Australia’s program for displaced talent
Australia’s Skilled Refugee Pilot was launched in July 2021 and extended for a further 2 years in July 2023. There are 500 primary applicant visa places available to candidates under this program between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2025.
Co-designed by TBB, the pilot aims to remove barriers that displaced people face when trying to access employer-sponsored skilled migration pathways and make it easier for Australian employers to hire from this overlooked talent pool.
Key facilitation measures:
- No labour market testing. TBB’s endorsement of the business replaces the requirement to undertake labour market testing.
- No skills assessment or minimum work experience required. The sponsoring business is responsible for determining whether the skilled refugee/displaced person has the skills and qualifications to work in the nominated occupation.
- 10% concession to the Temporary Skilled Migrant Income Threshold (TSMIT), if the business nominates a skilled refugee or displaced person for an ANZSCO Skill Level 3-5 occupation where it is demonstrated the annual earnings of an equivalent Australian worker are less than TSMIT.
- Reduced minimum English language requirements to ‘Functional English’ (equivalent IELTS 4.5 averaged across all bands), demonstrated via approved testing.
- Increased age limit. Businesses can sponsor people up to 55 years (for ENS and SESR visas). The TSS visa has no age limit.
- Ability to nominate any occupation on the Department’s Skilled Occupation list and/or National Skills Commission’s 2022 Skills Priority List as well as the additional occupations listed below.
- Special arrangement for candidates who don’t have a passport.
| Program | Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot |
|---|---|
| Visa/permit instrument | Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) (subclass 186) visa on a direct entry basis. 1 |
| Length of stay | Permanent Residence (unless one of the temporary visa options is utilized out of necessity – see footnote 1). |
| No. visas available under program | 500 primary applicant places from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2025. |
| Most common recruiting industries | IT, Engineering, Hospitality, Healthcare/elder care. |
| Visa processing times | 2-6 months. |
| About the applicant | |
| Who can apply? | Refugee or displaced person. TBB must endorse the applicant and their family for a visa under the Pilot. (By providing letter of endorsement). |
| Location of applicant | Anywhere. |
| What family members can be included | Spouse and child dependents under 23 can be included. Extended family such as siblings, parents cannot join unfortunately under the current framework. |
| Language requirement | Applicants under the Pilot must have at least Functional English (equivalent 4.5 IELTS). |
| How language can be tested | An approved test undertaken at secure test centre. If the candidate faces a barrier to getting to a test centre, TBB and the employer may attest they have sufficient English, based on an online test such as Duolingo English Test. |
| Proof of education / qualification | Applicants are not required to provide a skills assessment or show work experience. The sponsoring business is responsible for determining whether the skilled refugee/displaced person has the skills and qualifications to work in the nominated occupation. |
| Skills/credential assessment with a professional body | None – this requirement is waived. |
| Proof of minimum work experience | None – as above. |
| Licensing requirements (eg. for healthcare roles) | If the occupation requires a license to operate, the applicant must obtain this license (eg. nurses must be registered with AHPRA, which has its own eligibility criteria). Licensed professions need their own special pathway assessment. |
| Age requirement | 18-55 years (primary applicant) No age limit for temporary visa. |
| Health | Applicant and family must complete a health examination. A Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC) will assess the results. Visa may be refused if applicant/family have a significant medical condition (eg. that would threaten public health or result in significant healthcare and community service costs). |
| Character and security | Character requirements Police checks can be waived if candidate faces a barrier in safely obtaining a police certificate. |
| Travel document requirement | Can access an ImmiCard if unable to obtain travel document. Can cause delays. |
| Biometrics | Depending on the country of application, candidate may be required to provide biometrics. |
| About the employer | |
| How can employers access the scheme? | Endorsed by TBB. |
| What businesses are able to sponsor? | Must be “actively and lawfully operating a business:” – An Australian registered business with good standing – Lawfully and actively operating in Australia for at least 12 months – Evidence of financial viability – Evidence can support the proposed number of workers from overseas – No adverse information (e.g. has not broken a law in any jurisdiction of Australia, nor be under investigation) – Not be insolvent – Not have provided false or misleading information. |
| About the job | |
| Eligible occupations | Job must be any ANZSCO2 occupation on the Department’s Skilled occupation list and/or National Skills Commission’s 2022 Skills Priority List as well as the additional occupations listed below. List of occupations |
| Labour Market Testing | No – this is waived for the program. |
| Work hours | Must be full-time work equivalent. |
| Contract length | Must be permanent or at least 2 year contract with possibility of renewal. |
| Salary minimum | Must be at least annual market salary rate (AMSR) for the nominated occupation and in line with the Temporary Skilled Migrant Income Threshold (TSMIT). – For ANZSCO Skill Level 1-2 roles TSMIT is AU$70,000 – For ANZSCO Skill Level 3-4 roles minimum is AU$63,900 (90% of TSMIT) – For Nursing Support Worker, Personal Care Assistant and Aged or Disabled Carer minimum is AU$51,222. |
| Obligations on the business | Sponsoring businesses must comply with the Sponsorship obligations for Standard business. They are also subject to sponsor monitoring. Businesses have an obligation to ensure skilled refugees/displaced people sponsored under the Pilot are employed with terms and conditions no less favourable to equivalent Australian workers. |
- Note – the pilot also enables the use of Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) (subclass 482) visa; and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR) (subclass 494) visa. After 3 years on a subclass 494 visa, the visa holder may be eligible to apply for the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) (subclass 191) visa. TBB requires employers to use the permanent ENS 186 visa unless there is a barrier that would require the candidate to go on one of these temporary options. ↩︎
- Is the Australia and New Zealand Standard Classification Occupations (ANZSCO) ↩︎
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