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How to get sponsored as an aged care assistant (nursing support worker or personal care assistant)

Written 10 November 2026. List status from the Home Affairs skilled occupation lists as held in SponsorTalent's occupation data; counts are live.

Nursing Support Worker (ANZSCO 423312, often called an assistant in nursing) and Personal Care Assistant (423313, often called a healthcare assistant) are not on the skilled occupation lists, so the standard 482 Core Skills stream is not open to them. The route that exists is the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement: an aged care provider that has it can sponsor you for a 482 and, later, the permanent 186. ANMAC assesses both occupations for it.

Is it on the skilled occupation lists?

Neither 423312 nor 423313 appears on the Core Skills Occupation List, the MLTSSL, the STSOL or the ROL in SponsorTalent's copy of the Home Affairs lists (read 6 November 2026). Standard sponsorship under those lists is therefore not available for these jobs.

1. The Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement

The Government introduced the agreement in 2023 so aged care providers could sponsor direct care workers from overseas. It covers three occupations: Nursing Support Worker, Personal Care Assistant, and Aged or Disabled Carer. It does not cover registered or enrolled nurses, who use the normal skilled lists.

Only an aged care provider can use it, and the provider must first sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant union or unions, then request the agreement from Home Affairs. Under it, the provider can sponsor workers for the 482 and nominate them for permanent residence under the 186. The agreement has its own settings, including concessions, which differ from the standard 482 rules.

Sources: Department of Health: Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement webinar · Department of Health: Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement webinar slides (ANMAC section) · ANMF: Aged Care Industry Labour Agreements

2. Skills assessment with ANMAC

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) assesses Nursing Support Workers and Personal Care Assistants for the agreement. ANMAC's guidance distinguishes the two: a nursing support worker gives limited patient care under the direction of nursing staff, and a personal care assistant gives routine personal care such as showering, dressing and feeding. Where the role is mainly household help, emotional support and companionship, the occupation is Aged or Disabled Carer (423111), which is assessed by a different body; see how to get sponsored as an aged care worker.

Source: Department of Health: Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement webinar slides (ANMAC section)

Who else is looking, and where

105 nursing support workers and personal care assistants have profiles on SponsorTalent seeking sponsorship, 2 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 stateCandidatesIn Australia now
New South Wales61
Queensland60
Victoria40
Western Australia40

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

If the employer is not an aged care provider with the agreement, there is usually no employer-sponsored route for these occupations. Hospitals and other employers outside aged care cannot use this agreement. Some workers study further to become an enrolled or registered nurse, which are listed occupations with their own registration.

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 an assistant in nursing be sponsored on a 482?

Not through the standard Core Skills stream, because Nursing Support Worker (423312) is not on the skilled lists. An aged care provider with the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement can sponsor one for a 482 under that agreement.

Which occupations does the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement cover?

Nursing Support Worker, Personal Care Assistant, and Aged or Disabled Carer. It does not cover registered or enrolled nurses.

Who assesses nursing support workers and personal care assistants?

ANMAC assesses both occupations for the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement.

Is there a path to permanent residence?

Under the agreement the provider can nominate sponsored workers for permanent residence under the 186. Whether and when you qualify is a question for a registered migration agent.

Next step

Create a free profile so employers with the right agreement can find you.

Create a free profile Sponsored nursing support worker jobs

Employers: read can I sponsor an assistant in nursing or personal care worker? and how to hire aged care workers.

Related: aged care worker · aged care visa sponsorship explained · enrolled nurse · registered nurse

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.