Stemp content worker smiles at her cafe job

Your rights at work

In Australia, everyone is protected by a range of employment laws, including international students. This means you:

Have the same workplace rights as all other workers in Australia
Must be paid at least the minimum wage
Must pay tax on your income
Must receive a payslip from your employer which shows the date of payment, the period you have worked, the number of hours or days worked, a gross $ amount (total you have earned) and a net $ amount (the amount you received after tax and superannuation was taken out)

Fair Work Ombudsman

The Fair Work Ombudsman is a government agency whose aim is to ensure employers and employers work fairly and legally. They can help you with any questions or issues you have around your workplace rights.

You can call them on 13 13 94 and if you are an international student, you can speak to them without fear of your visa being cancelled.

The Fair Work website has lots of useful information around pay and wages, employment conditions and leave, as well as starting and ending employment.

Phone: 13 13 94

International students

If you’re an international student on a student visa you are allowed to work in Australia for:

A maximum of 48 hours per fortnight during the trimester
Unlimited hours during holidays

Remember, with a student visa you need to be a full-time student which means:

You must study at least 3 units per trimester
You must complete your course within the duration specified in your electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE)

If you have dependent family members included on your student visa, they are also allowed to work.

Find out more about student visa work rights

Keep up-to-date with working conditions for international students on the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs website and Study Melbourne website. You can also check out Austrade’s Employability Hub, which provides international students with employment resources and information on work rights.

Students with a disability

It is against the law for an employer to discriminate against a job applicant because of disability.

If a pre-employment form asks for information about disability or illness, you have no legal obligation to disclose and can write ‘not applicable’ for any disability that will not impact on your work performance.

For more information, visit the Fair Work website.