Employee Relocation to Australia

The Australian visa system allows foreigners to relocate to Australia for work purposes, for short-term, long-term or permanent work contracts in this country. The employee relocation to Australia is possible by applying for different immigration documents.

Such visas will vary based on the circumstances of the employee, the level of skills, salary and many others. Our immigration lawyer in Australia can assist foreign employees with advice on their relocation options.

What should companies do for employee relocation to Australia?

If you have a business operating in Australia and you want to employ foreign workforce, please mind that you will need to participate in the relocation process.

As an employer, you will need to participate in the process for immigration to Australia, by presenting documents concerning the employment contract that will be signed with the foreign employee.

It is also required to present details concerning the qualifications for a certain visa that the foreign employee wants to obtain.

Outside this basic procedure, which applies to most of the Australian employers interested in employing foreign workforce, it may also be required to participate in the following:

1. participate in the shipping of personal items of the future employee, especially when the employment contracts are signed for many years;
2. help the employee in various immigration procedures concerning the family members;
3. making the necessary arrangements to find a suitable accommodation;
4. helping employees relocating with their pets – special procedures have to be conducted in this case.

In most of these scenarios, employee relocation in Australia is done under long-term or permanent employment visas. Australia provides 2 types of such visas:

1. visas that have a national coverage;
2. regional visas.

Many long-term employment visas in Australia are based on the nomination/sponsorship of the employers, this being the basic condition to respect, besides the abilities and qualifications of the applicant.

Visas such as these are:

1. Skilled Regional visa;
2. Skilled Independent visa;
3. Employer Nomination Scheme visa;
4. Skilled Nominated Visa.

Of course, these are some of the main options available for personnel relocation to Australia. You can find out more details from our immigration lawyer.

Apply for the National Innovation Visa

Personnel relocation to Australia is also possible under the National Innovation Visa, which replaced the Global Talent Visa in December 2024. According to the law on immigration to Australia, this visa is designed for employees with exceptional talents and results in their field of work.

The former Global Talent scheme had 2 main programs (the Global Talent visa has since been replaced by the National Innovation visa, while the employer-sponsored program is a labour agreement for temporary employer-sponsored visas):

1. the Global Talent program;
2. the Global Talent Employer Sponsored program.

The 2nd category can be used for personnel relocation to Australia, as the employer will sponsor the future employee relocation and visa formalities. However, both the employer and the employee should comply with many requirements, as follows:

• the company must be a publicly listed company or have an annual turnover of at least AUD 4 million in the last 2 financial years;
• the applicant must have 3 years of relevant work experience for the respective position;
• the applicant will be paid with the salary of a high income earner, i.e. at least the Fair Work high income threshold (AUD 190,100 from 1 July 2026);
• there are 2 main programs – the Establish Business stream and the Startup stream;
• for both programs, the applicant can have the right to permanent residency after 3 years.

Regarding payment matters, persons interested in employee relocation in Australia under this program can verify the rules of the Fair Work Ombudsman.

If you are interested in other visa types that can grant the right to immigration to Australia for employment, please refer to our Australian immigration lawyer.