Workforce compliance

Visa obligations & VEVO

Employer duties summarised from business.gov.au — Hire an overseas worker, and how our checking service delivers VEVO evidence for you.

Your obligations as an employer

As an employer, you must make sure employees are allowed to work in Australia:

  • Use the free Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) service to see if potential employees can work in Australia.
  • Check the conditions of employees' visas for any requirements you need to meet.

Even if a non-citizen can work, their visa may restrict the amount and type of work. Examples from business.gov.au:

  • Student visa holders — maximum hours each fortnight while studying
  • Working holiday visa holders — limits on how long they can work for a single employer
  • Sponsored employees — generally only work in jobs on the skilled occupations list

Sponsors have extra reporting obligations. Migrant workers (including working holiday makers and international students) have the same workplace rights and pay rates as other workers in Australia.

Common visa pathways (business.gov.au)

High-level examples — always confirm on VEVO / Home Affairs for the individual.

Student (500)

Can generally work up to 48 hours a fortnight while studying, and more during study breaks. Confirm 8105/8104 and course status on VEVO.

Temporary Graduate (485)

Australian-educated graduates can work after study. Stay may be up to 3 years, with some eligible for an extra 2 years — check the grant/VEVO.

Working holiday (417/462)

Ages 18–35 combining work with holiday. Employer-duration limits often apply (e.g. about 6 months with one employer). Special tax rules may apply (ATO).

How our VEVO checking service works

  • We use organisation ImmiAccount access (with TOTP where configured) on our side
  • Stay on the enquiry form — Clear / New Enquiry between people
  • Parallel single enquiries with rate limiting (configurable workers)
  • Accurate country matching (e.g. India → INDIA, not BRIT INDIAN OCN TERR)
  • Parse visa class/subclass, conditions, and work text even when labels are glued
  • Enrich with work summary, hours rule, condition codes, and max hours
  • PDF summary column for max hours; unclear cases link to detail sections and Home Affairs visa info

See the searchable work rights reference and reporting pages.