The announcement made at Australias Jobs and Skills Summit earlier this month regarding the extension of working hours and the period has been most welcomed by students and the business community.

The announcement made at Australia's Jobs and Skills Summit earlier this month regarding the extension of working hours and the period has been most welcomed by students and the business community.

Destination Australia for International Students!

The principal announcements to affect International students are:

1. Students will be able to work before their course of study commences.
2. International students, including their families, no longer need to prove their Covid-19 vaccination status when entering Australia.
3. They will also be able to work more than 40 hours a fortnight in any economic sector.
4. These temporary measures remain in place until further notice.
5. Another change that will benefit international students is that they can stay and work in Australia for up to six years after graduation.

International students working hour limits changes

Students will be able to work before their course of study commences.

The government has announced that restrictions on working hours per week for international students will not be changed until at least mid-2023.

International students in Australia are now allowed to work an unlimited number of hours per week.

This amendment is a significant change from the previous rule, which only allowed international students to work 10 hours per week.

International students are a large part of the Australian workforce, which is regarded as an excellent incentive for students as previous laws only allowed international students to work 10 hours per week.

The new law has been put in place so that international students can have more opportunities when they come to Australia.

Covid-19 vaccination status

International students, including their families, no longer need to prove their Covid-19 vaccination status when entering Australia.

Unvaccinated International students will not need an exemption to travel to Australia. Nor will they be required to complete the Digital Passenger Declaration.

International students working hours in Australia

The announcement means that international students working in any sector can work an unlimited number of hours per week.

To adhere to their visa requirements, students must remain enrolled in their university courses and ensure "satisfactory course attendance" and "satisfactory course progress" while working.

These visa requirement changes will help plug Australia's current workforce shortage due to its strict border closures during the Covid-19 pandemic.

What are international student work hours?

Australia extends post-study work rights for in-demand graduates to tackle labour shortages for sought-after skills.

The summit's centrepiece was the government's announcement that the permanent intake of international students would grow to 195,000 over 2022-23.

A commitment to increase the number of years overseas students can work in Australia after completing their degrees.

Bachelor's degree holders can now work in Australia for up to four years after graduating (up from two years). The government will announce in October which degrees will be included in this increase, but engineering, IT, data and nurse degrees are tipped to be at the head of the list to help fill jobs shortages in these fields, which are experienced throughout Australia.

All master's students will be able to work for five years, extended from three years with PhD graduates to have the option to work for six years instead of four years.

The government is hoping to shift the nation's migration program to focus on permanent rather than temporary residents. These increase benefit and encourage international students to stay and work in Australia.

Only 16 per cent of international students stay on to work after their studies in Australia, compared to 27 per cent in Canada.

The government's decision to lift the permanent migration cap for international students is a one-off but could be raised in the coming years.

Recent graduates are currently waiting up to 10 months to shift to the right visa., according to Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson. "For heaven's sake, we have engineers driving ubers," she said. "It's not productive for them, it's not productive for us."

The government hopes that extending the length of working visas for students after they graduate will give businesses more incentive to hire international students. The extension would provide businesses with more confidence in hiring an employee committed to staying a more extended period, reducing costs, and giving great benefits to graduates as well.

The government's goal is to improve Australia's international standing as a destination for migrants, with students as an immediate focus.

Also announced by The government was an additional AUS$36.1 million to be spent on visa processing to help elevate delays for the recovery in the intercanal education sector caused by the closed borders of the pandemic.

What are the risks of extending working hours for International students in Australia?

Students must ensure they are aware of any changes to visa conditions, including workers rights.

Some students said they were pleased to choose their working hours to earn more money, but concerns were raised on several issues, including how to balance their schedules when extending working hours so it would not affect their studies. Longer work hours were seen as being a distraction and affecting student health.

What were the previous working restrictions for international students?

It's helpful to be aware that previous to these announcements, International Students were not permitted to work before their course commenced and were only able to work unlimited hours during study breaks.