Archived article. Reviewed 27 Oct 2026; review expired 3 Nov 2026. Information, rules and job openings may have changed. This is not current advice; check the linked official sources before acting.
Can I work extra hours during uni holidays?
A few extra shifts could help your holiday budget. Check these details before you say yes to your manager.
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Usually yes, during a scheduled course break, if your course has started and your visa permits work. Confirm your course dates and your own visa conditions before accepting extra shifts.
Who this is for: Primary Student visa (subclass 500) holders in Australia. Partners and dependants can have different conditions.
What counts as a uni holiday?
Use the scheduled break dates for your course. A gap in your timetable is not enough on its own. Exams are part of the semester. A summer subject that counts towards your main course can mean that your course is still in session.
Ask your education provider to confirm the dates that apply to your course. Keep that confirmation with your course calendar.
Which hours count?
While your course is in session, the usual limit is 48 hours per fortnight across all your jobs. Home Affairs defines a fortnight as 14 days starting on a Monday. Check overlapping fortnights, not just your employer’s pay cycle.
Work experience can count whether it is paid or unpaid. A placement that is mandatory and included in your course’s CRICOS registration has a specific exemption. Other placements can count towards the limit.
Two jobs during a scheduled break
Illustrative example: Maya’s bachelor’s course has started. Her provider confirms a scheduled break, she is not taking a summer subject, and her visa permits work. A 60-hour fortnight wholly inside that break may be allowed under those conditions. The same total while her course is in session would exceed the usual 48-hour limit.
This example is not a personal visa assessment. Check any fortnight that crosses the break and the date your course resumes before agreeing to a roster.
A few situations need a closer look
For a master’s by research or doctoral student, the in-session limit does not apply once that research degree has started. A master’s by coursework generally keeps the in-session limit.
You generally cannot start work before your course starts. Condition 8105 includes a limited exception if you held another visa permitting work when you applied. Partners and dependants must check their own conditions; the primary student’s holiday does not automatically remove their limit.
Check your current visa conditions in VEVO and read your visa grant letter.
Checklist
- Check your current visa conditions in VEVO and read your visa grant letter.
- Confirm the scheduled break, exams and summer subjects with your education provider.
- Add up hours from every job and keep rosters, timesheets and payslips.
- Check the date your course resumes and any fortnight that crosses that date.