Australia & NZ

Care Assistant Jobs in Australia & NZ with Visa Sponsorship 2026

Care assistant roles can be sponsored in Australia under the Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa, with indicative salaries broadly in the range of AUD 50,000–65,000 per year depending on employer, region and shift patterns. The process is employer-led and requires a skills assessment before a visa application can be lodged.

By K. Bello, Jobs Editor · Published 7 Aug 2026 · Updated 7 Aug 2026 11 min read

Typical salary AUD 50,000–65,000 per year Indicative; varies by employer, region and award classification

Common visa route Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) — Medium-term stream Employer-led — verify current occupation list status on the official Home Affairs source

Main hurdle Occupation must appear on the relevant skilled occupation list at time of application Lists are updated periodically — always check before applying

Figures refreshed

Can Care Assistants Get Visa Sponsorship in Australia and New Zealand?

The short answer is yes — care assistant and aged care support roles have been among the occupations that Australian employers have actively sought to fill from overseas because domestic supply has not kept pace with demand. The primary visa route in Australia is the Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa, which is initiated by the employer, not the worker. New Zealand runs a parallel but separate system through the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). Neither route is straightforward, and the occupation must appear on the relevant skilled occupation list at the time of application — something that changes periodically. This guide covers what the work involves, what it pays, exactly how the visa process works, and what gets applications rejected.

What the Work Actually Involves — and Why Employers Cannot Fill It Domestically

A care assistant in Australia or New Zealand works primarily in residential aged care facilities, supported disability accommodation, or in clients' homes delivering community care. Day-to-day tasks include assisting with personal hygiene (showering, dressing, oral care), meal preparation and feeding support, medication prompts or administration (depending on your endorsement level), mobility assistance, companionship, and accurate record-keeping in digital care management systems such as Leecare or Civica.

The work is physically demanding, emotionally intensive, and frequently involves rotating shifts across mornings, afternoons, nights and weekends. Overnight and weekend penalty rates are a standard feature of Australian awards and can meaningfully increase take-home pay, but they also mean unsociable hours are unavoidable.

Australia's population is ageing faster than its care workforce is growing. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which reported in 2021, drew national attention to chronic understaffing. Since then, mandatory minimum care minutes per resident per day have been legislated, which has sharply increased the volume of qualified staff that residential facilities are legally required to employ. The gap between required hours and available local workers has made international recruitment not just permissible but commercially necessary for many operators.

In New Zealand, similar demographic pressure exists, and the sector has historically been undervalued in terms of pay — something the government has attempted to address through pay equity settlements for care and support workers in recent years. The workforce gap nevertheless persists, which is why both countries have kept this occupational family visible on their respective skilled and sector-priority frameworks.

What Care Assistants Earn in Australia and New Zealand

Australia

Care assistant pay in Australia is governed primarily by the Aged Care Award 2010 (for residential and community aged care) or the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (SCHADS Award, for disability and community support). These awards set minimum classifications and pay rates, and employers must pay at least the award rate.

Indicative annual full-time-equivalent salaries broadly fall in the range of AUD 50,000–65,000, with the following variables:

Factor	Effect on Pay
Shift type (nights, weekends, public holidays)	Significant uplift via penalty rates — can add thousands annually
Award classification level (Level 2 vs Level 3)	Higher classification requires demonstrated skills/experience
Employer type (for-profit vs NFP with salary packaging)	NFP employers often offer salary packaging, increasing net take-home
Location (metro vs regional/remote)	Remote areas sometimes attract allowances or higher base offers
State or territory	Some enterprise agreements pay above award minimums

Award rates are reviewed annually by the Fair Work Commission. Always verify current minimum rates at the Fair Work Ombudsman website (fairwork.gov.au) rather than relying on figures in any guide, including this one.

New Zealand

New Zealand care and support worker pay has been the subject of pay equity settlements, which have progressively lifted rates. Pay is quoted in NZD and the specific rate depends on the pay equity tier assigned to the role. Check the New Zealand Government's Whaikaha (Ministry of Disabled People) and the Ministry of Health guidance for current tier rates, as well as Immigration New Zealand's median wage thresholds for visa eligibility.

The Visa Route in Detail

Australia: Subclass 482 Temporary Skill Shortage Visa

The 482 visa is entirely employer-led. You cannot apply for it yourself without an employer's involvement. The process has three sequential stages:

Stage 1 — Sponsorship. The employer applies to become an approved standard business sponsor with the Department of Home Affairs. They must demonstrate they are actively operating a lawful business in Australia, have no adverse immigration or workplace compliance history, and commit to meeting training obligations. This is the employer's responsibility and cost.

Stage 2 — Nomination. The employer nominates a specific position for a specific occupation code. They must demonstrate that the proposed salary meets the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT), that genuine efforts were made to find an Australian worker first (the labour market testing requirement), and that the role genuinely matches the nominated occupation. The TSMIT is a legislated floor that changes — check the current figure on the Home Affairs website at the time of applying.

Stage 3 — Visa Application. Once the nomination is approved, you lodge the visa application. You must provide: a valid passport, health examination results (conducted by a panel physician approved by Home Affairs), police clearances from every country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the past 10 years, evidence of English language proficiency at the required level (typically IELTS, PTE Academic, or equivalent), and your positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing body.

The employer also pays the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy at the nomination stage. The amount depends on business turnover and visa duration. This is the employer's obligation — not yours.

New Zealand: Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)

In New Zealand, the employer must first achieve accreditation with Immigration New Zealand, then post a job check (confirming the role meets pay and labour market requirements), and finally support your visa application. The care sector has been the subject of specific sector agreements and Green List provisions in recent years, which can affect processing priorities and pathway eligibility. Always check the Immigration New Zealand website (immigration.govt.nz) for current settings, as these have changed multiple times and will continue to do so.

Qualifications, Skills Assessment and Registration

Certificate III in Individual Support

For the Australian 482 visa pathway, you will almost certainly need a positive skills assessment. The assessing authority for aged and disability care occupations is typically specified on the Department of Home Affairs' skilled occupation list entry. The Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA) is one body involved in this space, but confirm the correct assessing authority for your specific ANZSCO code from the official source.

The benchmark qualification in Australia is the Certificate III in Individual Support (CHC33021 or its current equivalent), which covers ageing, disability, or home and community care specialisations. If you completed overseas training, the assessing body will evaluate whether your qualifications and experience are comparable. Gaps in your evidence — missing transcripts, unverified work history, qualifications from unrecognised institutions — are a common reason for negative assessments.

If your overseas qualification is assessed as not comparable, many applicants complete the Certificate III through an Australian Registered Training Organisation (RTO) while still overseas or on a different visa. This takes several months and involves practical placement hours, which can be difficult to complete remotely. Plan accordingly.

English Language Requirements

Both Australia and New Zealand require demonstrated English proficiency. For the 482 visa, the specific test and score threshold depends on the occupation. IELTS (Academic or General), PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, and Cambridge C1 Advanced are accepted, each with their own score equivalencies. Exemptions may apply for passport holders of certain countries. Check the current requirements in the Home Affairs legislative instrument — do not assume the threshold from a forum post or this guide.

No Separate Registration Body

Unlike nursing (which requires AHPRA registration in Australia), care assistant roles at the Certificate III level do not require registration with a professional regulatory body in Australia. However, Working with Vulnerable People (or equivalent) checks and state-based screening are required in most jurisdictions and are the employer's responsibility to arrange, though you will need to apply for them yourself.

Not every aged care provider sponsors overseas workers. The practical cost of sponsorship — the SAF levy, legal fees, and administrative burden — means smaller single-facility operators often find it financially prohibitive. The employers most likely to actively recruit internationally include:

Large residential aged care groups operating multiple facilities across a state or nationally — these have dedicated HR and migration teams and existing sponsorship infrastructure.
Home care and disability support organisations holding NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) registration, which often have volume staffing needs.
Church and not-for-profit aged care providers — many of the largest operators in Australia (Catholic Healthcare, Uniting, Presbyterian Aged Care, for example) have historically recruited internationally during periods of acute shortage.
Regional and rural facilities — a facility in a regional town may sponsor when metro employers will not, because the local labour pool is smaller. Regional areas also sometimes attract visa concessions — check the Department of Home Affairs' regional provisions.

How to identify genuine sponsoring employers: Look for job advertisements that explicitly state "visa sponsorship available" or "sponsorship considered for the right candidate." Cross-reference the employer's ABN on the Australian Business Register (abr.business.gov.au) to confirm they are a real, active business. Ask directly during the recruitment process whether they are an approved sponsor or are willing to become one. A legitimate employer will not be evasive about this.

Mistakes That Get Applications Rejected — and How to Fix Them

Applying before checking the occupation list. The occupation must be on the relevant list when the nomination is lodged, not when you started your job search. Fix: check the current Medium-term Skilled Occupation List (MTSOL) on the Home Affairs website before doing anything else.
Skills assessment submitted with incomplete documentation. Missing certified translations, incomplete employment references, or unverified transcripts lead to delays or refusals. Fix: read the assessing body's document checklist in full, get translations certified by a NAATI-certified translator, and obtain statutory declarations from former employers where official records cannot be obtained.
English test score falling below threshold. Some applicants underestimate the required band scores for specific subtests. Fix: check the exact subtest requirements for your occupation code, not just the overall score, and take a preparation course if needed.
Salary offered below TSMIT. The employer offers a package that looks compliant on paper but falls below the current TSMIT when benefits are stripped out. Fix: the employer's migration agent must calculate total guaranteed annual earnings carefully against the current TSMIT — this check should happen before the nomination is lodged.
Police clearance gaps. Missing clearances for countries where you lived for 12 months or more in the past decade. Fix: start gathering clearances from all relevant countries early — some take weeks to months to issue.
Health examination expiry. Medical exams are only valid for a set period. Fix: do not book your health examination until the nomination is approved, so it does not expire before the visa is decided.
Applying through a sponsor with a compliance red flag. Employers with Fair Work or immigration compliance issues can have nominations refused. Fix: research the employer — check news coverage, Glassdoor, and ask current or former employees about their sponsorship experience.
Relying on an unlicensed migration agent. In Australia, anyone charging a fee to provide immigration assistance must be a registered migration agent (MARA-registered). Fix: verify your agent's registration at mara.gov.au. In New Zealand, check the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) register at iaa.govt.nz.

Realistic Timeline from Application to Arrival

The following is indicative only. Processing times change and depend on caseload at Home Affairs, the complexity of your documents, and whether additional information is requested.

Stage	Who Acts	Indicative Duration
Skills assessment lodged	You	4–12 weeks (varies by assessing body)
Employer becomes approved sponsor (if not already)	Employer	4–8 weeks
Nomination lodged and approved	Employer	4–8 weeks (can run concurrently with sponsorship)
Visa application lodged	You	After nomination approval
Health examination and police clearances	You	2–4 weeks to gather
Visa decision	Home Affairs	Current median times published on Home Affairs website — check before planning
Notice period, travel, onboarding	Both	4–8 weeks

Total realistic planning horizon: 6–18 months from first contact with an employer to landing in Australia. Applicants who begin their skills assessment and English test early — before they have a firm job offer — can compress this timeline considerably.

Scam Warning: How to Protect Yourself

The combination of a genuine labour shortage, high visa complexity, and financially motivated job seekers creates a fertile environment for fraud. Understand these rules before you engage with anyone online.

No legitimate employer or agent charges you for a job offer. A job in aged care does not cost money. If anyone asks you to pay a "registration fee," "placement fee," "job activation fee," or any similar charge in order to secure a care assistant role in Australia or New Zealand, stop all contact immediately. This is a scam.

No migration agent can obtain a visa without employer involvement. The 482 visa cannot be lodged without an employer who is an approved sponsor nominating a specific role. If someone claims they can "arrange" a sponsored visa for you independently of an employer, they are lying.

Verify the employer's existence. Search the company name on the Australian Business Register (abr.business.gov.au) or the New Zealand Companies Register (companiesoffice.govt.nz). A real facility will have an address, an active ABN or NZBN, and a verifiable public profile (NDIS provider register, My Aged Care provider finder, etc.).

Verify your migration agent's registration. In Australia, check the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority at mara.gov.au. In New Zealand, check the Immigration Advisers Authority at iaa.govt.nz. Providing immigration advice for a fee without registration is illegal in both countries.

Be sceptical of social media job offers. Legitimate employers advertise on SEEK, Indeed, Ethical Jobs, and their own careers pages. A WhatsApp message from a stranger promising a sponsored role with relocation paid in advance is almost certainly fraudulent.

If you believe you have encountered a scam, report it to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission via Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) or, in New Zealand, to the Serious Fraud Office or Consumer Protection.

Before You Commit: Honest Considerations

Relocating to Australia or New Zealand for care work involves real costs — skills assessment fees, English testing, medical examinations, and travel — before you have any guarantee of a visa. The work itself is rewarding but physically and emotionally demanding, often on rotating shifts. Visa approval is never guaranteed regardless of how strong your application appears, and occupation list changes can affect eligibility at any point.

That said, for candidates with solid aged or disability care experience, a relevant qualification, and strong English, the pathway exists and employers are genuine in their need. Approach it with your eyes open, verify everything on official government sources, and engage a MARA-registered migration agent if the process feels overwhelming. The investment of doing it correctly the first time is worth it.

Frequently asked questions

Is care assistant on Australia's skilled occupation list for 2026?

The occupation most relevant to care assistant work in Australia is typically 'Aged or Disabled Carer' (ANZSCO 423111) or a related classification. Occupation list inclusions change, so you must verify current status on the Department of Home Affairs website before investing time in an application. Your prospective employer's migration agent should also confirm this at the outset.

Does New Zealand have a comparable sponsored visa route for care assistants?

New Zealand operates the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), which requires employers to be accredited with Immigration New Zealand before they can sponsor a worker. Care support work has featured on New Zealand's Green List and sector agreements, but the exact occupational classification and any applicable pathways change. Check Immigration New Zealand's official website for current settings before proceeding.

Do I need a qualification to work as a care assistant in Australia?

Most employers and the skills assessment authority expect at least a Certificate III in Individual Support (or an equivalent overseas qualification assessed as comparable). Some roles, particularly those involving medication administration or higher clinical tasks, require additional endorsements. Completing or recognising this certificate is usually the single biggest practical hurdle for overseas applicants.

Who pays for the visa — me or the employer?

The employer sponsors the visa and is responsible for the Skilling Australians Fund levy and lodgement of the sponsorship and nomination applications. You should expect to pay your own skills assessment fee and police clearance costs, but no legitimate employer charges you a fee for the job offer itself or for processing the visa on your behalf. Any request for upfront payment in exchange for a job offer is a scam.

How long does the 482 visa last for this role?

Under the Medium-term stream, the 482 visa is typically granted for up to four years, depending on the occupation and the terms of the nomination. Holders may be eligible to apply for permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) after meeting relevant criteria, but this is not automatic and the requirements change. Verify current pathway rules on the Home Affairs website.

Can my family come with me on the 482 visa?

Secondary applicants — a spouse or de facto partner and dependent children — can be included in a 482 visa application. They are generally permitted to work and study in Australia while the primary visa is valid. Each secondary applicant attracts additional government fees, and health and character requirements apply to all family members.

What is a skills assessment and who does it for this role?

A skills assessment is an independent evaluation of your qualifications and work experience against Australian standards for your nominated occupation. For aged and disability care roles, the assessing authority is typically the Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA) or another body specified by the Department of Home Affairs. You apply directly to the assessing body, pay their fee, and provide certified documents — the employer cannot do this for you.

Are there permanent residency pathways after the 482 visa?

Yes, there are employer-nominated permanent residency pathways, most notably the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) under the Temporary Residence Transition stream after working for your sponsoring employer for a specified period. There are also state and territory nomination programmes under the skilled migration framework. None of these are guaranteed, and the eligibility criteria and processing times change — check the Department of Home Affairs website for current requirements.

Disclosure: This guide is general information, not legal, immigration, or recruitment advice. We are not a recruiter or an employer: we do not offer jobs, take applications, or sponsor visas. Salary figures are indicative and vary by employer, location and experience. Job links open live searches on Indeed — always check each listing's own wording for sponsorship, apply through the employer's official channel, and never pay anyone who guarantees a job or a visa.

K. Bello — Jobs Editor

Covers visa-sponsored work abroad — which employers sponsor, what roles pay, and what each visa route actually requires. Guides are checked against current government and employer sources and refreshed as rules change.