Aged or disabled carers, personal care assistants and nursing support workers from the Philippines for Australian residential and home-care providers — under the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement, which is the only route for these occupations.
Aged or Disabled Carer and Personal Care Assistant are not on the Core Skills Occupation List, so they cannot be nominated in the Core Skills stream. The Australian Government created the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement in May 2023 precisely for these occupations. Its terms are non-negotiable and well defined: an approved aged-care provider signs a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant union, sponsors under the labour agreement stream of the 482 visa for up to four years, and can nominate for permanent residence after two years.
The concessions are what make it work at aged-care pay levels: a salary floor of AUD 51,222 (or the market rate), English at IELTS 5.0 overall, no post-qualification experience requirement, and the union MoU standing in for labour-market testing.
The Philippines is one of the world's largest sources of care workers, with a TESDA Caregiving NC II pathway and nursing graduates who work in care while waiting for registration abroad. English is not a barrier. We screen for the Certificate III equivalence or twelve months' documented experience the agreement requires, and for the ANMAC or ACWA skills assessment of overseas qualifications.
Presentation of any candidate is subject to applicable Australian skills assessment, licensing, occupation and visa requirements.
Enrolled Nurse and Registered Nurse (Aged Care) are on the Core Skills Occupation List and follow the standard sponsorship route plus AHPRA registration, which is a separate and longer process. We recruit both; the timeline differs and we say so up front.
Yes. The MoU with the union and the labour agreement request to Home Affairs run in parallel with sourcing; several providers have completed both within months. We start the Philippine side once your agreement is in place.
Yes; most exceed it. The agreement also allows 4.5 overall where the worker speaks a relevant community language.
Yes — the agreement provides a two-year pathway to the Employer Nomination Scheme.
General information for employers, not legal or migration advice. Rules change; we re-verify before each hire.