Agriculture occupations you can sponsor in Australia: farmers, technicians and nurserypersons yes, farm hands and pickers no

The list, role by role

List positions change with each instrument; verify by ANZSCO code on the Department’s current Core Skills list. The farmer caveat is the trap: nominating the person who milks, feeds and drives the tractor as a “Dairy Cattle Farmer” is refused as a position of predominantly low-skilled tasks. The farmer codes are for the person who runs the enterprise or a major part of it.

The routes for the roles that are not listed

• PALM scheme: Pacific and Timor-Leste workers for seasonal work up to nine months or long-term roles of one to four years, through an approved employer under a deed. No visa charges to the farm; pay, accommodation, transport and welfare obligations instead.
• Industry labour agreements: horticulture (31 occupations from supervisors and machinery operators to irrigationists, excluding pickers and packers), dairy (senior dairy cattle farm workers and operators), pork (senior stockpersons), meat (processors) and fishing (deckhands).
• DAMAs: most regional areas have one, with farm hands, machinery operators and drivers on many of their lists; your state’s agreements.
• Working holiday makers: the six-month limit does not apply to plant and animal cultivation anywhere in Australia, and regional farm work counts toward their second and third years; employing working holiday makers.

Which fits which farm: PALM, labour agreement or DAMA.

Who can work for you now

The role does not have to wait for a visa. Three groups can work for you today without sponsorship, and farms already run on them:

• Working holiday makers (417 and 462): any role, six months per employer; register with the ATO for the 15 per cent rate and pay super. Employing working holiday makers.
• International students: 48 hours a fortnight in term, unlimited in breaks. Employing international students.
• Partner, graduate (485) and bridging visa holders: full work rights, a VEVO check and nothing else. Who can work for you now.

SponsorTalent lists candidates by occupation, visa and city, so you can see who can start on Monday before you make contact; search is free and a contact unlocks for A$30.

The mistake to avoid

Do not nominate the role under an occupation it is not. A farm hand nominated as a Dairy Cattle Farmer, a picker as a Nurseryperson or a tractor driver as an Agricultural Technician is tested against the duties, the qualification, the award classification and the pay, and a mismatch is refused, can bar the business from sponsoring for years, and exposes the worker to cancellation. If the person genuinely does the listed job and holds its qualification, nominate that job at its rate; if not, use the routes above.

Frequently asked questions

Which farm jobs can be sponsored on a 482 visa? Dairy, pig, poultry, goat and aquaculture farmers (management-level roles), agricultural and agritech technicians, agricultural consultants, irrigation designers and technicians, nurserypersons, agricultural engineers, winemakers and veterinary staff are on the Core Skills list. Farm hands, pickers, packers, stockpersons, shearers and process workers are not.

Can I sponsor a farm hand or fruit picker? Not on the standard visas. The routes are the PALM scheme, a regional DAMA that lists the role, and working holiday makers, for whom farm work is exempt from the six-month limit and counts toward a second-year visa. The horticulture labour agreement excludes pickers and packers.

Can a dairy farm sponsor workers? Yes, two ways: a genuine farm manager or operator as Dairy Cattle Farmer on the standard 482, and senior dairy farm workers under the Dairy Industry Labour Agreement. Milkers and farm hands cannot be sponsored on the standard visas.

Can a beef or cropping farm sponsor a manager? Beef cattle farmer, mixed crop and livestock farmer and the other broadacre farmer codes are on the regional list only, so the 494 is available everywhere outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with permanent residence through the 191 after three years.