Visas

Student visas and work rights

Many international students will be studying in Australia on a student visa which means that they are not permitted to work for more than 40 hours per fortnight. Student placements taken as a non-mandatory part of a university degree are counted towards this 40-hour limit, unless they fall into one of the following categories:

• When the placement is taken outside of Australia
• When students are completing volunteer work for their placement. For a placement to count as volunteer work it must meet the following conditions:
  • Your main purpose is to study in Australia and voluntary work remains secondary to this, and
  • The work involved would not otherwise be undertaken by an Australian resident, and
  • The work is genuinely voluntary for a non-profit organisation and no remuneration, in cash or kind, is received in return for the activity.

This means if you're on a student visa you must count hours completed for non-mandatory placements as you would any other job unless they fall into one of the above categories. Please note this is regardless of whether the placement is paid or unpaid.

You can check the exact conditions of your visa here and also find advice on the University's student visa webpage.