Are you looking to migrate to Australia on a sponsorship visa?

Are you an international student looking for a work sponsorship within Australia?

Are you also looking for companies to sponsor you without asking number of questions about your current visa status?

If you are looking answers for the above questions, this article will provide you with all the information you need.

Immigration website has listed 1000+ companies that are looking for overseas workers to offer visas in the below categories:

Temporary skill Shortage (TSS) visa (Subclass 482)

Employer Nomination Scheme Visa (subclass 186)

Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494)

You may be wondering how this is possible and how to ensure these companies are seriously looking for workers. The answer to this is ‘Labour Agreement”. Yes, Labour Agreement enable approved businesses/companies to sponsor skilled overseas workers when there is a demonstrated need that cannot be met in the Australian labour market and where standard temporary or permanent visa programs are not available. These agreements are developed between the Australian Government (represented by the immigration department) and the employers.

The labour agreements are industry specific. As of Mar 2022, nine (9) agreements are in place for the below industries.

List of Labour Agreements:

Diary:  The work sponsorship for occupations ‘Senior Dairy Cattle Farm Worker’ and ‘Dairy Cattle Farm Operator’ for a temporary stay of up to 4 years and/or for permanent residence may be offered.

Fishing:  The following occupations in Fishing industry are in demand.

• Deck Hand (ANZSCO 899211)
• Fishing Hand (ANZSCO 899212)
• Master Fisher (ANZSCO 231211)
• Ship’s Engineer (fishing industry – code 070499)
• Ship’s Master (ANZSCO 231213)
• Ship’s Officer (ANZSCO 231214)
• Seafood Process Worker (ANZSCO 831313) (available in Category 2 and 3 regional locations only)

Meat:  The occupation of ‘skilled meat worker’ is highly required for this industry.

Horticulture:  Thirty one (31) approved occupations are in demand for this industry.

Pork: The skilled overseas workers in the occupation of ‘senior stockperson (piggery)’ for temporary periods of up to 4 years and/or for permanent residence may be offered under this category.

Minister of Religion: A number of religious places exists in Australia such as temples, Gurudwars, Masjids and Churches. This industry requires people from overseas to perform the religious rituals during the festive seasons or on a regular basis. Australia is a multicultural country and a place for many religions and so the demand for priests, Mohammed etc.

On-hire: This industry is relating to consulting services such as Infosys, Wipro or TCS who offer services on consulting basis. The list of occupations as per SOL.

Restaurant (premium dining): The occupations in Australian premium quality dining restaurants as cooks, chefs, café or restaurant managers and trade waiters are coveted.

Advertising: The skilled overseas workers in the following five occupations: Advertising Specialist, Graphic Designer, Copywriter, Multimedia Designer and Web Developer, for periods of up to 4 years and/or for permanent residence may be offered.

All the above industries need workers to meet the shortage of skills in Australia.

Currently, 1,002 companies that are related to the above industries have entered into labour agreements. The list of these 1000+ companies is updated every three months depending on the Australian labour market.

You may be thinking why I am telling you all this and what is in it for me. Just wait for a minute to share my ideas how you can utilise this information for your benefit. If you are a:

Overseas worker who has number of years of work experience and looking forward to moving overseas with a minimal relocation expense. I believe this is the best option for you to consider. This applies to all overseas workers who has experience in any of the above industries. These industries and the companies who entered into agreement have a serious shortage of skillset.

International Students: This is a boon for international students who are already in Australia and looking for sponsorship to work in regional areas. There are number of opportunities available in regional areas if you have the right skillset and experience. In this case, the companies may consider you as their preferred candidate even if you have limited experience. As we are aware, organisations would seek the best opportunity when it comes to budget issues. If you are already in Australia; it may benefit the employer of not spending money on relocation.

Yes, it sounds like a plan but how to proceed from here to make yourself shortlisted for the sponsorship. Here are some of my ideas.

These ideas worked for an international student. He was able to secure job from two organisation within two weeks of applying for jobs. I would like to share this experience I feel proud of. This also builds your confidence to apply the same strategy to be successful.

The international student, whom I know,  was looking for a job to move to a regional Australia before his temporary graduate visa expires (this visa is provided for international students after completing their studies to earn experience in their field of study). He has been working in a professional environment on a part time basis.

When I knew about these labour agreements, I have advised him to filter the companies by industry type (his industry was accounting so on hire was filtered). Once he got the list of those companies; looked up their career section to check what their expectations in a potential employee. He followed these steps until he found the job, he is eligible for. Iterating this process helped him to get the job from a good employer.  The employer who offered the job was aware of his visa status and may offer a sponsorship opportunity if he proves himself.

To summarise the steps:

Step 1: Go to the list of companies; shortlist the companies by industry type. For example, an IT professional can select ‘on-hire’ industry.

Step 2: Copy the company name onto google and check their career section. This helps you to gain more understanding of the job requirements.

Step 3: If you think you have relevant qualifications and experience, apply for the job.

Step 4: Repeat the process until you are called for an interview.

Get your resume reviewed if you are an overseas worker. As you may be aware, the Australian resumes are slightly different to overseas resumes. Remember you are competing with Australian permanent residents and citizens; make sure you have a great resume to get you to the top of the list and company is willing to offer you the job via sponsorship.

You may be wondering how can this be applied to international students?? International students follow the same steps; the advantage you have as an international student over other candidates is you have skillset and are present in Australia. The companies prefer someone with right skillset located in Australia than recruiting someone from overseas.

Remember there is no shortcut to success… only skillsets make you successful….

Youtube video here

Eligibility and costs:

Number of industries prefer to have IELTS score of 5 and the age limit under 45-55 depending on the industry you belong to.

The  labour agreements are updated every 3 months.

TIPS TO ENHANCE YOUR CHANCES FOR SPONSORSHIP:

• Check your occupations falls under Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL).
• Have the best resume listing all your qualification and experience. Note you must be the best candidate that fits to the position advertised. Review your resume for no spelling mistakes.
• Write the best cover letter summarising your experience.
• Shortlist the similar companies that you have experience in. This helps you find the job positions with similar responsibilities and technical/system skills required.
• Contact the recruiters via Linkedin asking what they are looking for in a candidate.
• Try to apply for jobs in companies that are in regional Australia. Majority of shortage of skills exists in these regions.
• International students in their third year should check if the companies listed have any opportunities for graduate and summer programs.
• Be positive and get better yourself at each job application.

Hope I have provided all the information for you to succeed in migration to Australia. All the very best for your career.