# Student visa?



## naughtystudent (Dec 5, 2013)

Hello im gonna be on a student visa and i have heard that you can only work 40 hours a month in total, What would happen if i worked over that ? 
How would they know? 

I know someone that has his wage slips changed so he looks like 40 hours a fortnight but at a higher wage but really does 35 hours a week .. and they havent been caught out


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## chilgerm (Nov 28, 2013)

hi, 
On student visa you are allowed to work 40 hours per fortnight (20hr/week). If they find out you are doing more than that you will be breaching the visa conditions and they could cancel your visa on those grounds. Lots of ways to find out, they audit companies on regular basis, they will have your tax assessments too, there are probably more ways i don't know.
You will always hear/know someone who's being able to dodge the system (cash in hands etc) but I would never ever recommend anyone to do that.


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## CollegeGirl (Nov 10, 2012)

You are definitely not going to get any recommendations to commit migration fraud on this forum. Don't work more than your visa permits.


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## PR.Soon (Jul 12, 2012)

Hahaha I love the question in combination with the username! 
Living up to the name


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## Valentine1981 (Sep 13, 2012)

they could find out if someone reports you. Yes there are people who have got away with it,however I can tell you I've already reported someone this year for doing exactly what you are suggesting. I've followed the rules for almost 4 years so I am more than happy to make a phone call to tell immigration where to find the people who don't. As CollegeGirl says,you will not find anyone on this forum who will support migration fraud/breaching the conditions of your visa.


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## Engaus (Nov 7, 2013)

Immigration are working closer than ever with the ATO to catch people working more hours than allowed.


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## naughtystudent (Dec 5, 2013)

Just asking because I know people who are on the student visa and have worked more than the set hours and haven't been caught and have even completed there course. 
So they have got away with it  
Even rang an immigration lawyer and they said trees no way they can find out unless someone Dobs you in or if immigration look into you !!?


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## tulauras (Sep 1, 2013)

Well, yes, they won't find out unless a) they check or b) someone tells them. That hardly means they won't find out. It also means that you're constantly vulnerable to someone threatening to dob on you, you can be exploited at work because you can't complain, you could lose your job at any stage. You're also massively sacrificing your education if you work more than 20 hours a week and study at the same time. 

I had a friend do this, and he didn't get caught, but he was also miserable. Was it worse than being in his home country though?

I guess that you need to weigh the emotional stress of working illegally, breaching your visa conditions and potentially being excluded from Australia against the stress of not having enough money. Ideally, your plan should mean that you don't need to do this, and instead save up enough before you start studying or find a job that pays you well enough that you don't need to work more than you're allowed.


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## naughtystudent (Dec 5, 2013)

Valentine1981 said:


> they could find out if someone reports you. Yes there are people who have got away with it,however I can tell you I've already reported someone this year for doing exactly what you are suggesting. I've followed the rules for almost 4 years so I am more than happy to make a phone call to tell immigration where to find the people who don't. As CollegeGirl says,you will not find anyone on this forum who will support migration fraud/breaching the conditions of your visa.


Why would you report them? its not affecting you in anyways!!


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## naughtystudent (Dec 5, 2013)

Forgot to mention immigration say you have to study full-time which is 3 full days a week but some of these "Fulltime" courses are 2 days a week and 4-5 hours a day !! 
So the colleges/Universities are defrauding the immigration then? hummmmmm


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## GBP (Jun 1, 2013)

It is incorrect to say "it is not affecting you anyway". 

Those who have bend the rules or breach the visa conditions for their own benefits, are actually making other people life more difficult. For example, those who applied for partner visa based on fake marriage are making those genuine couples having to go through a lots of hassle just to prove that their relationship are genuine. Misusing your student visa is going to have the same effect to others that are also applying for a student visa. 

I think it is very selfish and ridiculous. And, we probably should stop discussing about this and close the thread.


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## Engaus (Nov 7, 2013)

naughtystudent said:


> Why would you report them? its not affecting you in anyways!!


I certainly would report them! How about all those other students trying to find work? If everybody works more than the allocated hours there will be students unable to find any work at all. This would also apply for Australians/people with full working rights. Why should someone who is restricted to working a certain amount of hours get a job over someone with full working rights trying to get by?

Beside all of that - a condition of the student visa is that you show enough funds to support yourself for the ENTIRETY of your course so that you do not have to work.

Let hope you don't get here and want to obtain a permanent visa after study because if that time comes and your details are ran through the ATO database they will see you have worked more than your allowed hours and refuse your visa. 
People like you are the reason they are making student visas harder and harder to obtain.

Lastly, immigration is known to look at forums such as this so i suggest you don't post another comment on the subject of breaching your visa rules.


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## CollegeGirl (Nov 10, 2012)

That's good advice, Engaus, though I rather enjoy it when less-than-intelligent law-breakers out themselves on public webforums where DIBP can read it, lol.

GBP is spot-on, though. This thread is going nowhere productive. To OP and others like her - just because you don't know people who have been caught doesn't mean you won't be. And frankly, you should be.


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