Time spent learning on the job is eroding international students¡¯ paid work allowance, under a little-understood rule enforced by Australia¡¯s home affairs department.

Work integrated learning (WIL) is being counted towards the 40 hours that overseas students are permitted to spend each fortnight working for wages. ¡°This may be the case even if the student is not being paid,¡± the department stressed, in a memo circulated to colleges.

International education expert Davina Potts said that she was mystified by the decree. She questioned why international students who wanted to exceed the 40-hour limit would resort to WIL, which was conducted ¡°within institutional guidelines¡±.

¡°They¡¯re enrolling in a subject. They¡¯re doing an internship that¡¯s supervised by the institution. They¡¯d be unlikely to be fudging their work allowance,¡± she said.

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She said that the government should review the arrangement, and universities should monitor its effect in the meantime. With work experience known to boost students¡¯ future employability, the rule could place overseas students at a competitive disadvantage against their domestic peers.

¡°It¡¯s difficult for the international students to navigate this when they need to work to supplement their income,¡± said Dr Potts, associate director of careers, employability and global learning at the University of Melbourne.

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Asked why WIL undertaken for educational purposes was being conflated with paid work, the department sidestepped the question, instead highlighting the reasons why students should not work more than 40 hours a fortnight.

¡°The main objective of the student visa programme is to allow international students to study full-time in Australia,¡± a spokesperson said. ¡°Research has shown that students working more than 24 hours a week are 14 per cent less likely to complete.¡±

International students were ¡°not meant to rely on work in Australia¡± to cover their costs, the spokesperson said, adding that WIL did not count towards the 40-hour limit if it had been specified as a requirement when the course was registered for delivery to overseas students.

This means that the rule does not apply to work experience mandated under the curriculum, such as nursing, teaching or social work practicums that all students are required to complete. ¡°It¡¯s where students are in a bachelor of commerce programme, say, and want to undertake internships that are not required,¡± Dr Potts said. ¡°That¡¯s when they start to run into problems.¡±

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john.ross@timeshighereducation.com