Hiring workers from Kenya: contract attestation, English, nursing registration and the visa steps

Who Australian employers hire from Kenya

Candidate context: visa sponsorship jobs from Kenya.

The Kenyan side: attestation and accredited agencies

Under Kenya’s Employment Act 2007, a contract made in Kenya for work outside Kenya is a foreign contract of service and must be in the prescribed form and attested by a labour officer, who checks that the terms comply with the Act, that the worker has consented and is medically fit, and that they are not bound to another employer. The process runs through the Ministry of Labour’s online system, with the employment contract, the worker’s medical certificate and the prescribed forms; an employer not resident in Kenya may be required to provide security in a form the Ministry sets. Sending a worker abroad without an attested contract is an offence for an agency. If you recruit through an agency, use only one accredited by the National Employment Authority and check the NEA’s published list, because unaccredited operators are a recurring source of fraud against both workers and employers. Verify the current forms, fees and security amount with the Labour Department or your accredited agency before you commit to a timeline; they change, and official guidance is thin online.

No Australian employer may charge the worker for the job or recover sponsorship costs, and an agency fee charged to the worker in Kenya for an Australian sponsored role is a red flag for both governments.

English: the test and the study-based exemption

Kenyan passports are not among those exempt from the 482 English requirement, so the default is a test: IELTS 5.0 overall with 5.0 in each component or equivalent for the Core Skills stream, and higher bars for registration in nursing (IELTS 7.0 in each band or OET B) and teaching. The Department’s instrument also exempts an applicant who completed at least five years of full-time secondary or tertiary study in which the medium of instruction was English, which many Kenyan graduates can evidence with institution letters; it does not replace the regulator’s own English standard for nurses and teachers.

The Australian side, step by step

1. Confirm the occupation and the salary floor of A$79,423 or the market rate; for carers, the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement’s own terms.
2. Labour market testing: two advertisements of at least 28 days on platforms with national reach within the four months before nomination (Kenya has no exemption): labour market testing.
3. Registration or assessment where required: Ahpra for nurses before visa grant, AITSL for teachers, TRA for listed trades.
4. Standard Business Sponsorship (A$420), nomination (A$330 plus the Skilling Australians Fund levy of A$1,200 per visa year under A$10m turnover), visa (A$4,015 for a 482; A$6,140 for a 494 or 186). Health examinations and a Kenyan police clearance (the Certificate of Good Conduct from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations) are standard.
5. In parallel, the Kenyan attestation above, so the worker can leave as soon as the visa is granted.

Full costs: cost to sponsor a worker. Timeline: how long sponsorship takes, allowing extra for Ahpra registration, which commonly takes longer than the visa.

Finding Kenyan candidates

Register free, search by occupation and filter by current location (Kenya, or an Australian city for the growing number of Kenyan nurses, carers and students already onshore). Profiles show qualification, registration status where relevant, English evidence and visa position; contact unlocks cost A$30. Search candidates.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Kenyan government process for hiring a Kenyan worker? Yes. A contract for work outside Kenya must be attested by a Kenyan labour officer under the Employment Act 2007 before departure, through the Ministry of Labour’s online system, and any recruitment agency used must be accredited by the National Employment Authority. Confirm current forms, fees and any security requirement with the Labour Department.

Do Kenyan workers need an English test for a 482 visa? Usually yes: IELTS 5.0 overall and in each component or equivalent for the Core Skills stream. An applicant with five years of full-time English-medium secondary or tertiary study can be exempt. Nurses and teachers must also meet their regulator’s higher English standard.

Can I sponsor a Kenyan nurse? Yes, on a 482, 186 or 494, but the nurse must hold Ahpra registration before the visa can be granted, which for Kenyan-qualified nurses means the outcome-based assessment and the English standard for registration. Start registration before the nomination.

Can I sponsor a Kenyan aged care worker? Only under the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement, because carer occupations are not on the skilled lists. Registered nurses in aged care go on the standard 482.

Do I need labour market testing for a Kenyan candidate? Yes. Kenya has no trade-agreement exemption: two advertisements of at least 28 days each on national-reach platforms within the four months before nomination.