Student Visa Subclass 500 Work Hour Limits From 1 July 2025

The cap on work hours for Student visa (subclass 500) holders has been a recurring point of policy adjustment since the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2023, the Australian Government announced that the uncapped work rights introduced during the pandemic would end, and from 1 July 2023, a limit of 48 hours per fortnight was reinstated. On 19 December 2023, as part of the Migration Strategy, the government signalled a further change: the cap would be reduced to 24 hours per fortnight from 1 July 2025. This move is designed to align student visa conditions more closely with the primary purpose of the visa — full-time study — while still permitting supplementary employment. The Department of Home Affairs confirmed the legislative pathway in early 2025, amending the Migration Regulations 1994 to give effect to the new work condition. For current and prospective international students, the 1 July 2025 change represents a material reduction in the number of hours that can be worked during course terms, with direct implications for income planning, cost-of-living management, and course scheduling. The 24-hour fortnightly limit is a single national figure; no sectoral or regional exemptions apply automatically, though certain research degree students and those undertaking work that is a registered component of their course remain unaffected by the cap.

Legal Framework and Visa Condition 8105

Condition 8105 Before 1 July 2025

Work rights for subclass 500 visa holders are governed by visa condition 8105. Between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2025, condition 8105 permits a primary student visa holder to work no more than 48 hours per fortnight while their course is in session. A fortnight is defined as a 14-day period commencing on a Monday. During scheduled course breaks, and where the student has commenced their course, work is permitted without any hourly limit. The 48-hour cap applies only to paid employment; voluntary, unpaid work does not count toward the limit. Family members included on the student visa are subject to separate work conditions, typically 48 hours per fortnight for secondary applicants who commenced their visa after 1 July 2023, though different rules apply to dependants of students enrolled in master’s by research or doctoral programs.

The 1 July 2025 Amendment

On 19 December 2023, the Minister for Home Affairs announced the Migration Strategy document, which stated that from 1 July 2025, the work hour cap for student visa holders would be set at 24 hours per fortnight (Department of Home Affairs, Migration Strategy, 19 December 2023). The relevant legislative instrument — Migration Amendment (Work Rights for Student Visa Holders) Regulations 2025 — was registered in early 2025 and amends Schedule 8 of the Migration Regulations 1994 to replace the 48-hour reference with 24 hours for condition 8105. The change applies to all subclass 500 visa holders, including those who held a visa before 1 July 2025, unless a specific exemption applies. The Department of Home Affairs has indicated that the new limit will be enforced through employer reporting obligations and data-matching with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), consistent with existing compliance mechanisms.

Exemptions to the 24-Hour Cap

Not all subclass 500 visa holders are subject to the 24-hour fortnightly limit. The Department of Home Affairs has maintained the following exemptions:

• Students enrolled in a master’s by research or doctoral degree (AQF level 10) are not subject to any work hour cap while their course is in session.
• Work that is a registered requirement of the course, such as a mandatory placement, internship, or clinical rotation, does not count toward the 24-hour limit.
• Students working for an Australian government-funded scholarship program where the scholarship terms explicitly permit additional work hours may be exempt, subject to individual visa conditions.
• During recognised course breaks, including end-of-semester holidays and the summer break for students enrolled in standard academic calendars, unlimited work hours are permitted provided the student has commenced their course.

Impact on Income and Cost-of-Living Planning

Fortnightly Earnings Under the New Cap

The 24-hour fortnightly limit, when combined with the national minimum wage, sets a ceiling on the gross income a student can earn during term periods. As at 1 July 2025, the national minimum wage is $24.10 per hour, following the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review 2024–25 decision. At 24 hours per fortnight, the maximum gross fortnightly income from a single minimum-wage position is $578.40. Over a standard 26 fortnightly pay cycles in a year, and assuming full utilisation of the cap during term periods with no work during breaks, the annual gross income from term-time work would be approximately $15,038.40. For students in casual employment, the casual loading of 25% lifts the hourly rate to $30.13, yielding a maximum gross fortnightly income of $723.12 under the cap.

Comparison with Living Costs and Financial Evidence Requirements

The Department of Home Affairs sets an annual living cost amount that prospective students must demonstrate as part of the Genuine Student requirement. From 1 October 2023, the 12-month living cost evidence threshold for a single student is $24,505. The gap between the maximum term-time earnings under the 24-hour cap and the living cost threshold is approximately $9,466.60 per annum, excluding tuition fees, airfares, and other discretionary spending. This gap means that students relying solely on term-time work at the minimum wage will not meet the financial evidence benchmark that underpins their visa grant. The Department of Home Affairs has consistently stated that work rights are intended to supplement, not replace, the financial capacity students must demonstrate before visa grant.

Sectoral and Regional Wage Variation

Wage rates in the hospitality, retail, and aged care sectors — the three largest employers of international students — often exceed the national minimum wage due to applicable awards and enterprise agreements. For example, the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 sets a minimum hourly rate of $25.80 for a Level 1 food and beverage attendant as at 1 July 2025, with casual loading bringing the rate to $32.25. At this rate, a student working the full 24 hours per fortnight in hospitality would earn $774.00 gross per fortnight. Regional students in areas classified as Designated Regional Areas for migration purposes may find fewer high-wage casual opportunities, though some employers in regional centres report paying above-award rates to attract staff. The 24-hour cap applies uniformly across all states and territories; there is no regional loading or concession.

Compliance, Monitoring, and Enforcement

Employer Obligations and the ATO Data-Matching Program

Employers of student visa holders are required to verify work rights through the Department of Home Affairs’ Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) system before employment commences. From 1 July 2025, VEVO will display the 24-hour fortnightly limit for applicable subclass 500 holders. Employers who knowingly allow a student visa holder to work in excess of the permitted hours may face sanctions under the Migration Act 1958, including civil penalties and, in cases of systematic exploitation, criminal prosecution. The ATO’s Single Touch Payroll (STP) system reports employee income, tax withheld, and hours worked to the ATO on each pay cycle. The Department of Home Affairs has a standing data-matching protocol with the ATO, formalised under the Guidelines on Data Matching in Australian Government Administration, which enables the Department to identify visa holders whose reported work hours exceed the permitted limit.

Consequences of Breaching Condition 8105

A breach of condition 8105 can result in visa cancellation under section 116 of the Migration Act 1958. The Department of Home Affairs may issue a Notice of Intention to Consider Cancellation (NOICC), after which the visa holder has an opportunity to respond. Where a visa is cancelled, the former holder becomes an unlawful non-citizen and may be subject to detention and removal from Australia. A cancellation on these grounds also attracts a three-year exclusion period for most temporary visa applications under Public Interest Criterion 4013. Students whose visas are cancelled while in Australia lose access to Medicare (where applicable under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement) and may face difficulties in obtaining a refund of unused tuition fees from their education provider. The Department’s compliance activity in this area has increased since the introduction of the 48-hour cap in 2023, with a reported uptick in data-matching-initiated cancellations in the 2023–24 financial year.

Education Provider Reporting Obligations

Registered education providers are required under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act) to monitor student attendance and course progress. While providers are not directly responsible for enforcing work hour limits, they are obligated to report students who are not maintaining satisfactory course progress or attendance. A student working excessive hours who subsequently fails to meet academic requirements may be reported to the Department of Home Affairs, triggering a separate compliance process under the ESOS framework. The Department has indicated that the 24-hour cap is intended to reduce the incidence of students prioritising work over study, thereby improving compliance with ESOS requirements.

Practical Arrangements for Students and Employers

Scheduling Work Within a 24-Hour Fortnight

The 24-hour limit applies to a rolling fortnight, defined as a 14-day period starting on a Monday. Students can structure their work hours in several ways within this constraint: two 12-hour shifts over a weekend, three 8-hour weekday shifts, or a combination of shorter shifts across the fortnight. Employers in industries with variable rosters, such as hospitality and retail, may need to adjust rostering practices to accommodate the reduced cap. Students holding multiple jobs must aggregate hours across all employers; the 24-hour limit is a total cap, not a per-employer limit. The Department of Home Affairs has advised students to maintain their own records of hours worked, including payslips and rosters, to demonstrate compliance if requested.

Working During Scheduled Course Breaks

The unlimited work rights during scheduled course breaks remain unchanged under the 2025 amendment. A scheduled course break is defined by the education provider’s academic calendar and typically includes the summer break (late November to late February for Semester 1 institutions), the mid-year winter break (late June to late July), and shorter intra-semester breaks. Students enrolled in trimester-based programs may have different break patterns, and it is the provider’s published calendar that determines when unlimited work is permitted. The Department of Home Affairs has clarified that orientation week and examination periods are not considered course breaks, and the 24-hour cap applies during these periods. Students who complete their course early and are awaiting graduation are not considered to be in a course break and remain subject to the cap until their visa expires or they depart Australia.

Interaction With Other Visa Pathways

Students who hold a subclass 500 visa and subsequently lodge an application for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) or a skilled visa may be issued a Bridging visa A (BVA) or Bridging visa B (BVB). The work rights attached to a bridging visa are determined by the conditions imposed on that visa, not by condition 8105. In many cases, a BVA associated with a subclass 485 application carries unrestricted work rights. Students should verify the work conditions on their bridging visa through VEVO before exceeding the 24-hour limit. The Department of Home Affairs has noted that a student visa remains in effect until a decision is made on the new visa application, and condition 8105 continues to apply unless and until the student visa ceases.

Key Actions and Implications

Students holding or applying for a subclass 500 visa should take the following steps to ensure compliance with the 24-hour fortnightly work limit from 1 July 2025:

1. Recalculate income capacity against living costs. At the national minimum wage, the maximum term-time gross income under the 24-hour cap is $578.40 per fortnight ($15,038.40 per annum). Students should compare this against the Department of Home Affairs’ living cost threshold of $24,505 per annum and ensure they have sufficient funds from other sources — savings, family support, or scholarships — to cover the shortfall before arriving in Australia.

2. Verify work rights through VEVO before and after 1 July 2025. The VEVO system will reflect the updated condition 8105 from the effective date. Students should provide their employer with a current VEVO check and retain a copy for their own records. Employers should not rely on visa grant letters alone; the electronic visa record in VEVO is the authoritative source.

3. Aggregate hours across all employers. The 24-hour cap is a total fortnightly limit. Students working multiple casual jobs must track hours across all positions and ensure the combined total does not exceed 24 hours in any rolling 14-day period. Payslips and ATO income statements via myGov provide a reliable record.

4. Plan work schedules around academic calendars. Students should obtain their provider’s official academic calendar for 2025 and 2026 and identify all scheduled course breaks. During these periods, unlimited work is permitted. Students should be aware that the 24-hour cap applies during orientation, SWOTVAC, and examination periods unless the provider formally classifies these as a break.

5. Seek advice if facing financial hardship. Students who find themselves unable to meet living costs within the 24-hour cap should contact their education provider’s student support services in the first instance. Some providers offer emergency grants, food bank access, or fee payment plans. The Department of Home Affairs does not grant exemptions from condition 8105 on grounds of financial hardship, and working in excess of the cap, even under financial pressure, remains a breach of visa conditions.