Can I sponsor a painter, plasterer or tiler in Australia? Yes, and here is the catch

The list position, trade by trade

Check the Department’s current Core Skills list by ANZSCO code rather than by title before you advertise; the title mismatch between the 2013 and 2022 classifications is the reason so much advice on these trades is wrong.

What the nomination needs

• A qualified tradesperson. The ANZSCO skill level is 3: an Australian Certificate III in Painting and Decorating, Wall and Ceiling Lining, Solid Plastering, Wall and Floor Tiling or Roof Tiling, or an overseas equivalent with experience. A labourer who paints is not a Painter for nomination purposes, and the Department tests it.
• Salary of at least A$79,423 or the market rate, whichever is higher, as full-time annual earnings. Award rates for these trades sit below the floor, so the nominated salary is above award by design and must be a genuine market salary for a skilled hand.
• Skills assessment: optional for the 482 unless the Department’s instrument lists the trade for the applicant’s passport (check the instrument for the specific occupation; the lists for these trades are shorter than for carpenters and welders), required for the 186 Direct Entry, and commissioned by many employers regardless. Trades Recognition Australia assesses, at A$795 and typically around 120 days.
• Labour market testing: two advertisements of at least 28 days on platforms with national reach within four months of nominating, unless the worker is a UK citizen or another exemption applies.
• Licensing: painting is licensed in Queensland and for larger jobs in New South Wales; plastering and tiling are licensed for larger residential work in several states. The licence follows the visa, not the other way round.

The sequence, costs and current processing times: how to hire tradespeople, how long sponsorship takes.

Painters, plasterers and tilers already here

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

• Working holiday makers (417 and 462): any role for six months per employer, with the limit lifted for construction in northern Australia, and regional construction work counts toward their second-year visa, which is why British and Irish tradespeople and labourers are on regional sites in numbers. Employing working holiday makers.
• International students in trade and building courses: 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 a White Card. Who can work for you now.

SponsorTalent lists construction and trades candidates by 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.

These trades have an unusually large onshore pool of experienced workers without an Australian ticket: people on partner, student and bridging visas who have been painting, rendering or tiling for years on sites. For them the recognition of prior learning route is the direct path to a Certificate III, a TRA assessment and a nomination you can lodge. Many “labourers” have been framing, formworking, tiling or rendering for years without the ticket. An experienced worker already in Australia can have that experience assessed against the Certificate III through recognition of prior learning at a registered training organisation, then obtain a Trades Recognition Australia assessment and become a listed tradesperson you can nominate. It takes months, not weeks, and it only works where the experience is real and documented; WIDEN assesses whether it is realistic before anyone pays for it: recognition of prior learning for trades, and for licensed trades, the licence after the assessment.

The mistake to avoid

Do not nominate the role under a trade it is not. A labourer nominated as a Carpenter, a concreter as a Bricklayer or a leading hand as a Construction Project 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 trade, nominate that trade and pay its rate; if they do not, use the routes above.

Frequently asked questions

Can a painter be sponsored on a 482 visa? Yes. Painter (332211) is on the Core Skills list under its 2022 title, so the 482, 186 and 494 are available for a qualified painter at a salary of at least A$79,423 or the market rate. Older lists showing “Painting Trades Worker” without the 482 are out of date.

Can a plasterer or renderer be sponsored? Yes. Plasterer (Wall and Ceiling) (333211) and Renderer (Solid Plaster) (333212) are both on the Core Skills list for the 482 and 186.

Can a tiler be sponsored? Yes. Wall and Floor Tiler (333411) and Roof Tiler (333311) are on the Core Skills list, as is Floor Finisher (332111).

Does a sponsored painter or tiler need a skills assessment? For the 482 only where the Department’s instrument lists the trade for the applicant’s passport; for the 186 Direct Entry always. A Trades Recognition Australia assessment costs A$795 and takes around 120 days. Many employers commission one regardless.

My experienced painter has no qualification. Can I sponsor them? Not until they hold one. Real, documented trade experience can be recognised against the Certificate III through recognition of prior learning, followed by a TRA assessment, after which the worker is a listed tradesperson you can nominate.