Work hour limits, enrolment requirements, and exactly what can get your visa cancelled.
Your student visa (subclass 500) comes with conditions that you must follow at all times. Breaking them — even accidentally — can lead to visa cancellation. The two most important conditions are your work hour limit and your enrolment requirement. Read this before you start any job or change your study load.
You can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session. During official university break periods, there is no cap — you can work full-time. A fortnight runs Monday to Sunday over two consecutive weeks. Count your hours carefully across all jobs.
You must remain enrolled full-time in your registered course at all times. You cannot drop below the minimum load without your university's international student office approving a reduced load. Withdrawing from your course without a new CoE from another provider will put your visa at risk.
Your education provider reports your attendance and progress to the Department of Home Affairs. If you fail too many units or your attendance drops significantly, your provider may report you and cancel your enrolment, which triggers visa cancellation.
You must notify the Department of Home Affairs of any change of address within 7 days. Do this via the VEVO or ImmiAccount portal. Failing to update your address is a visa condition breach.
Your specific conditions are listed on your visa grant letter from ImmiAccount. Some visas have additional conditions (e.g. no work allowed, or English language conditions). Always check your own grant notice.
Many students confuse this with 20 hours per week. It is 48 hours per fortnight. Working 30 hours one week and 18 the next is fine. But if you work 25 hours each week, you have exceeded 48 hours for that fortnight.
Any paid work — including Uber Eats, Airtasker, and casual shifts — counts toward your 48-hour limit. There is no distinction between employed and self-employed work.
You must maintain valid Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the duration of your visa. If it lapses, you are in breach of your visa conditions even if you have not made any health claims.