Working in Australia
For India passport holders · Checked 2026-08-15
Indian citizens are hired in Australia at real volume through the employer-sponsored Skills in Demand visa, points-tested skilled visas, and the India-only MATES scheme — but every route has a gate: an approved sponsor plus a roughly AUD 79,500 salary floor, a points test, or a 3,000-place ballot.
What the employer must have
- Must be an approved business sponsor with the Department of Home Affairs and nominate the specific role before the worker's Skills in Demand (subclass 482) application.
- Must pay at least the Core Skills Income Threshold — AUD 79,499/year for nominations from 1 July 2026 (AUD 146,717 for the Specialist Skills stream) — or the market rate if higher.
- Cannot recover sponsorship or migration costs from the worker.
What you must do before you leave
- Australia is NOT on India's ECR country list — no emigration clearance is needed to work there, even with an ECR-stamped passport.
- If you use a recruiting agent in India, use only a Ministry of External Affairs-registered agent; unregistered agents selling Australian jobs are a documented fraud pattern.
- Separate no-employer option: the MATES ballot (subclass 403) gives a 2-year work visa to Indian nationals aged 18-30 who graduated within the last 2 years from a top-100 NIRF-ranked Indian institution, with a bachelor-level or higher qualification in fields like ICT, engineering, AI, fintech, renewable energy, mining or agtech — up to 3,000 places per year, selection is random. If you are over 30 or graduated more than 2 years ago, MATES is not available to you.
Things to watch
- immi.homeaffairs.gov.au blocks automated access (HTTP 403); the 1 July 2026 thresholds were verified via two concordant professional alerts, with one agency publishing slightly lower figures — see notes.
- MATES is a random ballot — registering guarantees nothing; do not pay anyone who claims they can secure selection.
- Points-tested visas (189/190) require a skills assessment, English test and competitive points score; invitation rounds are selective.
- The nominated occupation must be on the skilled occupation list — most low-wage roles are excluded.
What you may lawfully be charged
THE MOST A REGISTERED RECRUITING AGENT MAY LAWFULLY CHARGE YOU is ₹30,000 plus 18% GST — ₹35,400 in total, once. Not per year, not per document.
Rule 25(1), Emigration Rules under the Emigration Act 1983.
⚠️ Never pay anyone for a job offer or a visa on this route. Legitimate employers and licensed agents do not charge workers for jobs.
Official sources
This describes the immigration system, not your personal case, and not this specific vacancy.