Working in Australia

The work rights visa only entitles you to undertake 20 hours of work per week during the semester. You are able to work full time during vacations.

Please note that working in excess of these hours can lead to the mandatory cancellation of your student visa.

The dependants of students can also obtain work rights.

Student Visa issued on 26 April 2008 or afterwards?

Changes in Department of Immigration and Citizenzhip (DIAC) policy mean that permission to work is included as a condition of  your student visa. Please note, you still must wait until your course commences before you can start working. 


*Student Visa issued on 25 April 2008 or before?*

Your first student visa does not include permission to work, and you will need to follow the instructions below to have this condition added to your student visa.

Applying for a work rights visa with access to BPAY

To apply for a work rights visa you will need to lodge an application. If you have a credit card or a debit card you can apply online. Otherwise you will need to complete a hard copy. See the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's How to Apply for Permission to Work page.

*Before you apply*, staff in the International Student Services Unit (ISSU) must confirm your course commencement details. The normal turn-around time for confirmation is 2 working days.

Tax File Number (TFN)

Once an appropriate visa has been issued by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), you must apply for a tax file number through the Australian Taxation Office. Refer to Online individual tax file number (TFN) registration page.

More information

More information about working while studying is available from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website.