Condition 8105: Work Rights for International Students in Australia

International students on the Subclass 500 visa can work in Australia — but only within the limits of Condition 8105. This is the visa condition that governs employment rights for student visa holders, and breaching it carries serious consequences: from visa cancellation to being barred from future Australian visas.

Here is exactly what Condition 8105 allows, what it restricts, and the edge cases students commonly misunderstand.

The Core Rule: 48 Hours Per Fortnight

During active academic sessions — including exam periods — you are limited to 48 hours of paid work per fortnight. A fortnight is defined strictly as a 14-day period that begins on a Monday.

This cap is cumulative across all employment. If you work two jobs simultaneously, your combined hours across both jobs must not exceed 48 hours in the fortnight. You cannot work 30 hours at one job and another 30 at a second job.

The 48-hour limit applies during:

• Normal teaching weeks
• Examination periods
• Any period where your course is in session

When Work Hours Are Unlimited

During official academic recess — scheduled semester breaks, mid-year holidays, and summer holidays between academic years — the fortnightly limit is lifted entirely. You can work unlimited hours during these periods.

The key word is "official." A gap between the end of exams and the next semester's start is not automatically an academic recess unless your institution formally designates it as such. If your university's academic calendar shows you in session for that period, the 48-hour limit applies.

When You Can Start Working

This catches many students by surprise: you cannot start any work until your principal course of study has officially commenced. Having a valid Subclass 500 visa and being in Australia is not enough. Your course must have started.

If you arrive in Australia a few weeks early to settle in before your semester starts, you cannot work during that pre-commencement period.

The Research Degree Exception

Students enrolled in a Master's degree by research or a PhD have unlimited work rights from the moment their coursework commences. This exception recognises that research students' academic contributions operate differently from coursework students, and that restricting their hours would impede the research itself.

This exception does not apply to Master's degrees by coursework or extended Master's programs, even if they include a research component. Only formally designated Master's by Research and Doctoral degrees qualify.

Employment That Does Not Count

Certain types of work are specifically excluded from the 48-hour count:

• Work for your educational institution: if you are employed as a tutor, research assistant, or lab demonstrator at the university where you are enrolled, this work is generally not subject to the 48-hour cap
• Voluntary work (genuinely unpaid): not counted, but arrangements that are nominally volunteer but include compensation in any form are treated as employment

What Happens If You Breach Condition 8105

Breaching the 48-hour limit is a visa condition violation. The consequences depend on the severity and whether it is a first or repeated breach:

• Visa cancellation: the Department of Home Affairs has the power to cancel your Subclass 500 if you breach conditions, including work rights. Cancellation while onshore means you must depart Australia
• Impact on future visa applications: a Condition 8105 breach on your record can significantly complicate future visa applications, including the Subclass 485 and any subsequent skilled migration

In practice, a single minor breach discovered during a compliance check may result in a warning before escalation to cancellation. But the threshold for leniency has tightened considerably in 2026 as the Department increases compliance enforcement to address what it describes as systematic misuse of student visa work rights.

Employers can also face penalties for knowingly hiring student visa holders beyond their permitted hours. Under the Fair Work Act, an employer cannot plead ignorance — they are expected to verify the visa conditions of any worker they hire.

Checking Your Work Rights on VEVO

Your work entitlements are recorded in your VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) record, which is accessible at border.gov.au/bub/. You can share a VEVO reference code with an employer so they can verify your work rights directly, without you needing to disclose your passport or full visa grant details.

Always check your VEVO record before starting new employment to confirm your current conditions, particularly if you have recently transitioned from one visa to another (for example, from a Bridging Visa back to a substantive 500).

Your Work Rights Change When You Transition to a 485

Once you graduate and apply for the Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa, Condition 8105 no longer applies. The 485 grants unrestricted work rights — you can work any number of hours in any occupation for any employer during the visa's validity period. This is one of the significant practical advantages of completing the transition to the 485 promptly after graduation.

The transition itself, however, involves specific timing rules around when to lodge, what health cover to switch to, and what English test results to present. Missing any of these details — including lodging your 485 application even one day after the 6-month window from graduation — results in losing your entitlement to the visa and forfeiting the AUD $4,600 non-refundable application fee.

Get the complete toolkit for a full breakdown of work rights on both the Subclass 500 and 485, plus a step-by-step guide to the visa transition after graduation.

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