Australia’s Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot
Australia’s Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot
The project in brief
The project is implemented by the Government of Australia, it began in July 2021 for a two year pilot that will end in July 2023.
It provides a complementary labour mobility pathway for skilled refugees and displaced persons to live and work in Australia.
The project has several goals:
- Humanitarian: At a time of unprecedented global displacement, the Australian Government recognises the need to look beyond traditional refugee and humanitarian resettlement responses. There is an opportunity to provide additional and complementary pathways for refugees and displaced people.
- The Pilot complements and is in addition to Australia’s commitments to refugee resettlement under the Humanitarian Program.
- Security: Such durable solutions can be used strategically to help stabilise refugee populations, reduce the prospect of irregular movement from source countries and countries of first asylum, and support broader international protection efforts. They can also provide a degree of hope to individuals that safe, orderly, and regular migration offers a pathway to a better future.
- Economic: The Australian Government recognises the significant contribution that refugees and people in humanitarian need who have been resettled in Australia make to our country, and that in many cases, refugees come with a range of skills and qualifications that are highly sought after in Australia.
- To enable Australian businesses to sponsor skilled refugees to work in their businesses, the Pilot addresses many of the traditional barriers faced by refugees and other displaced people when trying to access employer-sponsored skilled migration pathways.
- The Pilot is a practical example of how businesses and business leaders in Australia can harness the talent of refugees to address skills shortages, creating a win-win for displaced people, employers and the wider Australian Community.
Specialised terms and concessions under a Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement provide skilled refugees access to employer-sponsored skilled migration pathways that would otherwise be inaccessible due to their circumstances.
Specialised terms and concessions include:
- Waiver of skills assessment requirements (employers can determine whether candidates have sufficient skills)
- Waiver of requirement for minimum work experience
- Flexibility in assessing the English language requirement
- Increase in age eligibility (allowing sponsorship of people up to 50 years old)
- Flexible arrangements for travel documents and police records checks (similar to those offered to resettled refugees)
Main activities of the Good Practice
The Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot provides skilled refugees with a complementary pathway, in addition to humanitarian resettlement, to live and work in Australia.
The Pilot, designed by the Australian Government in collaboration with Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB), commenced in July 2021 as a two year pilot program for 100 skilled refugees plus their families across a range of skilled occupations. In April 2022, the Australian Government increased the size of the pilot to accommodate a further 100 places for 50 Afghan nationals and 50 Ukraine nationals plus their families. The expansion also allows candidates to gain employment in a range of new occupations, greater skills recognition, and provide additional visa flexibility for candidates inside Afghanistan.
Under the Pilot, TBB helps connect skilled refugees and displaced persons with participating Australian employers to sponsor them on a permanent or temporary basis on one of the following visas:
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR) (subclass 494) visa program with a permanent pathway to a Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) available after three years
- Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) (subclass 186) visa program on a direct entry basis
- Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) (subclass 482) visa.
Subject to meeting the eligibility requirements, those entering under the pilot as skilled temporary visa holders, may be granted permanent residency.
Specialised terms and concessions under a Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement provide skilled refugees access to employer-sponsored skilled migration pathways that would otherwise be inaccessible due to their circumstances.
For further information, visit: Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot Program (homeaffairs.gov.au), and Talent Beyond Boundaries.
Partners involved
- UNHCR
- Government
- Private sector
What challenges were encountered in delivering the project and how were they overcome?
Challenges
Planning for the Pilot review will start in the coming months.
Some operational issues have been identified to date, such as difficulty accessing English language testing by some candidates (including Afghan nationals) and provision of formal documentation for identification purposes.
How they were overcome
The Department of Home Affairs and TBB continue to work through operational issues as they arise and develop solutions on both a case-by-case basis, and developing procedures iteratively and flexibly.
The initial small-scale approach to the Pilot has allowed the Australian Government to test demand, operational approaches and partnerships, and learn how a larger scale program might work in practice in the Australian context.
The Pilot will be reviewed in the coming months.
Results of the Good Practice
The Pilot is providing durable solutions to skilled refugees, displaced persons and their families to establish a new life in Australia.
The Pilot is a practical example of how businesses and business leaders in Australia can harness the talent of refugees to address skills shortages, creating win-win for displaced people, employers and the wider Australian Community.
In what way does the good practice meet one or more of the four objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees?
Objective 3: Expand access to third-country solutions
The Pilot provides a complementary pathway, beyond traditional resettlement, for skilled refugees and other displaced people to move safely to a third country. It provides and opportunity for skilled refugees and displace persons to establish new lives in Australia harnessing their skills and experience.
Next steps
Planning for the Pilot review will start the coming months. This will be done in consultation with stakeholders and where possible, seek input from participating employers to assist with assessing Pilot outcomes.
Australia is a founding member of the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility and is engaging states that are interested in starting their own pilot initiatives for refugee labour mobility.
Are there areas in which support would be required to continue and/or scale up your good practice?
The Pilot will be reviewed in the coming months. This will be done in close consultation with Talent Beyond Boundaries and will seek input from participating employers to assist with assessing pilot.
Submitted by
Kimberley Alexander, Assistant Director, Humanitarian Policy Section, Department of Home Affairs