Can I sponsor a farm hand, fruit picker or packer in Australia?

Why not

The Core Skills list starts, with few exceptions, at skill level 3; farm labouring sits at levels 4 and 5, and the Commonwealth’s answer to the harvest shortage has been the PALM scheme and the working holiday program rather than the skilled list since the agriculture visa was abandoned in 2022. Nominating a farm hand under a farmer code (Dairy Cattle Farmer, Pig Farmer) is refused under the caveat that excludes positions of predominantly low-skilled tasks, which the Department’s own example describes as feeding livestock and picking or packing fruit.

PALM: the route built for this

The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme brings workers from nine Pacific countries and Timor-Leste for seasonal work of up to nine months or long-term roles of one to four years. The farm becomes an approved employer under a deed with the Commonwealth, or uses an approved labour-hire employer, and takes on pay, minimum-hours, accommodation, transport and welfare obligations instead of visa charges. It is the only sponsored route for pickers and packers in most of the country, and the only one that delivers teams. The sequence and the comparison with the alternatives: PALM, labour agreement or DAMA; the whole hiring picture: how to hire farm workers.

Working holiday makers: the season’s workforce

Plant and animal cultivation anywhere in Australia is exempt from the six-month limit on working with one employer, and regional farm work counts toward a second and third working holiday visa (UK citizens excepted, who no longer need it), which is why a regional farm that can honestly certify the days never runs short of applicants. Register with the ATO for the 15 per cent rate, pay super, pay the award including the piecework minimum, and sign off only days actually worked. Employing working holiday makers.

The agreements for senior farm workers

Where the farm hand is in fact a senior worker who runs a milking shed, a piggery section or a crew, the industry agreements apply: the Dairy Industry Labour Agreement covers senior dairy cattle farm workers and operators, the Pork Industry Labour Agreement covers senior stockpersons, and the Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement covers supervisors, machinery operators, irrigationists and technicians (not pickers and packers). The genuinely managerial roles are on the Core Skills list as farmer occupations: agriculture occupations you can sponsor.

The DAMA route

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.

Who can work your farm 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.

Do not nominate the role under an occupation it is not. A farm hand nominated as a Dairy Cattle Farmer or a picker as a Nurseryperson 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 farm hand on the skilled occupation list? No. Farm hand, fruit picker, packer and stockperson are on no Australian skilled list, so the 482, 186 and 494 are not available, and the horticulture labour agreement excludes pickers and packers.

How do growers get seasonal pickers lawfully? Through the PALM scheme as an approved employer or via an approved labour-hire employer, through working holiday makers for whom farm work is exempt from the six-month limit and counts toward a second-year visa, and through Harvest Trail Services and local hiring.

Can I sponsor a senior farm hand? If they genuinely run a milking shed, piggery section or crew, the dairy, pork and horticulture labour agreements cover senior workers, supervisors and operators; a genuine farm manager can be nominated under the farmer codes on the Core Skills list.

Can a regional farm sponsor a farm hand under a DAMA? Possibly, where the regional agreement lists the occupation; many DAMAs built for agricultural regions carry farm hands, machinery operators and drivers. The business must be endorsed by the regional body.