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Meat industry Labour Agreement

The Meat Industry Labour Agreement lets you sponsor skilled overseas workers in the occupation of ‘skilled meat worker’ for a temporary period up to 4 years and/or for permanent residence. The terms and conditions of the agreement are set and non-negotiable.

Note that the concessions available under the agreement vary depending on the visa subclass as well as the designated regional location of the business.

The income threshold for labour agreements is now the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), which replaced the TSMIT in December 2024 and is currently $79,423 (from 1 July 2026). Any salary concession in a labour agreement applies as a proportion of the current CSIT. For example, a 10% concession means a salary of at least 90% of the CSIT.

As an employer, you must show that you meet the following requirements:

Visa

You can sponsor skilled overseas workers on these visas:

Occupation

You can only nominate the occupation of ‘skilled meat worker’.

There is no Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) code for this occupation. Use the code 070499 instead when you nominate this occupation.

Occupation tasks

Your sponsored skilled overseas worker completes the tasks of a skilled meat worker which include the duties of ANZSCO occupations Slaughterer, and Meat Boner and Slicer. These tasks are:

  • stun and kill livestock, and prepare carcasses for further processing by removing internal organs and hides
  • operate switching controls to direct and drop carcasses and meat cuts from supply rails to boning tables
  • cut meat to separate meat, fat and tissue from around bones
  • wash, scrape and trim foreign material and blood from meat
  • cut sides and quarters of meat into standard meat cuts, such as rumps, flanks and shoulders, and removing internal fat, blood clots, bruises and other matter to prepare them for packing and marketing
  • operate restrainer and stunning equipment
  • sever jugular veins of stunned animals to drain blood and facilitate dressing
  • trim and remove head meat and sever animal heads
  • slit open, eviscerate and trim animal carcasses
  • slaughter livestock according to procedures required by religious customs
Am I eligible for a labour agreement pathway?

English language

Skilled overseas workers must meet the following English language requirements:

Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)

  • Category 1, 2 and 3 regional locations: IELTS overall test score of at least 5.0, with no minimum score for each of the test components, or equivalent

Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186)

  • Category 1, 2 and 3 regional locations:
    • IELTS overall test score of at least 5.0, with no minimum score for each of the test components, or equivalent or
    • are a current subclass 457 visa holder who was not required to provide evidence of English language proficiency at the time of grant of their subclass 457 visa and provides evidence as prescribed in the Migration Regulations for meeting functional English

Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494)

  • Category 2 and 3 regional locations: IELTS overall test score of at least 5.0, with no minimum score for each of the test components, or equivalent.

Skills, qualifications and experience

To meet occupation requirements, an Overseas Worker nominated under this agreement must:

  • have been assessed* and verified to be Skilled Meat Workers with a minimum skill level commensurate with the Meat Industry National Training Advisory Council (MINTRAC) referenced Australian Qualification Framework Certificate III in meat processing. This assessment must be carried out by a MINTRAC registered assessor, or an assessor approved by the Commonwealth. The assessor must have a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment experienced in meat processing.
  • They must also either:
    • demonstrate a minimum of 2 years skilled work experience obtained at an meat processing establishment (MPE) acceptable to the Parties or
    • have been working in Australia on a Subclass 457 or Skills in Demand visa at an Australian MPE acceptable to the Parties for at least 9 months prior to being nominated or
    • at least 1 year relevant work experience in Australia on a temporary visa other than a Subclass 457 or SID visa at an Australian MPE acceptable to the Parties.

In addition to the above occupational requirements, there are also minimum levels of work experience that need to be met to satisfy visa criteria. The same work experience can count towards both the occupation requirements and visa criteria requirements.

Work experience requirements for visa eligibility purposes will vary depending on the location of the business and also the subclass of visa.

* Unless requested by the Department, Employer Nominated Scheme (subclass 186) visa applicants sponsored under MILA arrangements will not be required to have a skills assessment undertaken by a MINTRAC registered assessor if they have previously had a positive skills assessment completed in connection with an earlier Subclass 457 or SID visa grant under a Meat Industry Labour Agreement. However, the Department may require an ENS visa applicant to be reassessed in specific circumstances (e.g. where there are concerns about a visa applicant’s prior skills assessment, or, where employment with the Sponsor is broken by periods of more than three months).

Salary

You must met the salary requirements in place for the following programs.

  • Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)
  • Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) and
  • Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494).

The earnings of the skilled overseas worker in Category 3 regional locations and an Australian worker can be equal to, or greater than, 90% of the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT).

As the sponsor you must also:

  • employ skilled overseas workers on a full-time basis
  • ensure that if the skilled overseas worker is paid an annualised salary that they receive a top-up, if over an annual period, an Australian worker receives a higher amount for performing equivalent work

Age

There is no age limit for the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482).

Applicants working in Category 1 regional areas must meet standard age requirements at the time of application for the:

  • Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186)
  • Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494).

Applicants working in Category 2 and 3 regional areas must be under 55 years of age at the time of application for the:

  • Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186)
  • Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494).

Employer sponsored visa guides

Is my business eligible to sponsor under a labour agreement?

Book a meeting today for a commitment free briefing with our Registered Migration Agents in Melbourne to find more about your visa options.

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