Is it on the skilled occupation lists?
Not in SponsorTalent's copy of the Home Affairs lists (read 6 November 2026): no occupation in ANZSCO major group 8 (Labourers), which includes farm workers and builder's labourers, appears on the Core Skills Occupation List, the MLTSSL, the STSOL or the Regional Occupation List. The standard 482, 186 and 494 are therefore not open to these jobs.
Farm owners and managers are different: several farmer occupations, such as Dairy Cattle Farmer and Pig Farmer, are on the lists. Those are management roles with their own experience requirements.
1. Industry labour agreements (horticulture, dairy, pork)
An industry labour agreement is a template agreement with fixed terms for one industry. Home Affairs runs them for horticulture, dairy and pork, among other industries. Each lists its own occupations and conditions, and only an employer in that industry that has entered the agreement can sponsor under it. Details of each: horticulture, dairy, pork.
Sources: Home Affairs: labour agreements · Home Affairs: requesting a labour agreement (guide)
2. The PALM scheme (Pacific and Timor-Leste citizens)
The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme lets approved Australian employers hire workers from Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu when local workers are not available, in seasonal placements of up to nine months or longer placements of one to four years. Agriculture is one of its main sectors. Workers do not apply to employers directly: a resident of a participating country checks eligibility and contacts their country's labour sending unit.
Sources: DFAT: Pacific labour mobility · PALM scheme (Australian Government)
3. A DAMA region
Some Designated Area Migration Agreements include farm occupations that the national lists leave out. Each DAMA sets its own occupation list and concessions, and the employer must be in the region and endorsed by its Designated Area Representative. See DAMA sponsorship jobs for the regions and how they work.
Who else is looking, and where
91 farm workers have profiles on SponsorTalent seeking sponsorship, 0 of them in Australia now. A complete profile (qualification, experience, English result, and the regions you will accept) is what an employer with a labour agreement or DAMA endorsement searches for.
| Preferred state | Candidates | In Australia now |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 5 | 0 |
| Victoria | 4 | 0 |
States where at least 3 candidates want to work, from the preferred location on each profile. A candidate can name more than one state; many are open to anywhere.
If none of these fits
Outside these arrangements there is usually no employer-sponsored route for farm work. Some workers move into a listed farming role with more responsibility, such as a farmer or farm manager occupation, which needs the experience that role requires.
Which option, if any, fits your own case depends on your nationality, qualifications, experience and where you will work. For advice on your situation, book a registered migration agent at WIDEN; SponsorTalent itself does not give migration advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can a farm worker get a 482 visa?
Not through the standard Core Skills stream: farm worker occupations are not on the skilled lists. An employer can sponsor one under an industry labour agreement (horticulture, dairy or pork) or a DAMA that covers the role.
Which countries can use the PALM scheme?
Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, according to DFAT.
How do I join the PALM scheme?
Residents of a participating country check their eligibility and contact their country's labour sending unit; approved employers recruit through the scheme.
Are farmer occupations on the skilled lists?
Some are, such as Dairy Cattle Farmer and Pig Farmer. They are owner or manager roles, not farm hand roles.
Next step
Create a free profile so employers with the right agreement can find you.
Employers: read how to hire farm workers and can I sponsor a farm hand or fruit picker?
Related: farm jobs with visa sponsorship · dairy farm workers · PALM vs labour agreement vs DAMA · DAMA jobs
General information only, not migration advice. Occupation list status from the Department of Home Affairs lists as held in SponsorTalent's occupation data (WIDEN's copy, read 6 November 2026); other facts from the sources linked under each section, read 10 November 2026. Labour agreements and DAMAs set their own occupations and conditions, which change. SponsorTalent is a marketplace; migration advice is provided by WIDEN (Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536) under a service agreement. No outcome can be guaranteed.