The Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot is an Australian Government initiative that provides a pathway for employers to sponsor skilled refugees and displaced persons for work visas outside the humanitarian resettlement quota. Operated through the Labour Agreement framework, the pilot offers significant concessions compared to standard skilled work visa pathways — including no formal skills assessment requirement (the employer assesses the person's skills), reduced English language requirements (Functional English, equivalent to IELTS 4.5), an expanded age limit of 55, and access to over 970 occupations. The pilot has 500 visa places available until 30 June 2026. Visas granted under this pilot lead to employer-sponsored permanent or provisional residence (ENS 186 Direct Entry or SESR 494) through the Labour Agreement stream.

For current program details, the occupations list, and how to apply as an employer, refer to the DHA Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot page.

• Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994 — Labour Agreement provisions — the legislative basis for Labour Agreements allowing non-standard visa conditions
• DHA: Skilled refugee labour agreement pilot — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/skilled-refugee-pilot
• DHA: Pilot factsheet — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/refugee-pilot-factsheet
• DHA: Pilot occupation list — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/refugee-pilot-occupations

Purpose and design

The Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot was designed to help skilled refugees and displaced persons access Australian employment through a complementary pathway to humanitarian resettlement. Many refugees have valuable skills, trades, and professional qualifications but face barriers accessing standard skilled work visa pathways due to:

• Difficulty obtaining formal skills assessments (credentials may be unrecognised or documentation may be unavailable due to displacement)
• Age — many skilled refugees are over 45, the standard upper age limit for employer-sponsored permanent visas
• English language — while skilled, many displaced persons have limited English relative to standard visa requirements

The pilot addresses these barriers through concessions that allow employers to directly assess skills and engage refugees without navigating the standard assessing authority system.

Who can be sponsored

The pilot targets skilled refugees and displaced persons, including:

• Persons who hold a humanitarian visa (including subclass 200, 201, 202, 203, 204)
• Holders of a Temporary Protection visa (TPV, subclass 785) or Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHEV, subclass 790)
• Persons who have been determined to be owed protection by Australia or who are otherwise recognised as displaced persons
• Other eligible persons as specified by the program — refer to the DHA pilot page for the current eligibility criteria

Concessions available under the pilot

The Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot offers the following key concessions compared to standard skilled employer-sponsored visa pathways:

1. No formal skills assessment

The sponsoring employer assesses whether the refugee has the required skills and qualifications for the role — no skills assessment by a registered assessing authority (such as Engineers Australia, TRA, or others) is required. This is a major concession that removes the primary barrier for skilled refugees who cannot access standard assessing authority pathways.

2. Expanded occupation list — 970+ occupations

The pilot allows nomination in over 970 occupations, far exceeding the occupation lists for the standard Skills in Demand visa (482) Core Skills stream. The occupation list published by DHA covers health, engineering, IT, skilled trades, hospitality and tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and many others. For the full list, refer to the DHA pilot occupation list.

3. Extended age concession

The standard age limit for employer-sponsored permanent visas (ENS 186 and SESR 494) is generally 45 years. Under the Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot, sponsors can nominate candidates up to 55 years of age — a 10-year extension that is significant given the age profile of many displaced populations.

4. Reduced English language requirements

Standard employer-sponsored visas require Competent English (generally equivalent to IELTS 6.0 in each band). The pilot reduces this to Functional English — equivalent to an IELTS average of 4.5 across all bands, a significantly lower standard that reflects the practical language skills of many skilled refugees who have not had formal English instruction.

5. Salary concession

The pilot allows for a possible 10% concession on the Temporary Skilled Migrant Income Threshold (TSMIT) / Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), allowing employers to pay slightly below the standard income floor in some circumstances. This is subject to DHA approval through the labour agreement.

How the Labour Agreement works

The pilot operates through the Labour Agreement framework — the employer must enter into a labour agreement with DHA before they can nominate positions under the pilot. The labour agreement process:

1. The employer applies to DHA to enter into a Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement
2. DHA assesses the employer's labour needs and ability to support the refugee
3. If approved, the labour agreement sets out the occupations, number of positions, and conditions under which the employer can nominate candidates
4. The employer nominates the specific refugee candidate, and the candidate applies for the visa

Visa outcomes

Nominations under the pilot can lead to two visa outcomes:

• Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) — Direct Entry stream (subclass 186) — a permanent visa granted directly (not via a temporary stage); for details see the ENS 186 page
• Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR) visa (subclass 494) — Labour Agreement stream — a provisional visa (3 years) with a pathway to permanent residence; for details see the SESR 494 page

This is separate from and in addition to the humanitarian resettlement places — the pilot does not use the annual humanitarian quota.

The Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot addresses a genuine gap in Australia's immigration system — the difficulty that skilled refugees face in accessing skilled work visa pathways that assume access to formal credentialing systems. The pilot is small (500 places) and time-limited (until June 2026), but it demonstrates the policy direction of using employer assessment to substitute for formal skills assessment in specific contexts. Employers interested in participating should apply to DHA to enter the labour agreement as early as possible given the limited places and timeline. For current program status, the labour agreement application process, the occupations list, and eligibility conditions, refer to the DHA Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot page.