Australia Student Visa Work Hours: 48 per Fortnight Explained

Australia student visa work hours are capped at 48 per fortnight: you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks. Master’s by research and doctoral students can work unlimited hours once their course starts. Nobody can work before their course starts. The limit comes from visa condition 8105. Breaking it can lead to your visa being cancelled.

Last checked: 20 October 2026.

Australia student visa work hours: key facts

What condition 8105 says

Condition 8105 is the work condition on most student visas (subclass 500). Study Australia’s student visa page sums it up: you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, including exam periods. You can work unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks, and after you finish the course on your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) while your visa is still valid. You cannot work before your course starts.

A Home Affairs FOI release on student visa work limitations says the same and adds two points. Secondary visa holders (family members) are limited to 48 hours per fortnight at all times. Scholarships are generally treated as financial assistance, not work.

What counts as a fortnight

A fortnight is not “any 14 days you like”. Griffith University’s working while studying page states the definition used for the condition: “A fortnight means the period of 14 days starting on a Monday.” So the count runs Monday to Sunday of the following week.

Each fixed fortnight must stay at or under 48 hours in total. That total covers all your jobs together, not each job separately. Two jobs of 30 hours a fortnight each make 60 hours, which breaks the rule.

An example: in the fortnight starting Monday 2 November 2026, you could work 30 hours in the first week and 18 in the second, a total of 48. Working 20 hours and then 30 hours (50 in total) would break the rule, even if the next fortnight is quiet. Hours don’t average out across fortnights.

When your course is “in session” and when it’s a break

Universities explain this in more detail than the visa page:

• In session: UWA says the course is in session “for the duration of the advertised semesters, including exam periods”. Adelaide University says the limit applies during teaching periods and primary exam periods, even if you have no exams, and in any term, summer or winter period where you are enrolled in courses that count towards your program.
• Breaks: Adelaide University says unlimited hours apply during scheduled breaks, such as mid-semester or end-of-year breaks, only if you are not enrolled in any courses then. Griffith says students can work unlimited hours during advertised vacation periods.
• Summer or winter study: if you enrol in a summer or winter course that counts towards your degree, the 48-hour limit usually applies again for that period. Check your university’s calendar.

Work that may not count towards 48 hours

• Compulsory placements in your course. Adelaide University says the limit doesn’t apply where the work is a mandatory part of your CRICOS-registered program. Optional work-integrated learning, such as an elective placement, does count.
• Genuine volunteer work. UWA says volunteer work, meaning work that would not normally be paid, “may be exempt”. Griffith says the limit doesn’t cover voluntary, unpaid community work. An unpaid “trial” at a café or shop is not volunteering.
• Scholarships. Home Affairs generally treats these as financial assistance, not work.

If you are unsure, ask your university’s international student advisers in writing before you take the job.

Master’s by research and PhD exception

If you are enrolled in a master’s by research or a doctoral degree, there is no fortnightly limit once your course has started. This is research degrees only. A coursework master’s, including one with a small research project, follows the normal 48-hour rule. Adelaide University says the limit doesn’t apply if “You are enrolled in a Masters by research or a doctorate degree.” Your CoE shows which course you are on.

What happens if you work more than 48 hours

• Visa cancellation risk. UWA says working more than your permitted hours means you “will be non-compliant with the work limitation and may be subject to visa cancellation”. Griffith says: “If you breach your work conditions, your visa may be subject to cancellation.”
• Future applications. Home Affairs looks at your compliance with visa conditions and your immigration history when it assesses the Genuine Student requirement on any later student visa. See our Genuine Student answers guide.
• Records exist. Your payslips and tax records show your hours, so assume Home Affairs can see them.

Your rights at work: Fair Work

The visa limits your hours, but it does not reduce your workplace rights. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s international students fact sheet says you “have the same entitlements and protections under the Fair Work Act as other employees”. That includes a minimum pay rate and a payslip within one day of being paid. Unpaid trials can’t last longer than needed to show your skills. The Fair Work Infoline is 13 13 94, and the Translating and Interpreting Service is 13 14 50.

An employer might push you to work extra hours “off the books” and then threaten to report you. Two government pilot programs, explained by Fair Work, cover this situation. Under the Strengthening Reporting Protections Pilot, Home Affairs won’t cancel a visa for a work-condition breach if the person meets the pilot’s conditions while pursuing a workplace exploitation matter. The Workplace Justice Visa Pilot can let a person stay longer to pursue their claim. Both need certification from a government agency or an accredited third party. Fair Work says the earlier Assurance Protocol is paused while these pilots run. Details are on Fair Work’s visa protections page.

For current pay rates, see minimum wage in Australia 2026. You will also need a Tax File Number: see our TFN guide.

For Nepali students: plan the money honestly

• Don’t build your visa file on wages. Your financial capacity must be shown with funds and sponsor income, not expected part-time pay. See Australia student visa financial documents.
• You can’t work in your first days. Work starts only once your course starts, so bring enough for the first two to three months.
• Keep a simple hours log. Write your hours for each Monday-to-Sunday fortnight and keep every payslip.
• Family pressure is real, but cash jobs are a trap. Cash-in-hand work over the limit puts the visa at risk, and often comes with underpayment too.

Common mistakes

• Counting “any 14 days” instead of fixed fortnights starting on a Monday.
• Counting each job separately instead of adding all jobs together.
• Assuming a coursework master’s gets unlimited hours.
• Working full-time in a “break” while enrolled in a summer or winter course.
• Starting work after arrival but before the course starts.
• Thinking an unpaid trial or “help” at a relative’s shop isn’t work.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours can international students work in Australia in 2026?
Up to 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks.

Is it 24 hours a week or 48 hours a fortnight?
The rule is 48 hours per fortnight, not per week. You can work more in one week and less in the other, as long as each fortnight starting on a Monday stays at or under 48.

Can I work full-time during semester break in Australia?
Yes, during scheduled course breaks you can work unlimited hours, as long as you are not enrolled in a course that counts towards your program during that time.

Can I work before my course starts in Australia?
No. You cannot work before your course starts unless you hold another visa that allows it.

Do master’s students have unlimited work hours in Australia?
Only master’s by research and doctoral students, after the course starts. Coursework master’s students follow the 48-hour rule.

What happens if I work more than 48 hours a fortnight?
You breach condition 8105 and your visa may be cancelled. It can also count against you in future visa applications.

Your next step

Compare part-time work rules across countries · Australia cost of living by city

Related guides

• Australia Cost of Living for Students: 6 Cities Compared (2026)
• Australia Student Visa Refusal Reasons and What to Do Next
• Australia Nursing Pathway for Nepali Nurses: AHPRA Steps 2026
• Australian Student Visa From Nepal: How to Apply (Subclass 500)

Sources

• Student visa (subclass 500): work rights – Study Australia
• Information regarding student visa work limitations (FOI FA 25/06/01036) – Department of Home Affairs
• Working in Australia: your rights explained – Study Australia
• Working while studying (fortnight definition) – Griffith University
• Working while you are an international student – University of Western Australia
• Working while studying – Adelaide University
• International students fact sheet – Fair Work Ombudsman
• Visa protections: pilot programs – Fair Work Ombudsman

Last checked: 20 October 2026. This is general information, not immigration or legal advice. Check your own visa conditions in VEVO and ask your university’s international student advisers before you take on extra hours.