Employing International Workers
Work Visa Options – Employing skilled international workers
Problem: Are you struggling to attract or retain skilled workers?
Solution: Consider benefiting from overseas trained candidates.
Considering work visa options to benefit regional farmers as employers
As a regional based employer operating within the farming industry, many employers face particular challenges in attracting and retaining suitable and appropriately skilled staff members on a long-term basis.
Unfortunately, there is a skill shortage within our industry (including technical trade skills relevant to farming businesses) and it is difficult to keep good workers long-term from within the local labour market.
A potentially ‘game-changing solution’ for this problem is to consider employing overseas nationals who are highly motivated to gain employment locally, especially when that opportunity supports short and long-term options to live and work in Australia. Through an employer sponsorship, visa holders typically remain long-term in employment, not only to comply with temporary work visa conditions, but also to ultimately secure future permanent residence on this basis.
A great investment in long-term skilled staffing
Although there are government fees and levies and also the cost for legal representation associated with sponsorship, these expenses would typically be deemed business related outlays and therefore likely tax-deductible (seek independent tax advice).Importantly, it provides you with workforce solutions to give you a competitive advantage within an industry that has a dire shortage of suitably skilled workers.
The cost for the relevant applications to be lodged with the Department of Immigration is often a relatively small price to pay when compared to the benefits of long-term stable employment. The reality is that also when sourcing candidates from the local labour market there are still very significant costs associated with advertising/ screening/ training of local staff – who may not stay in the role long-term.
Relative quick processing for temporary visas, to later stay on long-term
Although it is in principle possible to nominate an overseas worker for a permanent visa at first instance, in almost all cases such employees start off on a temporary visa and then later on convert that status to a longer-term solution. This also allows the Australian employer to first test the suitability and dependability for an employee before committing to a long-term sponsorship.
Sourcing local worker vs. overseas nationals
While sourcing local labour is naturally the first preference for agricultural businesses, several systemic and operational factors make overseas trained skilled workers an increasingly attractive—and sometimes essential—option.
The global agricultural landscape, (but in particular agriculture in Australia) faces a “perfect storm” of aging populations, rapid technological advancement, and shifting career aspirations among local youth.
1. Addressing the “Local Skills Gap”
There is a common misconception that farming only requires manual labour. Modern agriculture is highly technical, and local markets often lack candidates with specific expertise.
• Specialized Technical Knowledge: Overseas workers often come from regions that specialize in specific high-tech areas, such as precision irrigation, advanced hydroponics, or automated greenhouse management.
• Ready-to-Go Expertise: Hiring an overseas worker who is already trained in a specific niche (e.g., large-scale agronomy or veterinary surgery for intensive livestock) can save the business significant training time (often 12-24 months) compared to developing a local recruit from scratch.
2. Workforce Reliability and Continuity
Local labour markets in developed nations often see agriculture as “transitional” work rather than a career.
• Higher Retention Rates: Skilled workers on specific visa programs (like the Temporary Skill Shortage or Regional Sponsored visas) are often more committed to the role because their legal status is tied to their employment. This reduces the high turnover costs associated with local “job-hopping.”
• Filling Remote Vacancies: Local workers often prefer urban centres with more amenities. Overseas workers are frequently more willing to relocate to remote or regional areas where the farms are actually located.
3. Global Knowledge Transfer
Bringing in someone trained in a different country can act as a catalyst for innovation on a local farm.
• Innovative Practices: A worker from an international market might bring more efficient harvesting techniques or pest management strategies that haven’t yet become standard in the local region.
• Bilingual Advantage: As agricultural supply chains become global, having staff who speak the language of export markets (e.g., Mandarin, Spanish, or Arabic) can be a massive asset for business expansion.
4. The “Demographic Dividend”
Many developed nations are facing an aging workforce. In contrast, many overseas labour pools (particularly in developing nations) have a much younger grouping.
• Physical Longevity: Skilled agricultural work is usually physically demanding. Accessing younger, highly trained populations from abroad ensures the business has a workforce that can sustain high-intensity operations over a multi-year period.
• Tech-Native Workers: Younger overseas professionals are often “digital natives” who can more easily adapt to the AI-driven machinery and drone technology becoming standard in 2026.
5. Economic Resilience
While the upfront costs of sponsorship and relocation are higher, the long-term ROI is often superior.
• Mitigating Crop Loss: The cost of an empty skilled position during a harvest window is far higher than the cost of sponsoring a foreign worker.
• Strategic Growth: With a stable, skilled workforce, farm owners can step away from daily manual tasks to focus on business strategy, scaling, and entering new markets.
How to assess if a candidate is suitable/ will qualify for a visa?
Teleo Immigration Lawyers are available to assist employers in assessing candidate suitability, navigating visa requirements, and identifying appropriate visa pathways based on individual circumstances. If you have identified a possible suitable candidate that you may wish to retain or offer employment for, my recommendation is that if you please provide us with the following information, to allow for an assessment:
a) Passport information page & permission to undertake a VEVO check;
b) Updated resume;
c) Information regarding family unit members/ partner or children included as secondary applicants and any previous visa refusals or cancellations/ health or character concerns
d) Position description and salary to be offered/ ideal start date for employment
Below is a framework for different visa options and potential visa pathways to retain both short-term and long-term employment:
Standard ‘highly skilled’ commercial employment options:
1. The ‘standard’ temporary work visa for Australia is the subclass 482 visa -which can be requested for 1-4 years. This option is for highly skilled workers that must be commercially viable to earn $76,515 plus superannuation (to show market rate salary compared to what an Australian with the same skills would earn)
2. The ‘standard’ permanent work visa is the subclass 186 – typically accessed subsequent to 2 years employment for a work a subclass 482 visa (see other access options below). Some candidates may also qualify under the direct entry stream.
Regional employer specific visa options:
1. PALM visa – subclass 403
2. Australian Agricultural visa (to likely be reinstated)
3. DAMA – Designated Area Migration Agreements
4. Subclass 494 – Designated regional area (employer-sponsored) provisional work visa
‘Pathway visas’ or miscellaneous alternatives:
1. Working holiday visa – subclass 417/ 462 (only available to nationals from certain countries, for example European countries, Canada, USA, Korea etc).
2. Training visa – subclass 407
3. Temporary activity visa – subclass 408 – please make enquiries if you require additional information
4. Student visa – subclass 500 – please make enquiries if you require additional information
5. Partner visa – subclass 820/ 801 – please make enquiries if you require additional information
This article was contributed by Dr Etienne de Villiers Hugo of Teleo Immigration Lawyers.
Further information
For further information, or to access member benefits including free initial consultations for AAL members, please visit 🔗 Member Benefits – Teleo Immigration Lawyers.
Teleo Immigration Lawyers can also be contacted directly for tailored advice regarding employer sponsorship and visa pathways.
📞 (02) 8080 3840
🔗 www.teleo.com.au
This article appears as part of the 24 April 2026 issue of Guacamole, our e-Newsletter.
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Date Published: 24/04/2026