Working while you study in Australia

International students studying in Australia on a student visa can apply for permission to work once they commence their course.  Applying for a student visa with permission to work can be done electronically or on paper using form 157P.

A visa with permission to work enables you to work up to 20 hours a week on a casual basis during course time and full-time during vacation periods. In some cases family members can also apply for permission to work up to 20 hours a week throughout the year.  In the case of masters and doctorate students and AusAID or Defence-sponsored students, family members can apply for permission to work unlimited hours. If you are the family member of a student who has commenced a masters or doctorate course, you must bring evidence from the education provider that the student has started this course. Under certain circumstances dependants of students are permitted to work.

The application charge for a student visa with permission to work is A$55 however this is subject to yearly review.  Check the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) website for up to date details  

The money you earn from working in Australia should only supplement your income and not be used as your only source of income. Before you come to Australia , you must show that you have enough money to pay for living expenses, education costs and travel for the duration of your study.

Most students take part-time or casual jobs at some time during their studies. Some jobs are closely tied to courses of study (such as formal cadetships and informal arrangements such as part-time work by law students in solicitors' offices). Some students tutor school children or get jobs on campus in the canteen, the bookshop, in the institution's offices and as laboratory assistants. Some jobs are entirely outside the education community such as bartending, babysitting, gardening, hospitality, sales, information technology, restaurants, checkout work or fruit picking.

Some institutions offer a job placement service. If work is available you will need to obtain a tax file number from the Australian Tax Office. You will need to contact them about their requirements and processes.

Student visa information on this website is an outline only and subject to change. For more detailed, accurate and up-to-date information on student visas and visa requirements please check the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) website.