Can I sponsor a production supervisor, leading hand or production manager in Australia?

What makes a production manager a manager

The Department tests a 133512 nomination on whether the position plans, directs and controls the production function: budgets, output targets, staffing levels, process and plant decisions, reporting to the general manager or owner, and usually a degree or a trade plus substantial management experience (VETASSESS assesses the occupation against a bachelor degree or a diploma with more years of highly relevant experience, and the 186 needs that assessment). A small factory with fifteen people can have a genuine production manager; it cannot have three. The salary must be the market rate for the role and at least A$79,423, and a manager paid at the leading-hand award rate is the first thing a case officer notices.

The leading hand with a trade

Most leading hands on a fabrication or machining floor hold a Certificate III, and the trade is sponsorable: Metal Fabricator, Welder (First Class), Fitter, Metal Machinist, Toolmaker and the rest are all on the Core Skills list, and nothing stops a sponsored tradesperson supervising others as part of a trade job. The nomination is written as the trade at the trade rate (with the supervisory allowance on top), not as a manager. Which trades, and which passports need a TRA assessment before nomination: manufacturing occupations you can sponsor. A supervisor without a trade or a management role is in the same position as a process worker: the onshore pool and the DAMAs.

The steps and costs

1. Labour market testing: two advertisements of at least 28 days on national-reach platforms within four months of nomination, unless a trade-agreement exemption applies: labour market testing.
2. Evidence that the position is managerial: organisation chart, position description, delegations, direct reports, budget responsibility, and the salary at market rate.
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 186 or 494). VETASSESS assessment for the 186 Direct Entry.

Full costs: cost to sponsor a worker. Timeline: how long sponsorship takes. Employer-side advice: WIDEN’s manufacturing and engineering sponsorship guide.

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.

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 factories 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 shift supervisor nominated as a Production Manager (Manufacturing) or a leading hand as an Engineering 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

Is production manager on the skilled occupation list? Yes. Production Manager (Manufacturing) 133512 is on the Core Skills list, so the 482 and 186 are available, with the 494 regionally. The position must genuinely plan, direct and control the production function.

Can I sponsor a production supervisor or leading hand? Not as such: there is no listed code for a supervisor, leading hand or team leader. A leading hand with a trade is nominated under the trade; a person who genuinely manages the production function is nominated as Production Manager. A supervisor with neither cannot be sponsored on the standard visas.

What qualification does a sponsored production manager need? For the 482, the Department looks for a degree or a trade with substantial management experience matched to the position; for the 186 Direct Entry, a VETASSESS assessment, which tests the qualification and highly relevant employment against the occupation.

Can I sponsor a quality manager? Yes. Quality Assurance Manager 139914 is on the Core Skills list; the role must manage the quality system rather than inspect product.