Immigration laws and visa requirements frequently change in Australia as the Government strives to minimise skills shortages and stay up-to-date with shifting workforce practices.
In early 2025, fresh policy updates will affect the way employers tap into the global workforce.
At The Migration Agency (TMA), we closely monitor every development so we can help our clients navigate the ever-shifting landscape and stay on top of the latest trends in international recruitment and hiring.
New international hiring trends for 2025
More Australian companies will introduce overseas talent
This year, streamlined immigration laws and fewer limitations around skills and salary thresholds will see more businesses exploring opportunities to look beyond Australia’s borders to fill gaps in their workforce.
The following updates are influencing this change:
Core Skills Occupational List
The Government has now introduced the consolidated Core Skills Occupational List (COSL) to fill positions where no Australian workers are available. With this, numerous occupational lists have been combined into a single, streamlined list of the skills Australia will need more of in the future.
From CIOs to environmental managers and taxation accountants, the COSL includes 456 occupations eligible for temporary and permanent visas.
Skills in Demand visa
The Skills in Demand visa has been introduced to replace the Temporary Skill Shortage visa. This brings a range of updates to benefit employers. For example, individuals who have one year of employment experience can now be sponsored to come and work in Australia (the minimum was previously two years).
There are three streams to this visa:
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- Specialist Skills stream for higher income earners (with no occupation list),
- Core Skills stream, which has a minimum salary threshold and draws from the COSL mentioned above,
- Labour Agreement stream which covers lower salaries and occupations not on the eligible occupations list.
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These changes open permanent residency pathways for all 456 occupations on the CSOL while giving employees the potential to tap into a far wider pool of international talent in 2025.
Labour Agreement Stream
The Essential Skills stream has now been confirmed as the Labour Agreement stream. Under this, organisations and industries needing critical workers can explore the possibility of a company-specific or industry-specific Labor Agreement to sponsor employees.
A Labour Agreement is worth exploring with the help of TMA if your organisation is seeking to sponsor employees with qualifications not listed on the Core Skills Occupation List. It is suitable for organisations in the healthcare and aged care industries, amongst others.
If your organisation has met roadblocks in relation to visas for overseas talent in the past, or if you are interested in exploring opportunities to expand your team in 2025, it’s worth reaching out to us at The Migration Agency to find out how these updates can benefit you.
Employing existing visa holders
Employing individuals and helping them migrate to Australia can be a lengthy process, but many employers fail to realise they can also draw from the talent pool of visa holders who are already in the country. In 2025, this will be easier because the time frame has been extended to allow an employee 188 days to find a new sponsor if their employment ends with their existing sponsor.
During this period, individuals also have greater flexibility around their work rights. However, for HR professionals, interpreting these rights is now more complex. Things are less self-explanatory than they used to be, which is why it will be important to have expert guidance from a specialist agency.
Remote work and working from home will continue
Flexible working conditions are here to stay and relocating international employees isn’t always necessary. Immigration law is adapting to the rise of hybrid/flexible and remote work practices, and putting measures in place to accommodate people who do not live in the country where their employer is based.
The Department of Home Affairs now acknowledges work from home as a valid location under the six-month work rule for working holiday visas. This is a significant shift which recognises the changing nature of the workplace and the need for flexibility.
The challenge at the moment is the ‘grey area’ of remote workers/digital nomads living in one country but working for an employer based elsewhere. Here’s what to keep in mind in 2025 if you want to join the trend of having remote workers:
- If your organisation employs people who are based in another country, it’s worth ensuring they hold the appropriate visa for the locality—breaching visa conditions can have serious consequences.
- If your organisation is based overseas and has no entity in Australia, but wishes to pay someone to work remotely for your company from within Australia, what’s known as an ‘on-hire sponsorship may be a solution. Under this, an on-hire Labour Agreement provider steps in to sponsor workers on work visas on your behalf. TMA holds an approved on-hire labour agreement with the Department of Home Affairs, which allows us to do this.
Updates to immigration laws continually influence the way companies expand and fill talent gaps in their team. If you want to stay ahead of the trend and take advantage of new policies as they are introduced whilst also ensuring you remain compliant with immigration law, please book a consultation here.
