Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement: What I need to Know?
What is the purpose of the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement?
The Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement allows Australian aged care providers to sponsor qualified overseas direct care workers.
What key direct care occupations can be sponsored under this agreement?
What is required of employers before they can access the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement?
Employers must demonstrate recent and genuine attempts to recruit from the domestic workforce pool. Aged care providers can gain streamlined access by entering a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with relevant industry unions.
Which unions should providers contact to establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)?
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF): industrial@anmf.org.au
Health Services Union (HSU): hsu@hsu.net.au
United Workers Union (UWU): agedcarelabouragreements@unitedworkers.org.au
How Can Aged Care Providers Apply For The Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement?
Providers can submit the request to the Department of Home Affairs using online forms available in ImmiAccount.
What Should Overseas Workers Do before applying for a visa under the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement?
They should confirm that their employer has access to the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement and check if they have been nominated for either:
Skills in Demand (SID) visa (subclass 482) Labour Agreement Stream
Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa (subclass 186) Labour Agreement Stream
Is a Skills Assessment Required for Overseas Workers Applying Under this Agreement?
Yes, overseas workers need to confirm if a skills assessment is required from the appropriate authorities, such as:
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council
Australian Community Workers Association
What Concessions Does the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement Provide?
Pathway to Permanent Residence: A two-year pathway to permanent residency through the Employer Nomination Scheme.
Streamlined Processing: Faster visa nomination and priority processing for applications.
No Post-Qualification Work Experience Requirement: Applicants do not need prior work experience after obtaining their qualifications.
English Language Concessions: Reduced language proficiency requirements for those with community language skills.
Salary Requirements: An annual salary of at least AUD 51,222 or the higher Australian Market Salary Rate (AMSR).
What are the Key Requirements for Visa Applicants?
Qualifications - Applicants must have a relevant AQF Certificate III or equivalent or a higher qualification. Alternatively, 12 months of relevant work experience may substitute for formal qualifications.
Skills Assessment - A positive skills assessment from the appropriate authority is required if qualifications were obtained overseas.
English Language Proficiency - A minimum IELTS score of 5.0 overall, or 4.5 for workers with community language skills. For ENS (subclass 186), an IELTS score of 5.5 is required.
Relevant Work Experience - Applicants must have at least 2 years of relevant work experience in Australia in a direct care occupation that is not tied to a specific employer or visa subclass.
How To Satisfy the Labour Market Testing Requirements?
These requirements are considered satisfied once aged care providers enter an MoU with the relevant union(s). The skill and qualification requirements may differ from those stipulated in ANZSCO and will be specified in each Labour Agreement.
How Can Agape Henry Crux Help
The Labour Agreement visa streams can be complicated; contact us at Agape Henry Crux if you learn that your visa application has been refused/cancelled. Our Accredited Specialist(s) in Immigration Law and our team of immigration lawyers specialise in handling highly complex matters. You may schedule an appointment with one of our lawyers or agents to seek professional advice by calling 02-8310 5230 or emailing us at info@ahclawyers.com.
We speak fluent English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Malay. If this isn’t your language, we can also help you arrange an interpreter.
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