If you’re on a student visa and are currently enrolled in an Australian school, college or university, then you might be eligible to work. You need to check the date of grant of your Australian visa to be sure of your work rights. If your visa was granted after April 26, 2008, then you and your dependent family members already have permission to work included as part of your Australia visa. If your visa was granted before this date, then you still need to apply for permission to work.

Once that’s settled, you now need to acquire a Tax File Number (TFN). Any transaction you make in Australia that results in earnings will require the TFN. This is a unique number issued by the Australian Tax Office to individuals and organizations.

Next, you need to know the conditions for working while studying in Australia. If you’re a student at an Australian school, you can only work a maximum of 20 hours a week when your course is in session. When your course is not in session, you may work an unlimited number of hours. Please note that a voluntary and unpaid work is included in the 20-hour limit per week, while work that is formally registered as part of your course is not included in this count. If you are a research student, you can work an unlimited number of hours as a PhD student or when you have submitted your thesis for marking.

Meanwhile, your dependent family members can work a maximum 20 hours per throughout the year. For dependent family members of students in Masters by coursework, Masters by research, Doctoral degree, AusAID or Defence-sponsored in Masters by coursework, Masters by research or Doctoral degree, the rules are different. The dependent family members can apply for unlimited hours of work once the course commences.

It is also important to note that Australian visa holders who are under the school leaving age (usually 15 years of age) cannot work during school hours. You must comply with State and Territory laws of Australia as part of the conditions of working why studying.

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