About this Program

Labour Agreements are formal arrangements to recruit a number of overseas skilled workers. Both temporary and permanent visas can be granted under the agreement. Agreements are generally effective for two to three years.

Who is this program for?

Situations where an employer may consider accessing a Labour Agreement include:

• occupations that are not on the list of approved occupations for the Temporary Business (Long Stay) Subclass 457 visa, permanent Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) or Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme yet a genuine skills shortage exists or occupations are not covered under the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO)
• where a business recruits labour for the supply to an unrelated business and/or the hiring of labour to unrelated businesses
• meat companies - Migration Regulations were amended on 15 October 2007 to exclude this group from the standard business sponsorship program.

How much does this program cost?

There is no charge for negotiating a Labour Agreement.

For temporary visas there is a non-refundable charge for each Temporary Business (Long Stay) Subclass 457 visa nomination application and visa application.
See: Employer Sponsored Temporary Visa Charges

For permanent visas there is a non-refundable charge for each visa application. There is no charge for lodging a nomination.
See: Employer Sponsored Permanent Visa Charges

What does this program let me do?

With this program you can employ a number of overseas workers on temporary and/or permanent visas.

Temporary Visa

With this visa those people you employ from overseas can:

• work in Australia for up to four years
• bring any eligible secondary applicants with them to Australia - secondary applicants can work and study
• after entering Australia, have no limit on the number of times they travel in and out of Australia.

Permanent Visa

With this visa those people you employ from overseas, and any dependent family members included in their visa application, can live as permanent residents in Australia.

Australian permanent residents can:

• live and work in Australia on a permanent basis
• study in Australia at school or university
• receive subsidised healthcare through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
• access certain social security payments (subject to waiting periods)
• be eligible for Australian citizenship (subject to the residency eligibility criteria)
• sponsor people for permanent residence.