Student work rights in Australia
Rules for working while studying in Australia, including work limits, internships, tax steps and post-study routes where covered by the guide.
Read the complete Australia study abroad guide.
Part-time Jobs
Most Student visa holders may work up to 48 hours per fortnight while their course is in session. A fortnight is a 14-day period starting on a Monday. The limit applies to your total work, not separately to each employer. During scheduled course breaks, condition 8105 does not impose that 48-hour cap.
You generally cannot work before your course starts. A limited exception can apply where, at the time you applied for the Student visa, you already held another visa that permitted work. Do not treat early arrival as permission to begin a job.
If your Student visa was granted for a master’s degree by research or a doctoral degree, you can work more than 48 hours per fortnight after that research course has started. Mandatory work that is a registered requirement of the course can also be treated differently under the visa condition.
Check VEVO for the conditions on your own visa. A breach of a work condition can have immigration consequences, and employers can verify your work rights through VEVO.
Source: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/already-have-a-visa/check-visa-details-and-conditions/conditions-list
Internships
Australian degrees often use work-integrated learning (WIL), placements, practicums and internships. A placement that meets the Fair Work Act definition of a vocational placement can lawfully be unpaid when it is a required part of an approved education or training course and the other statutory criteria are met.
An internship outside that vocational-placement framework is not automatically allowed to be unpaid. If the arrangement creates an employment relationship, the intern is an employee and must receive the applicable minimum entitlements. Productive work, the obligations imposed, the duration and who receives the main benefit all matter.
Visa rules are a separate layer. Mandatory work that is specified as a registered requirement of the course can be treated differently under student visa condition 8105; otherwise normal Student visa work limits may apply. Confirm the placement with your university and check VEVO before starting.
Source: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/starting-employment/unpaid-work/student-placements
Post-study Work
The Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485), Post-Higher Education Work stream, gives eligible Australian degree graduates temporary full work rights without employer sponsorship.
The standard stay is 2 years for a bachelor degree (including honours), 2 years for a master’s by coursework or extended master’s, and 3 years for a master’s by research or doctoral degree. Indian nationals can have different stay periods under AI-ECTA, while Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders may receive 5 years. Most applicants must be 35 or under; the age ceiling is under 50 for applicants using a research master’s or doctorate and for Hong Kong/BNO passport holders.
You must be in Australia when you apply. Home Affairs currently allows the stream where you hold an eligible Student visa, or where you held a Student visa within the previous 6 months and now hold an eligible Bridging Visa A/B or substantive visa. The eligible degree must generally have been completed within 6 months of applying.
From 1 July 2026 the application charge starts from AUD 5,750, with limited concessions. This visa is temporary; permanent residence, if that is your goal, is a separate skilled, employer-sponsored or other migration process.
Source: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/temporary-graduate-485/post-higher-education-work
Common questions
What should international students know about work in Australia?
Usually 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session; generally no work before the course starts; broader rights for research degrees after commencement.
What should international students know about internships in Australia?
Course-required vocational placements can lawfully be unpaid; other internships depend on whether an employment relationship exists. Check both Fair Work and your visa conditions.
What should international students know about post study in Australia?
Post-Higher Education Work is usually 2 years for bachelor/coursework master’s and 3 years for research master’s/doctorate; the charge starts from AUD 5,750.