students and their dependents on a student visa (with some exceptions – see higher degree by research students section below).
A fortnight means a period of 14 days commencing on any Monday and ending on the second following Sunday.
The following example demonstrates how the condition will be applied. A student visa holder works the following numbers of hours over a four week period (after their course has commenced):
• Week 1 - 15 hours work
• Week 2 - 25 hours work
• Week 3 - 25 hours work
• Week 4 - 10 hours work.
In the fortnight comprising weeks 1 and 2 above (40 hours worked in that 14 day period) or in the fortnight comprising weeks 3 and 4 above (35 hours worked in that 14 day period), the work condition is not breached. However, the student visa holder has breached their work condition in the fortnight comprising weeks 2 and 3 above (50 hours worked in that 14 day period).
Students found to have breached their work conditions may be subject to cancellation of their visa.
To find out about all conditions for working while studying, please see Visas, Immigration and Refugees.
Higher Degree by Research students
From 26 March 2012, higher degree by research students on a Postgraduate Research Sector (subclass 574) visa will be given unlimited work rights once their masters by research or doctorate course has commenced.
Work rights for dependants of students who have commenced a masters (by either coursework or research) or doctorate course on either a subclass 573 or 574 visa will remain unlimited once the student has commenced their masters or doctorate course.
Course Practical Work
You may undertake a work placement as part of your course requirements as long as it is a registered part of your course. Check with your Head of Degree Program, or UWS International if the work is a registered component of the course.
Volunteer Work/Unpaid Work
If you volunteer or take part in unpaid work, then you must apply for permission to work. Any volunteer or unpaid work counts towards the limit of 40 hours per fortnight.
Visa Label
You do not need a visa label to be placed in your passport as evidence of your work rights. Your visa information is held electronically and you can access it at any time using the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) system. Employers, banks and government services can also check details about your visa entitlements on VEVO once they have your consent to do so.
Tax File Number
If you intend to earn money in Australia you will generally be required to have a tax file number (TFN), a unique number issued by the Tax Office to individuals and organisations for identification and record keeping purposes.
For more information, please see How to apply for a TFN (opens in a new window).
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