Australia Farm Work Visa Updates | Industry labour shortages 

Australia is renowned for its vast agricultural industry, and working on a farm can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Whether you’re interested in fruit farming, crop or horticultural farming, livestock farming or even winemaking, Australia offers a wide range of farm work opportunities. So, if you’re ready to embark on an exciting farming adventure in Australia, let’s get started!  

Types of farm work available in Australia  

Australia offers a wide variety of farm work opportunities for those looking to migrate as farmers or gain practical experience and contribute to the country’s agricultural industry. Some of the common types of farm work include cattle farming, sheep farming, fruit picking, vegetable farming, dairy farming, and winemaking (see list below).  

Cattle farming involves tasks such as mustering, branding, and feeding livestock. Dairy farming focuses on the care and management of dairy cows and milk production. Winemaking involves tasks such as grape harvesting, fermentation, and bottling. Fruit farming, on the other hand, requires you to harvest fruits such as apples, oranges, berries, and grapes. Vegetable farming may involve planting, weeding, and harvesting various types of vegetables. 

The type of farm work you choose will depend on your interests, skills, and preferences. It’s important to research different farm work options and consider factors such as the seasonality of the work, the physical demands, and the location. 

What Are the Possible Visa Options for A Farm Visa Australia?  

Working on a farm in Australia comes with certain requirements that you need to meet. Firstly, you will need to obtain a valid work visa.  

Selected farming occupations are eligible for a temporary and permanent visa, as well as a provisional visa which provides a pathway to a permanent residency visa. Before we dig into the detail about the farmer occupations which may qualify for a farming visa for Australia, let us start our discussion by introducing the main types of skilled visas that may be available for Australian immigration for farmers: 

  • 407 Training Visa 
  • General Skilled Migration: Subclass 190 Skilled (State Sponsored) visa and Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa 
  • TSS subclass 482 Employer Sponsored Skilled Visa link
  • 186 Employer Nominated Skilled Visa link 
  • 494 Employer Sponsored Regional Visa link 

Which Farmer Occupations May Qualify For A Farmers Visa Australia? 

For migration law purposes, each nominated farming occupation is defined based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). The ANZSCO occupational classification system provides a general description of each occupation, skill level, registration and/or licensing requirements and the tasks that may be required to be performed as part of each occupation. Each occupation is assigned a unique ANZSCO code, which is used to identify the occupations that are eligible for a skilled visa for farmers in Australia. 

Please see the table below for more details: 

ANZCO 

Name 

List 

Assessing Authority 

Skill Level 

121111 

Aquaculture Farmer 

ROL 

VETASSESS 

 

1 

121216 

Mixed Crop farmer 

ROL 

VETASSESS 

 

1 

121299 

Crop Farmers nec 

ROL 

VETASSESS 

 

1 

121312 

Beef Cattle Farmer 

ROL 

VETASSESS 

 

1 

121313 

Dairy Cattle Farmer 

ROL 

VETASSESS 

 

1 

121314 

Deer Farmer 

ROL 

VETASSESS 

 

1 

121315 

Goat Farmer 

ROL 

VETASSESS 

 

1 

121317 

Mixed Livestock Farmer 

ROL 

VETASSESS 

 

1 

121318 

Pig Farmer 

ROL 

VETASSESS 

 

1 

121321 

Poultry Farmer 

STSOL 

VETASSESS 

 

1 

121322 

Sheep Farmer 

ROL 

VETASSESS 

 

1 

121399 

Livestock Farmers nec 

ROL 

VETASSESS 

 

1 

121411 

Mixed Crop and Livestock Farmer 

ROL 

VETASSESS 

 

1 

 

 

 

 

Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement 

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 

 

Australia’s migration laws are complex, and each case is different. We recommend that you seek professional advice if you are seeking to migrate to Australia as a farmer, as being fully informed will give you the best chance of achieving a successful outcome on your case. A migration professional can help you to do this. 

Should you require advice on your options for a Farm Worker Visa in Australia, we encourage you to contact our team to discuss your circumstances.  

You can use job search websites like Seek (www.seek.com.au) and Indeed (www.indeed.com.au).  

Additionally, as a Phillip Silver & Associates client you have access to our dedicated Farming recruitment service for new migrants to Australia. We have successfully placed farmers all over Australia through our extensive network.