Can I Work In Australia?

To work for any organisation in Australia, individuals must first demonstrate they actually have a right to, well, work.

Many people born in Australia prior to 20 Aug 1986, and also Australian Passport or Citizenship Certificate holders, often have an automatic right to work.

However, there are some cases where a person has to seek special permission to work from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, such as having an appropriate visa.

Each individual's personal documentation is used to verify whether a person has a right to work in Australia. For example, a person would be able to show that they have a right to work in Australia when they have one of the following:

• A current Australian passport
• Australian Birth Certificate (for people born after 20 Aug 1986, the birth certificate must show that at least one parent was born in Australia. If it does not, individuals must also be required to provide evidence that at least one parent was a current Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident at the time of their birth) and photo ID
• Australian Citizenship Certificate and photo ID
• New Zealand Passport with Australian Immigration Entry Stamp
• Foreign Passport with Permanent Residency Visa and photo ID
• Foreign Passport with Visa work conditions (e.g. Student Visa, working Holiday Maker Visa, etc) and photo ID. Most foreign students on a student visa will find that they are allowed to work up to 40 hours in any given fortnight while their course is in session and unlimited hours while their course is not in session.

Foreign students on a subclass 574 (Postgraduate research sector) student visa would not be subject to any limits on hours they can work. Hours spent doing unpaid voluntary work for a non-profit organisation (which is beneficial to the community and which would not otherwise be undertaken by an Australian resident for wages) would not count towards the 40-hour per fortnight limit. (Those on the subclass 500 student visa should check their working requirements here.) 

You can find out more here.

Photo: iStock