Student visa condition 8105: the 48-hour work cap, explained
Condition 8105 limits most student visa holders to 48 hours of work a fortnight while their course is in session, with no cap during breaks. This film covers how the fortnight is counted, who's exempt, and how 8105 differs from condition 8107. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 The student visa work cap: 48 hours a fortnight
- 0:13 In session vs on a break
- 0:26 The cap has changed twice since 2022
- 0:41 A fortnight = 14 days from any Monday
- 0:54 Not subject to the 48-hour cap
- 1:08 A breach can be grounds for cancellation
- 1:20 8105 vs 8107 — different conditions, different people
- 1:36 On a subclass 482, the equivalent is 8607, not 8107
- 1:48 Check your grant notice and VEVO for your own conditions
- 2:01 Where to read more
Transcript
Condition 8105 caps most student visa holders at 48 hours of work a fortnight. But that only applies while your course is in session.
Before your course starts, you can't work at all. Once it starts, you're capped at 48 hours a fortnight while it's in session. During scheduled breaks, and after the course ends, there's no cap.
The 48-hour figure has changed twice in recent years. It was 40 hours a fortnight, then removed entirely in January 2022 to address workforce shortages, then reintroduced at 48 hours from 1 July 2023.
The fortnight is a defined 14-day period starting on any Monday. These windows roll and overlap, and your hours across every employer combined must stay under 48 in each one.
Some students aren't subject to the cap at all. Once they've commenced, masters by research and doctoral students have no hours limit. Work that's a required, CRICOS-registered part of your course is also treated differently.
Working more than the cap breaches your visa condition and can be grounds for cancellation. Home Affairs can find out through employer records, payroll data, or a later visa application.
Condition 8105 is often confused with condition 8107. 8105 caps a student's hours. 8107 has no hours cap at all — it ties a sponsored temporary worker to their employer and nominated occupation.
On a current subclass 482 visa, the equivalent condition is actually 8607, not 8107. If you're a student, 8105 is the one that applies to you.
Your own visa grant notice, and VEVO, show exactly which conditions apply to you. The 48-hour setting has changed before — always confirm the current figure before relying on it.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description.
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