Strawberries

Skilled Refugee Program

The Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement is a pilot program designed to help skilled refugees secure meaningful employment while simultaneously addressing critical skills shortages across Australia.

Supported by the Australian Government and delivered in partnership with Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB), the program is designed to address skills shortages while providing life-changing opportunities for refugees.

Unlike seasonal labour schemes, this pathway is best suited to employers who are already structured to hire permanent employees. It opens access to a broad, largely untapped global talent pool of skilled people who have been displaced but are eager to rebuild their careers.

In this pilot program, employers receive end to end support, from recruitment through to settlement, while retaining the same cost responsibilities that apply to standard skilled migration.

How the program works

At the centre of the model is a Talent Catalogue, listing more than 130,000 skilled refugees, with over 40 per cent holding tertiary qualifications and more than three quarters demonstrating intermediate to advanced English proficiency.

The program has already seen strong uptake in regional Australia, with about 35 per cent of placements occurring outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Employers can explore candidates with no upfront cost and no obligation to proceed if suitable matches are not found.

If an employer chooses to make an offer, TBB supports the visa process and relocation pathway. Candidates arrive under skilled migration visas rather than humanitarian visas, meaning they come work ready but may require employer supported settlement assistance, similar to other overseas hires.

Visa pathways and concessions

The pilot operates through existing skilled migration streams, primarily:

  • Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186)
  • Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482)
  • Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Subclass 494)

The pilot includes generous concessions to standard eligibility criteria, recognising the unique circumstances of displaced people. For example, documentation requirements may be more flexible where formal records are difficult to obtain, and age limits are more lenient than typical skilled migration settings (generally under 55 for key visa streams).

The program currently lists around 970 eligible occupations, including many relevant to agriculture and horticulture, such as agricultural engineers, agronomists, horticulture farm managers, production horticulturalists and quality assurance managers.

The majority of candidates in the pipeline are from Afghanistan, Iran and Syria, though the talent pool is globally diverse.

Employer experience and outcomes

Since the pilot began, more than 230 candidates have been employed in Australia, with strong settlement and retention outcomes reported. Employers involved in the program note that recruitment timelines are similar to other skilled migration pathways (often around six months) and emphasise the importance of clear role definition and workforce planning.

Feedback from participating businesses emphasises high levels of loyalty, engagement and capability among hires. For many candidates, the opportunity represents a profound life change, moving from prolonged displacement into stable employment and community integration in Australia.

Costs and employer responsibilities

From a cost perspective, the program is comparable to standard overseas recruitment. Employers remain responsible for typical skilled migration expenses such as:

  • Visa application costs
  • Legal and migration fees
  • Airfares and relocation
  • Temporary accommodation
  • Settlement support (where needed)

Because entrants arrive on skilled visas rather than humanitarian visas, employers should plan appropriate onboarding and settlement support, often aligning with existing relocation policies.

Getting started

Businesses interested in exploring the Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement pilot can submit an expression of interest directly through TBB at talentbeyondboundaries.org/australia.

The TBB team can guide employers through role scoping, candidate matching and the visa pathway to determine whether the program is a good fit for their workforce needs.