How TBB partners can refer refugees into Australia’s Skilled Refugee Pilot program

Are you an individual or organisation working with refugees and other displaced people? By partnering with TBB, you can provide your clients with access to the Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot program in Australia (providing they are eligible candidates).

We invite partners to directly job-match eligible refugee candidates with roles in Australia that meet the requirements of the program. Once a job offer is signed, simply refer the refugee candidate and the Australian employer to TBB for endorsement.

How does it work?

Step 1) Screen your refugee candidate against basic eligibility criteria

  • The candidate must be in need of international protection (a refugee or in a refugee-like situation);

  • The primary applicant must be under 55 years of age;

  • Spouse and child dependents under 23 can be included. (Extended family such as siblings, parents unfortunately cannot be included under the current framework);

  • Primary applicant must have at least functional English (4.5 IELTS minimum or equivalent);

  • All applicants must meet health and character requirements.

If you are unsure whether your refugee candidate meets the criteria above, you can request that TBB to conduct an ‘intake’ before you proceed.

Step 2) Job-match your refugee candidate with an Australian employer and role that meets the requirements of the program

  • Minimum 2 year contract with no exclusion to renew the contract;

  • The nominated position should fall within the program’s approved occupations;

  • Terms and conditions of employment should be in line with Fair Work national employment standards;

  • Minimum salary should be $70,000 plus superannuation or market salary, whichever is higher. (Note that TBB has access to a 10% salary concession meaning, for some roles, the minimum salary is $63,000. Please discuss with TBB before securing a role that is less than $70,000).

  • Employer must be willing to pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy of $5,000 (annual turnover $10million or more) / $3,000 (annual turnover less than $10 million);

Note: Australian employers that you refer to the program will be subject to checking by the Australian Government as part of the employer sponsorship process to ensure that they are suitable to sponsor overseas workers and there is no adverse information known about the employer, particularly in relation to compliance with Australian laws. 

Step 3) Confirm that cost of visas, relocation, and settlement in Australia can be covered

Unless alternative arrangements are in place (fundraising, philanthropy, etc) the employer should be willing to cover all costs associated with visa fees, flights, settlement support, and temporary accommodation for the candidate and their family upon arrival in Australia for up to 4 weeks.

Note: TBB does not charge a fee for our services. All required funds go directly to cover the costs associated with candidate relocation.

Step 4) Ensure that your refugee candidate has registered on the Talent Catalog

Once a job offer is signed, instruct your refugee candidate to register on the Talent Catalog (https://tctalent.org/) if they have not already done so.

Step 5) Refer both your refugee candidate (along with their Talent Catalog ID) and Australian employer to TBB for endorsement

Contact us via email to refer both your refugee candidate and employer:
info@talentbeyondboundaries.org

CC - Louna Ghawi: lghawi@talentbeyondboundaries.org

TBB will ‘intake’ your candidate to confirm that they are eligible for the program, and meet with the employer to ensure that the role meets program requirements, and to conduct high-level due diligence to confirm there is no known adverse information about the employer.

Step 6) TBB endorses the candidate and employer:

That’s it! Once TBB has confirmed our endorsement of your candidate and employer, we will work with all parties to support the visa process through the Skilled Refugee Pilot Program. 

Learn more