Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement: sponsoring skilled and semi-skilled farm roles

What the agreement covers

• Occupations: 31 in the template, spanning skilled roles that exist on the lists (nurseryperson, agricultural technician, horticultural grower, production and section managers) and semi-skilled roles that do not (supervisors and section leaders, irrigation and mobile plant operation, and other on-farm roles the industry negotiated). The current occupation list and codes sit in the template on the Department’s site; several roles use custom codes because there is no ANZSCO match.
• Not covered: fruit and vegetable pickers, packers and general farm hands. The agreement is about running the farm, not harvesting it.
• Visas: the 482 labour-agreement stream (up to four years) and a 186 labour-agreement pathway after the qualifying period; regional growers can also use the 494 for listed occupations.
• Concessions: negotiated on salary against the income threshold, on English (a functional level is still required), and on the permanent-residency pathway. The Department grants concessions only where they do not create conditions worse than an Australian’s in the same job.
• Skills assessment: VETASSESS runs the assessment for the agreement’s semi-skilled occupations, assessing experience and competencies rather than formal qualifications alone.

How to get access, step by step

1. Confirm you fit the template. The business must operate in the industry the Horticulture 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 for seasonal and long-term harvest and packing teams from the Pacific and Timor-Leste, with no PR pathway. Many growers run both: PALM for the harvest workforce, the industry agreement for supervisors, plant operators and technicians.
• Working Holiday makers for seasonal labour from eligible passports, six months per employer (with the agriculture exemption allowing longer in some circumstances).
• Regional DAMAs (Orana, Goulburn Valley, Far North Queensland, regional South Australia, South West WA, East Kimberley, the Northern Territory) list farm and plant-operator roles for businesses inside the region. DAMA regions.
• Standard 482 and 494 for the listed farmer, technician and agronomist occupations; see the candidate-side table on farm jobs with sponsorship.

Which route fits: PALM, labour agreement or DAMA compared.

Where the workers are

SponsorTalent’s horticulture candidates come mainly from the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal, India and Kenya, plus Working Holiday makers already on farms. Profiles state machinery tickets, irrigation and chemical-handling experience and supervisory history. Search farm worker candidates; the candidate-facing view is at farm worker sponsorship.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sponsor fruit pickers under the Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement? No. The agreement covers 31 skilled and semi-skilled occupations involved in running the operation (supervisors, plant operators, irrigation, nursery and technical roles) and expressly excludes picking and packing. Seasonal harvest labour comes through PALM or Working Holiday makers.

Is there a fee to get the agreement? No fee for the agreement itself. Nomination charges (A$330) and the Skilling Australians Fund levy (A$1,200 per visa year under A$10m turnover) apply to each worker nominated, and the worker pays the A$4,015 visa charge unless you choose to.

Do I still need labour market testing? Yes, both with the request for the agreement and at each nomination, and the December 2024 amendments tightened what the Department accepts for industry agreements.

Does the agreement lead to permanent residency? Yes. The template includes a 186 labour-agreement pathway after the qualifying period of sponsored work, and regional growers can also use the 494 to 191 route for listed occupations.

Who assesses the semi-skilled occupations? VETASSESS runs the skills assessment for the agreement’s semi-skilled roles, assessing documented experience and competencies, which suits workers without formal qualifications.