How to Apply for Permission to Work
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If you were granted a Student visa before 26 April 2008 and have not yet applied for Permission to Work, you and your family members may only apply for Permission to Work after you have started your course in Australia.
Note: If you were granted a Student visa on or after 26 April 2008, you and your dependent family members will already have Permission to Work automatically included with your visa.
See: New permission to work arrangements for students (57KB PDF file)
Applying online is the quickest way for students and their family members to lodge Permission to Work applications. Applications received by post may take up to seven (7) days to process and applications lodged in person may take longer.
Applying online
The table below outlines the five-step procedure to apply online for Permission to Work on a Student visa.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ask your education provider to notify the department electronically to confirm that you have started your course. Important: Allow at least one hour for the transfer of this information into the department's system before going to Step 2. |
| 2 | Check the charges for lodging an application for Permission to Work. See: Charges (Fees) – Student visa charges |
| 3 | Complete the online application and follow the prompts to pay for the application. See: Online applications – Students |
| 4 | Register for Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) while you are applying for your visa online. You can use VEVO to check the progress of your application and your visa details. Note: You no longer require a visa label put in your travel document. See: Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) for eVisa holders |
Note: AusAID and Defence (subclass 576) visa applicants must bring a letter from your Australian education provider, to any departmental office, stating that you have started your course before commencing your online application.
Applying by post or in person
The table below outlines the four-step procedure to apply by post or in person for Permission to Work on a Student visa.
If you apply:
- by post, your application takes seven (7) days to process
- in person, please be aware that your application may take at least 28 days to process.
Note: There may be delays during February, March and April. To avoid these delays, we strongly advise applying online.
See: Online applications – Students
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | You must have one of the following:
|
| 2 | Check the charges for lodging an application for Permission to Work. You can pay the application charge by EFTPOS, credit card, money order, or bank cheque made payable to the department. See: Charges (Fees) – Student visa charges |
| 3 | Complete Form 157P: Application for a student visa with permission to work |
| 4 | Post or deliver your application to your nearest departmental office. See: Australian Offices |