Student Visa Work Hours Australia (2026): 48hr Rule

In 2026, student visa work hours in Australia are capped at 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session. When your course is not in session, such as scheduled semester breaks, you can work unlimited hours. Students doing a master's by research or a doctoral degree have no work limit. You cannot start working before your course begins.

General information, not legal advice. Your exact conditions are in your visa grant letter and on VEVO, the Home Affairs visa checking service. Check them regularly, because conditions can differ between visa holders.

How many hours can you work on a student visa in 2026?

The Home Affairs page for the Student visa (subclass 500) sets out the current rules:

The 48-hour cap is the rule shown on the Home Affairs website in 2026. If a family member is on your visa, note that their rights can differ from yours: for master's by coursework students, family members can work more than 48 hours a fortnight even though the student is still capped.

How do you count 48 hours a fortnight?

The limit is measured per fortnight, not per week, which gives you some flexibility. You could work 30 hours one week and 18 the next and stay within 48. A few practical rules keep you safe:

• Add up every job. The cap covers all your work combined, so a warehouse shift, a café roster and a weekend cleaning job all count together.
• Use fixed two-week blocks. Check how the fortnight is defined in your visa condition on VEVO, then track hours in matching blocks rather than a rolling count.
• Count actual hours worked. Use your payslips and timesheets, not the hours you were rostered.
• Keep your own record. A simple spreadsheet or a free timesheet template, like the ones in our guide to making timesheets, helps if you ever need to show your hours.

Worked example: three part-time jobs

Priya studies in Parramatta. In one fortnight she works three 6-hour warehouse shifts a week (36 hours over the fortnight), plus one 8-hour Saturday event setup shift (8 hours). That is 44 hours. A manager then offers a 6-hour Sunday shift. Accepting it would take her to 50 hours, so she declines and asks for it to be moved into the semester break, when she can work unlimited hours.

What counts as a holiday period for student visa work?

Home Affairs says you can work unlimited hours "when your course is not in session". In practice that means the scheduled breaks in your education provider's academic calendar, such as the break between semesters or the summer holidays. Your provider's published calendar is the best guide.

A few cautions:

• A week with no classes in the middle of a study period, such as a study week or exam period, may still be part of the course being in session. Check with your provider before treating it as a break.
• If you are enrolled in a new course that starts straight after the last one, the break may be short.
• If you defer, take leave or change courses, confirm your status with your provider and Home Affairs.

What happens if you work more than 48 hours a fortnight?

Breaching a visa condition can put your visa at risk of cancellation, which can affect your studies and any future visa applications. That is why it is worth declining extra shifts that would push you over, even when an employer asks.

Most problems start with a friendly request: a manager is short-staffed and asks you to cover one more shift. A few habits make it easier to say no:

• tell every employer about your 48-hour limit when you start, so it is never a surprise
• share your availability for each fortnight in writing before rosters are set
• keep a running total of hours across all your jobs and check it before accepting extra shifts
• ask for extra shifts to be moved into the next course break instead

Your workplace rights do not depend on your visa. The Fair Work Ombudsman's guidance on visa holders' workplace rights says visa holders and migrant workers have the same workplace entitlements and protections as all other employees, regardless of migration status. An employer cannot pay you less because you are on a student visa, and cannot use your visa to pressure you into extra hours or cash-only work. Read casual employee rights for what you are entitled to.

What casual work fits around a student timetable?

Shift-based casual work suits students because you can accept or decline shifts around classes and keep your hours under the cap. Common options include:

• Warehouse and pick-packing: evening and weekend shifts, often 6 to 8 hours.
• Event staff and setup crews: weekend and night work at venues, festivals and functions.
• Cleaning: early morning or evening commercial cleans and end-of-lease cleans.
• Kitchen hand and hospitality: lunch and dinner shifts.
• Labouring: site cleans, removalist help and landscaping labour, usually needing a white card for construction sites.

As indicative 2026 market observations, casual student-friendly roles commonly pay around $30–40/hr, with higher rates for weekend and night work under many awards. Confirm current minimums in the Fair Work pay guides. If you want work that pays quickly, our guide to same day pay jobs explains how pay timing works.

Can student visa holders do their 88 days or work on an ABN?

Work done on a student visa does not count toward the specified work for a second Working Holiday visa, so if you later switch visas, your 88 days start again on the Working Holiday visa. See 88 days regional work in construction for how that works.

Contracting on an ABN does not get around the cap. The limit is on work, and hours worked as a contractor or through a gig app count in the same way as employee hours. Be wary of anyone who suggests an ABN is a way to work unlimited hours during semester.

How to find student-friendly shifts on Yakka

Yakka Labour is the hiring marketplace, not the workwear brand with a similar name. Workers create a free profile in the Yakka app and apply directly for jobs near them.

1. Create a profile with your skills, availability and any tickets such as a white card, RSA or forklift licence.
2. Apply for shifts that fit your timetable, and check the hours before accepting so you stay under 48 a fortnight in session.
3. Agree the rate with the hirer in writing and keep records of every shift you work.

Yakka is a marketplace, not an employer, so the engagement is agreed between you and the hirer. Browse casual jobs for more ideas.

Event staff jobs on Yakka · Download the Yakka app