How many hours can I work on an Australian Student visa (500) in 2026?
On a Student visa (subclass 500), you can work up to 48 hours a fortnight while your course of study or training is in session. That figure comes from the Australian Department of Home Affairs Student visa (subclass 500) page, as of August 2026. The cap applies to you personally; the rules are different if you are doing a research master's or a doctorate, and different again for the family members on your visa. This information is general only and not personalised advice — your own work rights are the ones printed on your visa grant letter and shown in Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO), and those should be your reference point.
What exactly is the 48-hour limit while my course is in session?
The limit is stated as a cap on your work: up to 48 hours a fortnight, counted while your course of study or training is in session. It is not a limit per employer — it is the total amount of work you do in that period. The Department's page expresses the limit by fortnight and does not publish a separate hour-by-hour counting method, so if your schedule is uneven, the practical safeguard is to keep your own record of hours and stay under the fortnightly ceiling.
This cap sits in the standard work condition attached to the visa (condition 8105, imposed in all cases under the Migration Regulations 1994). Because the condition is attached to the visa rather than to a job, it travels with you when you change employers or pick up a second role.
Who is exempt from the 48-hour cap?
Exemption depends on what you are studying, and in one case it applies to your family but not to you:
| Situation | You (the student) | Your family members |
|---|---|---|
| Course in session, general case | Up to 48 hours a fortnight | Up to 48 hours a fortnight |
| Master's by research or doctoral degree | No work limit | No work limit |
| Master's by coursework or master's (Extended) | Up to 48 hours a fortnight | Can work more than 48 hours a fortnight |
| Course not in session | Unlimited hours | Still limited work rights |
The coursework master's line is the one that most often causes confusion: a master's by coursework or a master's (Extended) lifts the cap for your family members, but you remain limited to 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session.
Can I work unlimited hours during holidays?
Yes, when your course is not in session, you can work unlimited hours. The distinction is between the course being in session and not in session — it is not tied to the calendar or to a particular employer's rota.
The important carve-out is your family. Family members still have limited work rights when your course is not in session. In other words, a break in your study calendar frees up your hours but does not automatically free up theirs.
Can my partner or dependants work, and how much?
Family members on a Student visa can work, but their ceiling depends on your course and on your study calendar:
- While your course is in session: up to 48 hours a fortnight, the same as you.
- If you are studying a master's by research or a doctoral degree: no work limit.
- If you are studying a master's by coursework or a master's (Extended): they can work more than 48 hours a fortnight, even though you cannot.
- While your course is not in session: they remain subject to limited work rights.
For Student visa purposes, a family member means your partner, or your or your partner's dependent child who is unmarried and under 18.
When can I start working — is it before my course begins?
No. Student visa holders and their family members cannot work in Australia before the student starts their course. This is a common assumption error: holding the visa and being in Australia is not the trigger. The trigger is the start of the course itself.
Suppose a student arrives three weeks early to settle in and is offered casual shifts in the meantime — on the Department's wording, those hours are not permitted, because the course has not started yet.
How do I confirm my own work rights?
Use your visa grant letter and VEVO. The Department's page directs visa holders to check their conditions and work entitlements there, and advises checking your visa conditions regularly, including work rights. This matters most at transition points: when you move from a coursework degree into a research higher degree, when your course goes out of session, or when a family member joins you as a subsequent entrant.
Does working beyond the limit put my visa at risk?
Working beyond your limit means you are not meeting a condition attached to your visa, and the Department's page states that you and your family must meet all visa conditions and follow Australian laws. Beyond that, the consequences of a condition breach are governed by Australian migration law rather than by the Student visa (subclass 500) page, which states only that holders and their family must meet all visa conditions and follow Australian laws. This article is general reference material, not advice for your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the limit 48 hours per week or per fortnight?
It is 48 hours a fortnight — a two-week period — while your course is in session. The Department's Student visa (subclass 500) page states the cap this way, as of August 2026, and does not publish a separate weekly figure.
Can I work 60 hours one week and 36 the next to average out?
The cap is expressed per fortnight, so the total across the two-week period is what matters. The Department's page does not set out a separate hour-averaging rule, so the safer reading is to keep the fortnightly total under 48 hours rather than to plan around peaks.
Do PhD and research master's students have any work limit?
No work limit applies to students studying a master's by research or a doctoral degree, and their family members also have no work limit. The exemption follows the course type, not the student's nationality or employer.
Can my partner work full time during my semester breaks?
No, not automatically. When your course is not in session, you can work unlimited hours, but family members still have limited work rights. Unlimited family work rights come from the course type — research master's or doctoral study — not from a study break.
Can I work two jobs at once on a Student visa?
The 48-hour cap is a limit on your total work in a fortnight, not a limit per employer. Nothing on the Department's page restricts the number of employers, so the binding constraint is the combined hours across all of them.
Can I start working as soon as my visa is granted?
No. Student visa holders and their family members cannot work in Australia before the student starts their course. Being granted the visa and being in Australia does not by itself start your work rights.