How to use this calculator
- Pick your study destination
- Enter a realistic hourly wage — use the local minimum wage as a floor
- Read the legal cap and the income estimate at that cap
- Compare the income against the official living-cost figure and plan the gap honestly
Every destination country caps how many hours international students may work, and every cap answers the same hidden question: can a part-time job fund my studies? The short answer is no — that is not what the caps are designed for. Work rights are intended to supplement a budget whose core was already proven at visa stage. The numbers below show exactly how large the gap is.
Canada moved first: from 8 November 2024 the off-campus cap rose from 20 to 24 hours per week. At the typical C$15-17 minimum wage, 24 hours a week yields roughly C$1,500-1,700 per month against an official living figure of about C$1,908 per month — close, but short, and the shortfall assumes you find and keep hours at the cap all year.
The UK allows 20 hours per week in term time. At the National Living Wage near £12 per hour that is about £1,040 per month — against £1,171 per month of assessed living costs outside London and far more in reality inside London. Australia counts per fortnight: 48 hours, effectively 24 per week, at a minimum wage around A$24 per hour — the strongest income-to-requirement ratio of the five, roughly covering the official A$2,476 monthly figure. That symmetry is deliberate: Australia raised living-cost requirements at the same time as enforcing the hours cap.
Germany counts days rather than hours: 120 full days or 240 half days per year, averaging near 20 hours per week, with a €12-15 typical student wage against a €992 monthly release from the blocked account. US F-1 students face the tightest regime — on-campus only at 20 hours during term, with anything off-campus requiring CPT or OPT authorisation tied to your program.
Minimum wage reference (verify locally)
Indicative hourly minimums: Canada C$15-17 depending on province, UK £12.21 National Living Wage (21+), Australia A$24.10, Germany €12.82 statutory minimum, USA — federal US$7.25 but state floors dominate, typically US$12-16. These change annually; check the current official rate before budgeting.
What happens if you exceed the cap
Hours breaches are immigration violations, not labour nudges. Australia's data-matching between the tax office and Home Affairs routinely flags excess hours. In the UK, working over the limit can lead to visa curtailment and a re-entry ban. Keep your own hours log — employers do not track it for you.