The Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement (ACILA) aims to ease the process of recruiting aged care workers from overseas for Australia’s aged care industry. This initiative could be a pivotal solution for the sector, which has been grappling with labour shortages.
What is new for the Aged Care workers in Australia?
The agreement was announced on 5 May 2023, when the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Alex Hawke, declared an expansion to the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement. This extension covers a broader spectrum of occupations, with the addition of four new roles:
- Personal Care Assistants;
- Nursing Support Workers;
- Aged or Disabled Carers;
- Therapy Aides.
How does the new Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement work?
In order to tap into the pool of overseas direct aged care workers, businesses must first establish a Labour Agreement with the Department of Home Affairs. This ensures that there is a legitimate need for overseas workers. Companies must show proof of the inability to find suitable Australian workers to fill these positions.
At Bravo Migration we have a dedicated and experienced Labour Agreement Division that can help your business obtain an agreement.
Once the Labour Agreement is in place, businesses can apply for a Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa (subclass 482) for overseas workers. This visa allows aged care workers to live and work in Australia for up to four years and apply for permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186), after two years of full-time work experience in the country. At that stage, applicants will also be required to have studied a Certificate III in Aged Care.
So recapping:
- Visa Applicant already has qualifications and/or work experience in Aged Care from overseas => they can apply for work in an aged care centre and be sponsored on the TSS482 Visa as long as the Aged Care centre is part of a labour agreement => The visa will be valid for 4 years but after 2 years, if the worker is under 45 and has a Certificate III qualification in Aged Care, the employer can nominate them for a Permanent Employer Visa Subclass 186. A permanent visa in 2 years!
- OR
- Visa Applicant has no qualifications or experience as an Aged Care worker. Comes to Australia on a Student Visa to study English and Aged Care => after obtaining the minimum qualification OR working the equivalent to 12 months full-time in Aged Care in Australia =>they can apply for work in an aged care centre and be sponsored on the TSS482 Visa as long as the Aged Care centre is part of a labour agreement => The visa will be valid for 4 years but after 2 years, if the worker is under 45 and has a Certificate III qualification in Aged Care, the employer can nominate them for a Permanent Employer Visa Subclass 186. A permanent visa in 4 years!
If you are reading this and are thinking about applying for a visa you will need to have:
- An Australian Certificate III in Aged Care OR at least 12 months of experience full-time or 24 months part-time as an Aged Care worker in Australia; or
- If you have experience and studies in this field from overseas, you will need to obtain a Skills Assessment.
- Minimum English proficiency – IELTS 5
- A job offer from an Australian Aged Care centre that is part of the Labour Agreement.
We have a dedicated Study Division that can help you with enrolment in a course.
With the changes to the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement, Australian businesses are hopeful that the recruitment of direct aged care workers from overseas will be more efficient, subsequently addressing the labour shortage crisis in the aged care industry.
If you are an employer from the Aged Care Industry or a worker seeking permanent residence, please talk to us today via our contact form, phone +61 2 9216 6600 or send us a DM on Instagram.
