There are a number of eligibility requirements for employers interested in recruiting workers from Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste for unskilled, low-skilled, and semi-skilled positions through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.
What do you need to become a PALM scheme employer?
To be eligible for the PALM scheme, your business must meet financial viability requirements, as well as industry and location criteria. A series of checks will be conducted to confirm your business is eligible, suitable, and capable of meeting the scheme’s obligations.
Your business must also:
- be an eligible organisation: you must be a body corporate, partnership or unincorporated association that is lawfully established in Australia, as defined under the Migration Regulations 1994. Sole traders and individuals are not eligible to participate in the PALM scheme.
- hold TAS approval: you must be an approved Temporary Activity Sponsor (TAS). This is outlined in the Migration Regulations and assessed by the Department of Home Affairs. Approval as Temporary Activity Sponsor is necessary for a PALM employer to be able to sponsor PALM scheme workers through the relevant temporary working visa/s.
- demonstrate operational history: you must be able to demonstrate at least 3 years of continuous operation as a direct employer, or 5 years of continuous operation as a contractor or labour hire provider, to meet the eligibility requirements of the PALM scheme.
Eligible industries
The Australian Government has committed to expand and improve the PALM scheme to meet the needs of Australian businesses and reflect the aspirations of PALM scheme participating countries. The government is developing an approach to assess the feasibility and risks of recruiting workers in sectors outside the traditional PALM scheme sectors: agriculture and agriculture related food processing (meat, seafood, fruit and vegetable processing), aged care, hospitality and tourism.
The government is currently implementing a pilot in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector and providing PALM scheme workers the opportunity to attain a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) through the aged care expansion (ACE) program. More information on the ECEC pilot and ACE program is available on this website.
Where are you based?
Eligibility for employers seeking to recruit through the PALM scheme is based on rural and regional postcodes, except for employers in the agriculture and select agriculture-related food product manufacturing sectors, where there are no postcode restrictions. Employers in meat, seafood, fruit and vegetable processing sectors may recruit workers to fill positions based in metropolitan areas.
| Eligible postcodes for all sectors (all postcodes in Australia are eligible for agriculture and select agriculture-related food product manufacturing sectors) | |
|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | All postcodes in the Australian Capital Territory |
| New South Wales (excluding Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong metropolitan areas) | 2250 to 2251, 2256 to 2263, 2311 to 2312, 2328 to 2411, 2415, 2420 to 2490, 2536 to 2551, 2575 to 2594, 2618 to 2739, 2787 to 2898 |
| Norfolk Island | All postcodes in Norfolk Island |
| Northern Territory | All postcodes in the Northern Territory |
| Queensland (excluding Brisbane and Gold Coast metropolitan areas) | 4124 to 4125, 4133, 4211, 4270 to 4272, 4275, 4280, 4285, 4287, 4307 to 4499, 4515, 4517 to 4519, 4522 to 4899 |
| South Australia | All postcodes in South Australia |
| Tasmania | All postcodes in Tasmania |
| Victoria (excluding the Melbourne metropolitan area) | 3211 to 3334, 3340 to 3424, 3430 to 3649, 3658 to 3749, 3753, 3756, 3758, 3762, 3764, 3778 to 3781, 3783, 3797, 3799, 3816 to 3909, 3921 to 3925, 3945 to 3974, 3979, 3981 to 3996 |
| Western Australia (excluding the Perth metropolitan area) | 6041 to 6044, 6083 to 6084, 6121 to 6126, 6161, 6200 to 6799 |
Apply to become a PALM scheme employer
If you have checked your eligibility and want to become a PALM scheme approved employer, you can fill out an online application form.
You can also read an information-only version of the form before you start: Employer application form - reference only.
Other Australian Government employment services
While the PALM scheme is a highly valued program that is helping Australian businesses address workforce shortages, it should not be treated as a single solution to meeting the workforce needs of any sector.
Employers and potential hosts operating in locations outside current eligible PALM scheme postcodes are encouraged to use other available employment services to assist with their employment needs. This includes the Local Jobs Program and Workforce Australia, delivered by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.