Joint media release: Australian Agriculture visa

 23 August 2021

They announced the establishment of the Australian Agriculture visa to build on the highly successful existing Pacific schemes. 

This visa responds to workforce shortages in the agriculture and primary industry sectors, and recent changes to the Working Holiday Maker program developed as part of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement. 

The Australian Agriculture visa will be available to workers across the agriculture (including meat processing), fisheries and forestry sectors and provide a basis for the ongoing growth of Australia's primary industries as they strive to reach $100 billion in value by 2030.

Regulations to enable the creation of the Australian Agriculture visa will be in place by the end of September 2021. Operation of the visa will depend on negotiations with partner countries.

The Australian Agriculture visa will be open to applicants from a range of countries negotiated through bilateral agreements. Full conditions will be developed and implemented over the next 3 years as the visa is operationalized. During this implementation period we will work to achieve a demand driven approach and consider permanent residency pathways and regional settlement.

Quarantine places remain the biggest constraint to bringing in overseas workers where there are no Australians to fill workforce shortages. The Government is working closely with States and Territories to ensure we can meet future workforce needs across all sectors.

Source : https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/joint-media-release-australian-agriculture-visa