Automotive occupations you can sponsor in Australia: mechanics, panel beaters, spray painters, and the roles you cannot

The list, role by role

List positions change with each instrument; verify by ANZSCO code on the Department’s current Core Skills list. Trades on the list carry the A$79,423 salary floor or the market rate, which most qualified technicians in city workshops clear; the hiring sequence for trades is on how to hire tradespeople.

The roles you cannot sponsor: 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 workshops and dealerships 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.

Automotive is also where recognition of prior learning does the most work: an experienced tyre fitter or detailer who has in fact been servicing cars for years, or an overseas-trained mechanic without a formal certificate, can have that experience assessed against the Certificate III in Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology and then obtain the TRA assessment that makes them a listed Motor Mechanic. WIDEN assesses whether it is realistic before anyone pays: RPL for trades.

The DAMA exception

Designated Area Migration Agreements are the exception to the lists. Regional agreements carry occupations the national lists omit; the Kimberley list (October 2025 version), for example, includes forklift drivers, truck drivers, retail and hospitality roles, and other regional agreements carry some of the same. The business must be in the region, endorsed by the regional body, and the worker must meet the agreement’s concessions on English, salary and age. Which agreement covers your area: sponsor workers in your state; how DAMAs compare with the other routes: PALM, labour agreement or DAMA.

The mistake to avoid

Do not nominate the role under an occupation it is not. A tyre fitter nominated as a Motor Mechanic, a detailer as a Vehicle Painter or a service advisor as a Fleet Manager 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 automotive jobs can be sponsored on a 482 visa? Motor mechanics, diesel mechanics, automotive electricians, motorcycle and small engine mechanics, panel beaters, vehicle painters, vehicle trimmers, vehicle body builders and fleet managers are on the Core Skills list. Tyre fitters, detailers, car salespeople, service advisors, parts interpreters and unqualified apprentices are not.

Does a sponsored mechanic need a skills assessment? For the 482, where the Department’s instrument lists the occupation for the applicant’s passport: diesel mechanics and automotive electricians from Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Macau, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam and Zimbabwe need a Trades Recognition Australia assessment before the nomination. For the 186 Direct Entry, always.

Can I sponsor a tyre fitter or detailer? No. Those roles are on no skilled list. Working holiday makers, students and other visa holders already in Australia fill them, and an experienced worker can be upskilled by recognition of prior learning into a listed trade.

Can a dealership sponsor a salesperson or service advisor? No. Car salesperson, service advisor and parts interpreter are not listed, and the sales occupations that are listed carry caveats excluding front-line retail and transactional roles.