Can I sponsor a security guard in Australia?

Why not

The Core Skills list starts, with few exceptions, at skill level 3; guarding and crowd control sit at level 4 and the Department has never treated them as migration shortages. A state security licence (Certificate II or III in Security Operations, police and fingerprint checks, a probity test) is a condition of working, not a trade qualification, and does not move the occupation onto a list. Labour market testing only matters once an occupation is nominable.

Who can work your sites now

The role does not have to wait for a visa. Three groups can work for you today without sponsorship, and the security industry already runs 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.

Every state requires the licence before a shift, and most require permanent residence or a visa with work rights for the application; students and graduates qualify in all states, working holiday makers in most. Roster students inside 48 hours a fortnight in term, and keep the VEVO result and licence copy on file: security is a target sector for the Department’s illegal-work compliance and the Fair Work Ombudsman’s underpayment audits, and subcontracting chains do not shift the liability.

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.

The listed roles a security business employs

A security firm’s operations manager, its electronic security technicians (Electronics Trades Worker 342313, Security System Technician specialisations, where listed), its ICT and cyber security staff, and a genuine Security Consultant in a regional area (494) are the nominable roles. Do not nominate the role under an occupation it is not. A guard nominated as a Security Consultant or a site supervisor as an operations 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 security guard on the skilled occupation list? No. Security officer, crowd controller and security guard are on no Australian skilled list, so the 482, 186 and 494 are not available. Security Consultant is on the regional list only, for the 494.

Can international students work as security guards? Yes, with the state security licence, within 48 hours a fortnight in term and unlimited hours in breaks, after a VEVO check.

Can a working holiday maker get a security licence? In most states, yes, as a visa holder with work rights, after the training and probity checks; they can then work for one employer for six months.

Can I sponsor a security supervisor? Not as a guard or crowd controller supervisor. A genuine Security Consultant role in a regional area can be nominated on the 494; an operations manager may fit a listed management occupation where the duties and qualification match.