How do I become a seasonal worker in Australia?

30 Mar

WHAT IS THE SEASONAL WORKER PROGRAMME?

The Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) is a short-term migration pathway for low-skilled workers from nine Pacific countries and Timor-Leste to work in Australia. The programme is open to employers in agricultural industries (including the horticulture, aquaculture, cane sugar and cotton growing industries). It is also open to employers in certain locations across Australia in accommodation industries. In practice, most SWP workers are employed to harvest fruit and vegetables to meet seasonal demand in Australia’s horticultural sector.

HOW DO YOU BECOME A SEASONAL WORKER?

You must be invited by an Australian employer who is a Temporary Activities Sponsor to participate in the Seasonal Worker Program. They must be endorsed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to employ Seasonal Workers. You must be a citizen of and resident in either: Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, or Vanuatu.

If you want to participate, you will need to check your eligibility, contact your government labour sending unit (LSU) and have a valid visa. Please see all the current contact details below.

Fiji: Please email the National Employment Centre at (fores@govnet.gov.fj) or call (+679 3303 500), (+679 9906 421), (+679 892 5098) or (+679 892 5087).
Kiribati: Please email the Senior Labour Officer at the Ministry of Employment and Human Resources at (lo.eu2@employment.gov.ki), (lo.ner@employment.gov.ki), (slo.eu@employment.gov.ki) or phone (+686 750 21068) or (+686 750 21018).
Nauru: Please contact the Ministry of Labour by phone (+674 5561510) or email the LMU Director (rebecca.amwano112@gmail.com) or Labour Mobility Coordinator (lynsydab25@gmail.com).
Papua New Guinea: Please email (swp@treasury.gov.pg). You can also visit the PNG Labour Mobility Unit website.
Samoa: Please contact the Labour and Employment Export Division on (+685 20 441) or by email on (leep@mcil.gov.ws).
Solomon Islands: Please contact the labour mobility unit by phone on (+677 212 50), (+677 202 51), call the support service on (20452), email (lmu@mfaet.gov.sb) or visit the office at Ground Floor, Anthony Saru Building, Point Cruz.
Timor-Leste: For SWP please contact (swp.lsu.tl@gmail.com). For PLS contact (pls.lsu.tl@gmail.com). Otherwise, you can visit dnee.sefope.gov.tl or facebook.com/sefopednee for more information.
Tonga: Please contact the Overseas Employment Division by phone on (+ 67626820) or by email on (aaltuihalamaka@gmail.com).
Tuvalu: Please contact the Department of Labour, or email (meafou.brian@gmail.com) or (tellyfinauga@gmail.com).
Vanuatu: For SWP please contact (snaio@vanuatu.gov.vu). For PLS contact (gvuti@vanuatu.gov.vu).

NOTE: No payments or gifts are required to join the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP). Costs may be incurred for flights and other expenses once successful applicants have been placed in jobs in Australia. These costs are paid up front by the employer and reimbursed later by the worker once they start earning a wage.

STEP BY STEP

Before you apply:

You might need to have health examinations. You can complete them before you apply or you can wait until after you apply. Find out the examinations you need and how to arrange them if you want to have them before you apply here: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/meeting-our-requirements/health/what-health-examinations-you-need.

Gather documents to prove your identity and show you have your employer's support, financial support and health insurance. You will need to prepare them to submit online. See what happens if you can't prove your identity or don't provide true information here: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/meeting-our-requirements/providing-accurate-information.

Apply for the visa online in ImmiAccount:

You need to ask your LSU if you can apply online in your country. You must be outside Australia when you apply. Create an account or log in to ImmiAccount here: https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login.

Attach documents: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/applying-online-or-on-paper/online#content-index-2.

Pay the application charge: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/applying-online-or-on-paper/online/how-to-pay.

Note the transaction reference number (TRN).

After you apply:

They will let you know when they have received your application. If it is within standard processing times do not call. You can see if they have asked for more information in your ImmiAccount (https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login).

If you did not have health examinations before you applied: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/meeting-our-requirements/health.

Do not arrange to travel to Australia until they let you know, in writing, that they have granted you the visa.

WHERE CAN I FIND A CURRENT EMPLOYER?

The PALM scheme allows approved employers to hire workers from nine Pacific islands and Timor-Leste when there are not enough local workers available. You can find current employers in both the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) and the Pacific Labour Scheme. Check the list here: https://www.palmscheme.gov.au/current-employers.

HOW TO FIND A SEASONAL JOB?

In general, if you're looking for seasonal employment, start your job search before the season begins. That is, if you're looking for a summer position, start your search in the springtime. And, if you're interested in working around the winter holidays, apply for jobs beginning in the fall.

Job search engines are an excellent way to find seasonal job listings. When you use advanced search options, you'll be able to search by type of position and narrow the results to include only job listings with seasonal hours.

Most job sites, such as Indeed.com, jobsearch.gov.au, Getwork.com, SimplyHired.com, VagaJobs.com, and CoolWorks.com, offer advanced search features where you can search by keywords like "seasonal," "seasonal holiday," "seasonal retail," "seasonal ski," or "seasonal summer," etc. Include your location in the search to find jobs in your area.

HOW MUCH DO SEASONAL WORKERS GET PAID IN AUSTRALIA?

The national minimum wage is currently AU$20.33 per hour or AU$722.60 per 38-hour week (before tax). Casual employees covered by the national minimum wage also get at least a 25% casual loading. Visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website for complete details on minimum wage and workers' rights.

The average seasonal farmworker salary in Australia is AU$23.6 per hour (AU$48,600 per year). A Farm Worker can expect an average starting pay of AU$19.84. The highest pay rates can exceed AU$40. You can find more about the average salary in Australia at Jobted: https://au.jobted.com/salary.