Students Can Work Unlimited Hours in Australia 2023-24

If you are an international student excited to study in Australia, there’s good news for you. Australia had announced a new rule, which started on July 1, 2023, with permissible work hours for all international students. According to this, the rule of 40 hours per fortnight will increase to 48 hours per fortnight. This revision will help international students to help themselves while pursuing their programs in Australia.

Commenting on it, the Minister for Home Affairs Clare O'Neil said, "Enabling students gaining education in Australia to stay longer and contribute to our economy benefits us all."

She also added, "After a lost decade on immigration and skills, we are looking for ways to utilise skilled migrants via enhanced training and better targeted, less exploitative programs for temporary visa workers and students."

Throughout the epidemic, limits on student visa holders' ability to work were loosened to a significant extent; however, they were finally lifted entirely in January 2022, allowing them to work more than 40 hours per fortnight to help fill labour shortages. However, this will end on June 30, and all overseas students will be subject to the new cap regardless of when they started their studies.

Additionally, the government declared that some international graduates with degrees in fields with a confirmed shortage of skilled labour in Australia are eligible for a two-year extension of post-study work privileges.

The extension is set to extend the Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485) for qualified graduates of overseas higher education by an extra two years. The extension comes on top of the already-existing one- to a two-year extension of work rights for qualified students who attend school, reside, or work in regional areas.

Moreover, for students moving to the country to pursue a bachelor's degree, the Post Study Work will increase to four years from two, and for students pursuing a master's degree, it will increase to three to five years and for doctoral students to four to six years.

It is reported that 1,00,009 Indian students are studying across Australia at the country’s top universities, as reported by the Indian External Affairs Ministry in 2022.

This is considered a great step by the Australian government to help strengthen the work opportunities for international students in the country. This will also aid in the development of Australia itself by providing more skilled workers to work there.

We hope you enjoyed learning about the student work hours increase and the advantages associated with it and gained great insights. Still, if you would like to get a deeper understanding or have any questions about how to study in Australia, we encourage you to speak with our team of expert Australian country counsellors at any branch of the Meridean Overseas Education Consultants (MOEC).

Visit our website for free online counselling, or contact us at application02@meridean.org or 1800-1230-00011 for personalised support.