International students given grace period on working hours argue for the change to stay

Gary and Monic Fanlo say they want "fair and equal" treatment as workers. (Supplied)

When Gary Fanlo and his wife Monic first arrived in Australia from the Philippines, they were anxious about finding work as new migrants.

Mr Fanlo remembers the small notebook they used to closely monitor the hours they worked after their move in 2019, making sure they never exceeded the federal government's restriction of 40 hours a fortnight for overseas students.