Can I sponsor a CNC machinist or toolmaker in Australia?

Machinist or operator: where the line is

The qualification is the Certificate III in Engineering, Mechanical Trade (MEM30219 or the current MEM31419 equivalent) with the machining stream, or an overseas trade that TRA assesses as equivalent on training and documented experience. Operators who have in fact been setting and programming for years can seek a TRA assessment on experience, which converts them from unsponsorable to sponsorable; the assessment takes around 120 days and is the first step, not an afterthought. The whole workshop list: manufacturing occupations you can sponsor.

Passports, assessment and salary

Passports that need the assessment first. The Department’s mandatory skills-assessment instrument lists passports issued by Brazil, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Macau, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam and Zimbabwe for Metal Fabricator, Welder (First Class), Fitter (General), Fitter and Turner, Metal Machinist (First Class), Toolmaker and Sheetmetal Trades Worker. A candidate on one of those passports must hold a positive Trades Recognition Australia assessment before the 482 nomination is lodged (A$795, typically around 120 days); every other passport can be nominated on evidence of the trade qualification and experience, with TRA required only for the 186 Direct Entry.

Salary. The guaranteed annual earnings, excluding overtime and penalties, must reach the Core Skills Income Threshold of A$79,423 or the market rate for the role if that is higher. Workshops that pay the award base and rely on overtime to lift take-home pay need to restructure the offer, because overtime does not count toward the threshold.

The steps and costs

1. Labour market testing: two advertisements of at least 28 days on national-reach platforms within the four months before nomination, unless the candidate holds citizenship of a trade-agreement country: labour market testing.
2. TRA assessment first for listed passports and for anyone whose trade is by experience rather than certificate.
3. Sponsorship (A$420), nomination (A$330 plus the SAF levy of A$1,200 per visa year under A$10m turnover), visa (A$4,015 for the 482; A$6,140 for the 494 or 186).

Full costs: cost to sponsor a worker. Timeline: how long sponsorship takes.

Regional agreements

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.

Machinists who can start now

The role does not have to wait for a visa. Three groups can work for you today without sponsorship, and machine shops 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.

Do not nominate the role under an occupation it is not. A CNC operator nominated as a Metal Machinist (First Class) 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

Is CNC machinist on the skilled occupation list? Yes, as Metal Machinist (First Class) 323214, on the Core Skills and long-term lists, with the 482, 186 and 494 available. The code is for the trade-qualified machinist who sets up and programs machines, not for an operator who runs programs written by others.

Can I sponsor a CNC operator? Not as such. An operator without the Certificate III is an Engineering Production Worker, which is on no list. An experienced operator who has been setting and programming can obtain a TRA assessment on experience and then be nominated as a machinist.

Is toolmaker on the list? Yes. Toolmaker 323412 is on the Core Skills list, so the 482 and 186 are available, with the 494 regionally.

Does a machinist from India or the Philippines need a skills assessment before nomination? Yes. The mandatory skills-assessment instrument lists Brazil, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Macau, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam and Zimbabwe passports for Metal Machinist (First Class), Toolmaker and Fitter and Turner, so a positive TRA assessment must be held before the 482 nomination.