Faster PR Pathway for aged care workers in Australia

Albanese Government on the 5th of May 2023 announced a New Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement including an expedited two-year pathway to permanent residency.

Minister for Aged Care the Hon Anika Wells MP stated “Older people in Australia need a skilled, diverse and valued workforce so they can receive safe, high-quality, care. The new labour agreement will benefit aged care providers and the workforce by streamlining the employment and visa process for overseas workers. We are continuing to build a skilled aged care workforce which from 1 July will receive a historic 15 per cent pay rise to the award wage”.

Employers can use the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement to:

Sponsor overseas workers for the Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa in direct care occupations such as:

Aged or Disabled Carer (ANZSCO 423111)

Nursing Support Worker (ANZSCO 423312)

Personal Care Assistant (ANZSCO 423313)

Key Requirement for TSS Visa SC482:

AQF Certificate III or equivalent or higher or 12 months of relevant full-time or part-time equivalent work experience.

Standard Aged Care Providers: IELTS 5.0 (or equivalent) with a minimum of 5.0 for speaking and listening and 4.5 for reading and writing.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Aged Care Providers: IELTS 4.5 (or equivalent) with no component minimum, provided the overseas worker is fluent in the target community language.

There is no age limit for the TSS SC482

Sponsor overseas workers for PR permanent residence under the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa program

Key Requirements for ENS PR SC186 visa:

Workers must have at least two years of full-time work experience in Australia in a relevant direct care occupation. The two years of work experience is not tied to a particular employer or visa subclass.

IELTS 5.5 (or equivalent) with no component minimum.

The age limit is 45 for the ENS PR visa SC186.

There are significant concessions and incentives to standard skilled visa requirements:

No post-qualification work experience requirement

English language concessions

Streamlined visa nomination and priority visa application processing

Two-year pathway to permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme

An annual salary of at least $51,222 AUD or the Australian Market Salary Rate, whichever is higher

Labour Market Testing (LMT) is not required as aged care providers need to enter an MoU with the relevant union(s).

15% wage increase for aged care workers from 1 July 2023.

NOTE: A positive skills assessment from ANMAC or ACWA will be required only if you obtained your qualifications overseas or if you claim work experience in lieu of the formal qualifications.
Please book a consultation with our expert Registered Migration Agent to find out whether you and your employer are eligible for the nomination and the visa. The New Labour Agreement for the Aged Care workers is available immediately so you may commence taking advantage of this immense opportunity.

The information provided in this article is based on the official guidelines outlined by the Australian Department of Home Affairs, available here!

Sources:

MIA Notice 74 – 5th of May 2023: https://www.mia.org.au/membersresources/mia-notices/mia-notice-74---5-may-2023

The Weekly Source: https://www.theweeklysource.com.au/wa-aged-care-provider-curtin-heritage-living-becomes-first-in-australia-to-secure-labour-agreement-with-federal-government/

Ministers Department of Health and Aged Care:
https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-anika-wells-mp/media/a-tripartite-approach-to-address-workforce-shortages-in-aged-care

Department of Home Affairs: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/skilled-migration-program/recent-changes/new-aged-care-industry-labour-agreement