Student Visa Working Hours
How many hours am I allowed to work while on a student visa
There has been quite a lot of changes in the permitted number of work hours for student visa holders in the past few years. Initially student visa holders were allowed to work 40 hours a fortnight which basically meant that you can work 20 hours per week. This was changed due to labour shortages caused by the pandemic and student visa holders were allowed to work unlimited hours until changes were announced.
With the opening of the new migration year, from the 01st July 2023, student visa holders will only be able to work 48 hours per fortnight, which means you can only work 24 hours a week.
However, student visa holders who are working in the aged care sector can continue to work unlimited hours until December 2023.
In and Out of Session: Shifting Work Hours
Your work rights also change depending on whether your course is in session or out of session. The student visa work limitations only apply if your course is in session, which means that you can work unlimited hours when your course is out of session i.e.; when you are on vacation. There's no upper limit on work hours, and you can work full time if you wish. So, holiday periods can potentially mean a lot more income for you.
Can my dependants work while I am on a Student Visa?
If you are the immediate family of a student visa holder in Australia, you are also provided work rights depending on the course that the student visa holder is studying. A dependant of a student visa holder studying a bachelor’s or lower will be entitled to work the same number of hours the student visa holder is permitted to work.
But if the student visa holder is studying a master’s or a doctorate in Australia, their dependants are not subject to any limitation on the work hours. This simply means you can keep busy (and keep your pockets filled) while your loved ones hit the books.
Done with your course? There's Post Study Work Visa
What happens once you're done with your course? There's good news here as well. Once you complete your studies in Australia you will be eligible for a Post Study Work Visa provided your course was at least 02 years long.
If you are granted a Post Study Work Visa you can work full time in Australia for up to 2-4 years. From your post study work visa then you can proceed to Permanent Residency in Australia.
These are just the basics of what you need to know about working hours for someone on an Australian student visa. There are many other considerations including student visa conditions which you need to properly understand before you actually start to work. For more personalized advice, consulting an immigration lawyer will clear all your doubts and set you on the correct pathway to fulfil your Australian dream!
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Keith James
Keith is a graduate of Monash Law School. He moved to Melbourne, Australia in 2014 and has a passion for working with migrants, who aspire to call Australia their dream home. Being a migrant himself, he has a tremendous capacity to empathise with the problems his clients face and focuses on providing them with outcomes that leads to Permanent Residency in the shortest possible time.
Keith practices in all aspects of Migration law, with a particular focus on Skilled Migration and Family visas. He stays abreast on the latest updates in state nomination criteria and has a wide range of options available to assist his clients navigate their migration aspirations.
- LLB (Monash University, Australia)
- Member (Law Institute of Victoria)
- Member (Migration Institute of Australia)
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