Long story short, if you work with the elderly, you may be able to obtain permanent residency.
May 2023 will likely be remembered as the month of structural announcements regarding immigration. As far back as 2014, there were rumours about a possible pathway for workers employed in nursing homes to permanent residency, but nothing ever followed officially.
However, this week we are witnessing the implementation of a new Labor Agreement: the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement.
This means that it will now be possible to obtain permanent residency as:
- Personal Care Assistant
- Aged or Disabled Care
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Until recently, this was not possible due to the absence of these professions on the relevant lists, but now workers employed in nursing homes can obtain a permanent visa after two years of work with their employer.
How does this labor agreement work?
Firstly, the aged care provider (i.e., the nursing home and employer) must contact one of the following entities:
And obtain a “Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),” which is a kind of authorization to participate in this labor agreement.
Key sponsorship features:
- This type of sponsorship will be processed with priority
- The visa to apply for will be the TSS 482 visa, and the 186 Transition Stream visa will be accessible after 2 years
- Exceptions to the minimum English level will be allowed for those who can prove “relevant community language skills” in their mother tongue
- Minimum salary $51,222 (unless the local minimum wage is higher)
Applicant requirements:
- A minimum tertiary qualification equivalent to a Certificate III is required
- The Certificate III in Individual Support is clearly the most appropriate, as it is often required for employment in nursing homes even when temporary visas are held. The qualification can be substituted with 12 months of experience (or equivalent part-time experience)
- IELTS level 5 or equivalent in English is required, but exceptions are allowed in cases where 4.5 is sufficient
- Those who use non-Australian qualifications for the educational level (Certificate III) or use the experience requirement to substitute for the qualification must obtain a Skills assessment from ANMA or ACWA
For any other questions email us at infopoint@atlasmigration.com