New Labour Agreement - Aged Care Industry

To gain access to the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement, the first step is entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a relevant industry union. This involves collaboration with one of the following esteemed unions:

•  The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, 
• The Health Services Union, or 
• The United Workers Union.

For detailed information on initiating the MoU process, kindly reach out to your respective industry union. They will guide you through the necessary steps and provide comprehensive assistance.

Upon successful establishment of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aged care providers can proceed with submitting their request for the labour agreement to the Department of Home Affairs. Accessible within ImmiAccount

Employers have the opportunity to sponsor overseas workers on the following visas:

• Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482)
• Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186)  at least two years of full-time work experience in Australia  

1. Nursing Support Worker (ANZSCO 423312)
2. Personal Care Assistant (ANZSCO 423313)
3. Aged or Disabled Carer (ANZSCO 423111)

Common Occupational titles :

Aged Care Worker, Disability Care Worker, Personal Care Worker, Carer, Personal Carer, Individual Support Worker, Disability Support Worker, Disability Development and Support Worker, Community Support Worker (Disability Assisted Living), In-Home Support Worker/Carer, Community Care Worker, Home Support Worker, Domestic Support Worker. 

The English language skill requirements vary based on the type of care provider:  

• For applicants employed by standard care providers, the minimum IELTS score required is 5.0. The minimum score for speaking and listening is 5.0, and for reading and writing, it is 4.5.
• Workers with target community language skills employed by culturally and linguistically diverse aged care providers need at least IELTS 4.5 or equivalent.
• For 186 visa applications, the required IELTS score is 5.5, with no specific component minimum.

* Other accepted English Language tests are: OET, TOEFL iBT, PTE, and CAE

Applicants who obtained qualifications overseas or are claiming work experience in lieu of a relevant qualification must obtain a positive skills assessment from the following authorities: 

• Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (for Nursing SupportWorker ANZSCO 423312 or Personal Care Assistant ANZSCO 423313)
• The Australian Community Workers Association (for Aged or Disabled CarerANZSCO 423111)

To be eligible for a TSS 482 visa:

• AQF Certificate III or equivalent qualification or
• At least 12 months of relevant full-time work experience or part-time equivalent

To be eligible for a TSS 186 visa:

• ENS 186 visa, applicants must have at least an AQF Certificate III or equivalent qualification  and
• At least two years of full-time work experience in Australia is necessary. The two years of work experience do not need to be tied to a specific employer or visa subclass.

The minimum salary requirement is set at $51,222 AUD (guaranteed annual earnings) or the Australian Market Salary Rate for the position, whichever is higher.

For TSS 482 visa, there is no age restriction. However, for ENS 186 visa, applicants need to be under 45 years of age..

Creating and maintaining an MoU with the relevant industry union(s) fulfils the labour market testing requirements.

**The Department will consider labour market testing requirements satisfied once aged care providers enter an MoU with the relevant union(s).