Working while studying in Australia If you are an international student working in Australia, it is important you know your rights, entitlements and protections in the workplace. Did you know: it is illegal for an employer to treat you any differently to other workers based on your gender, religion, culture or nationality? you may be entitled to higher pay for working at night, on the weekend or during a public holiday? your employer cannot dismiss you if you are away from work temporarily due to illness? The Fair Work Ombudsman provides a free service to all people working in Australia. They have a range of information available on their website to help you understand your rights at work. The Skilled Occupation List The SOL is a really useful tool for giving people who want to migrate to Australia a clear idea of just what skills are in short supply here over the next three to five years. You can check if your skills are needed in Australia by referring to the current list on the department’s website. What is the SOL and what does it do? The Skilled Occupation List (SOL) is a list of skilled occupations that deliver high value skills needed by the Australian economy. The SOL only applies to independent, that is non-employer sponsored or State/Territory government nominated skilled migration. It aims to meet medium- to long-term skills needs of high value occupations, rather than immediate short term shortages. This means your occupation must be on the SOL if you are applying for: • points based skilled migration independently (not nominated by a State or Territory government); • Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate visa in the graduate work stream); or • family sponsored stream of the Subclass 489 Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa. Are there options available if my Nominated Occupation isn’t on the SOL? If you don’t have an occupation on the SOL, you may be eligible for State and Territory nomination or employer sponsorship. Employers, as well as States and Territory governments, have access to a wider range of occupations on the Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List (CSOL). We’ll have a look at the CSOL in our future blogs.

International Students need to be aware of their rights. Check if your skills are needed in Australia