A company that supplies mining services in Western Australia were experiencing challenges in retaining mobile plant operators. Their workforce consisted of veteran staff and high turnover working-holiday people. The company engaged us to provide a migration solution and assist in recruiting experienced international workers.
Mobile plant operators were not an eligible occupation on the immigration department’s Skilled Occupation List. However, we proposed the sponsored migration pathway under a regional visa program that allowed an exemption for this occupation. We presented candidates from the UK, Ireland and South Africa. We also arranged a skills test and demonstration for the client in Johannesburg.
The client selected 16 candidates and these workers commenced employment in Australia within 3 months. The regional visa program imposes a condition that the sponsored worker must remain with the company for at least 3 years to qualify for permanent residency. The workers applied for their independent residency after committing to the company for 3 years.