Fishing Industry Labour Agreement: sponsoring deckhands and fishing hands

What the agreement covers

• Occupation: Deckhand (sometimes termed Fishing Hand or Skilled Fisher in summaries), nominated under the Department’s custom code. Some summaries also list vessel officers and seafood process roles; the current template on the Department’s labour agreements page is the only reliable statement of what your agreement will cover, so read it before planning crew numbers.
• Visas: the 482 labour-agreement stream (up to four years) and the 186 labour-agreement stream after a three-year transition period with the sponsor.
• Requirements on the worker: the template sets experience and competency requirements for crew, plus the maritime safety training and medical standards the vessel’s operation needs (AMSA requirements apply regardless of visa).
• Salary and English: nominated pay must meet the template’s setting against the A$79,423 threshold and the market rate; English at the template’s level, with the usual passport exemptions.

How to get access, step by step

1. Confirm you fit the template. The business must operate in the industry the Fishing Industry Labour Agreement covers and the role must be one of the template’s occupations; the Department does not add occupations or concessions to an industry template for an individual employer. Anything outside it is a company-specific agreement.
2. Labour market testing. Evidence of genuine local recruitment is required with the request and again at each nomination, and the December 2024 amendments tightened what the Department accepts for industry agreements: two advertisements of 28 days or more, within the four months before lodging on platforms with national reach, stating the salary where required.
3. Request the agreement through ImmiAccount (the Department’s labour agreement section handles requests). There is no charge for the agreement itself. Allow several months the first time; the agreement normally runs for five years.
4. Nominate each worker on the 482 labour-agreement stream: nomination charge A$330 plus the Skilling Australians Fund levy of A$1,200 per visa year for businesses under A$10m turnover (A$1,800 above). The worker lodges the visa (A$4,015). The Department’s September 2026 median for 482 processing was four months.
5. Comply. The template’s terms are conditions on your business: the nominated salary, the concession limits, record-keeping, notifying changes within 28 days. Breach suspends or cancels the agreement and the standard sponsor sanctions follow.

The agreement against the alternatives

• PALM places Pacific and Timor-Leste workers in fishing and seafood processing under DEWR’s deed, without a PR pathway. PALM, labour agreement or DAMA compared.
• Regional DAMAs in coastal regions (Far North Queensland, Townsville, the East Kimberley, the Northern Territory, regional South Australia) can list deckhand and seafood roles for operators inside the region. DAMA regions.
• Standard 482 and 494 for the listed occupations on the operation: Aquaculture Farmer (121111), Aquaculture or Fisheries Technician (311114), marine engineers and ship’s officers where listed, maintenance trades.

Where the workers are

Experienced crew on SponsorTalent come mainly from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, India and Sri Lanka, with a smaller onshore group on Working Holiday visas. Register free and search by occupation and location; the candidate-side view of maritime and agricultural sponsorship is at farm jobs with sponsorship.

Frequently asked questions

Can a fishing operator sponsor a deckhand on a standard 482? No. Deckhands and fishing hands are not on the skilled occupation lists. Operators sponsor crew under the Fishing Industry Labour Agreement on the 482 labour-agreement stream, or under a regional DAMA that lists the role.

How long can a sponsored deckhand stay? Up to four years on the 482 labour-agreement stream, with the 186 labour-agreement stream available after a three-year transition period with the sponsor, subject to the template’s requirements.

What does the agreement cost? Nothing for the agreement itself. Each nomination costs A$330 plus the Skilling Australians Fund levy (A$1,200 per visa year under A$10m turnover, A$1,800 above); the worker pays the A$4,015 visa charge unless you choose to. Migration agent fees are extra. Sponsor-side costs cannot be recovered from the worker.

Do I still need labour market testing? Yes, with the request and at each nomination; the Department tightened evidence requirements for industry agreements in December 2024.

Does the worker need maritime qualifications? The visa template sets experience and competency requirements, and separately the vessel’s operation under AMSA rules requires the relevant safety training and medical standards for crew. Both apply, and employers usually arrange the Australian safety training after arrival.