Care sector occupations you can sponsor in Australia: aged care, disability, community, dental, pharmacy and allied health

The list, role by role

List positions change with each instrument; verify the occupation on the Department’s current Core Skills list by ANZSCO code before you advertise. Healthcare nominations get priority processing under Ministerial Direction 105, which is why a nurse nomination moves faster than the published medians.

The Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement

An approved aged care provider can sponsor Personal Care Assistants, Nursing Support Workers and Aged or Disabled Carers on the 482 labour-agreement stream after signing a memorandum of understanding with the relevant union and requesting the template agreement, with English and salary concessions and a 186 pathway after two years. It covers residential and home care providers; it does not cover NDIS disability providers, hospitals or private households. The route in detail: aged care sponsorship explained; the hiring sequence around it: how to hire aged care workers.

Who can work for you now

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

• International students in nursing, individual support, disability, dental assisting and health administration courses: 48 hours a fortnight in term, unlimited in breaks, and placement students become hires. Employing international students.
• 485 graduates of those courses, with unrestricted work rights for two years or more and an Australian qualification the regulator recognises.
• Partner and bridging visa holders and working holiday makers (whose six-month limit per employer does not apply to aged care and disability work anywhere in Australia): full work rights after a VEVO check and the sector’s screening. Who can work for you now.

SponsorTalent lists care candidates by qualification, visa and city, so you can see who can start after screening before you make contact; search is free and a contact unlocks for A$30.

Every care hire, sponsored or not, needs the sector’s screening first: a national police certificate under three years old or an NDIS Worker Screening Clearance for aged care, the NDIS clearance for disability work, working with children checks where relevant, and a VEVO check for any visa holder. The hiring sequence for carers is on how to hire aged care workers.

The mistake to avoid

Do not nominate the role under an occupation it is not. A personal care worker nominated as an Enrolled Nurse, a receptionist as an Office Manager or a support worker as a Community Worker is tested against the duties, the qualification, the award classification and the pay, and a mismatch is refused, can bar the provider 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

Which care sector jobs can be sponsored on a 482 visa? Registered and enrolled nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other allied health professionals, social workers, community workers, residential care officers, family support and youth workers, diversional therapists, dental technicians, therapists, hygienists and prosthetists, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are on the Core Skills list. Personal care workers, assistants in nursing, disability support workers, dental assistants and medical receptionists are not.

Can an aged care provider sponsor carers? Yes, under the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement on the 482 labour-agreement stream, after a memorandum of understanding with the relevant union. The standard 482 is not available because the carer occupations are not on the skilled lists.

Can an NDIS provider sponsor disability support workers? Not on the standard 482, and the aged care agreement does not cover NDIS providers. A few providers have negotiated company-specific labour agreements, which take many months and need a documented shortage; some regional DAMAs list carer roles. The pool otherwise is visa holders already in Australia.

Can I sponsor a community or support coordinator? Often yes: Community Worker, Residential Care Officer, Family Support Worker and Youth Worker are on the Core Skills list for diploma-qualified staff doing genuine case-work or coordination, not direct personal care. Welfare Worker and Disabilities Services Officer are on the Short-term list only.

Who fills care rosters without sponsorship? International students in nursing and individual support courses within 48 hours a fortnight in term, 485 graduates with full work rights, partner and bridging visa holders, and working holiday makers, whose six-month limit does not apply to aged care and disability work.