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Australia’s Horticultural employers to sponsor 31 approved occupations from 1 January 2020
On 23 December 2019, Acting Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Alan Tudge announced the introduction of the new Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement (HILA).
From 1 January 2020, horticultural employers will be able to submit an application to the Department of Home Affairs to sponsor a migrant worker to come to Australia and fill one of the 31 approved occupations listed under the Labour Agreement.
The HILA will provide access to skilled and semi-skilled migrant workers for the horticulture industry, where appropriately qualified Australians are unavailable.
The HILA will allow Australian businesses in the industry to sponsor overseas workers across 31 occupations, and provides concessions to standard skilled visa requirements.
What can a Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement be used for?
The Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement can be used by Australian employers for the following:
- Sponsor overseas workers for the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) (subclass 482) visa for a total of 31 approved occupations.
- Sponsor overseas workers for permanent residency under the:
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR) (subclass 494) visa program with a permanent pathway to a Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) available after three years; or
- Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) (subclass 186) visa program after a three or four year transitional period on a TSS visa—three years for approved Skill Level 1-3 occupations and four years for approved Skill Level 4-5 occupations.
- Access the following concessions to standard skilled visa requirements:
- Discount of up to 10% on the Temporary Skill Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) where it is demonstrated that equivalent Australian workers do not receive annual earnings of $53,900.
- A broader range of monetary payments (e.g. regularised overtime) and non-monetary benefits (e.g. accommodation) can be counted as guaranteed earnings.
- For the TSS visa—overseas workers must score at least IELTS 5.0 overall, and at least IELTS 4.0 in each individual component score. For the ENS and SESR visas—overseas workers must score at least IELTS 5.0 overall, and at least IELTS 4.5 in each individual component score.
- Overseas workers can be up to 50 years of age when they apply for an ENS or SESR visa.
While the HILA is not a new visa product it will complement existing temporary and permanent migration programs to support regional horticulture employers and communities, including the Working Holiday Maker Program, Seasonal Worker Program, the Pacific Labour Scheme and Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs).
A full summary of approved occupations, terms and available concessions are available, see New Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement.
Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement terms and concessions
| Approved occupation | ANZSCO Code or nearest equivalent | ANZSCO Skill Level | Positive Skills Assessment | TSMIT Concession | English Concession | Permanent Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irrigation Designer/ Manager | 234111* | 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Agronomist | 234112 | 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Entomologist | 234518* | 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Horticulture Grower | 070499* | 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Protected Cropping Grower | 070499* | 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Horticulture Research & Development Officer | 132511* | 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mechanical Engineer | 233512 | 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Horticulture Farm Manager | 070499* | 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Quality Assurance Manager | 139914 | 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Biosecurity Officer | 311399* | 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Facility Plant Manager | 149913* | 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Facility Supervisor | 070499* | 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Maintenance Electrician | 341111* | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fitter and Welder | 323213 | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Agriculture Technician | 321212* | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mechanic | 321211* | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Senior Nurseryperson | 362411 | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nurseryperson | 362411 | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nursery Supervisor | 362411 | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Truck Driver | 733111 | 4 | Yes^ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Plant Operator | 721111 | 4 | Yes^ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fork Lift Driver | 721311 | 4 | Yes^ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Irrigationist | 841999 | 5 | Yes^ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Irrigationist Assistant | 841999 | 5 | Yes^ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Horticulture Section Manager | 070499* | 5 | Yes^ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Section Supervisor | 070499* | 4 | Yes^ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Production Horticulture Supervisor | 070499* | 4 | Yes^ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Production Horticulturist | 070499* | 3 | Yes^ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Machinery Manager | 149913 or 149999* | 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Machinery Supervisor | 149999* | 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cold Storage Manager | 149999* | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
For more information regarding Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement, please get in touch with our migration team at info@australasiaeduconnect.com.au
Sources:
- https://minister.homeaffairs.gov.au/davidcoleman/Pages/relief-for-growers-this-summer.aspx
- https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/skilled-migration-program/recent-changes/new-horticulture-industry-labour-agreement.
