For employers · Labour agreements
The Fishing Industry Labour Agreement: the seven crew and processing roles, the concessions and the pay rules
Most fishing crew roles are missing from the standard skilled lists, so fishing businesses sponsor through the Fishing Industry Labour Agreement. It covers seven occupations, from deck hand to ship's master and seafood process worker, with English concessions that go further than any other industry agreement for the two entry crew roles. It also sets pay rules suited to catch-share arrangements, which need care when the employment contract is drafted.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed November 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Occupations
- 7 crew and processing roles
- Visas
- 482, 494 (regional) and 186
- English (deck/fishing hand, 482)
- IELTS 4.5 overall, or 4.5 speaking and listening
- Salary
- 90% of the threshold in Category 3 only
- Age (494/186)
- Under 55 in regional locations
- 186
- 3 years with the sponsor on a 457 or 482
The migration agent that other migration agents learn from. WIDEN is an OMARA-approved CPD provider — our training is rated ★4.8 by 40+ registered migration agents.
About the CPD →MARN 1576536 · Checked against the Home Affairs agreement template on 8 November 2026; occupation lists read 6 November 2026
The occupations
The same seven occupations are available for the 482, the 494 and the 186. Location categories are the Department's: Category 1 the major cities, Category 2 cities and major regional centres, Category 3 regional centres and other regional areas; the 494 is available only in Categories 2 and 3. The right-hand column shows the standard-list position, which is why the agreement is needed.
| Occupation | Code | Location | Outside the agreement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deck Hand | 899211 | Any location | Not on any skilled occupation list |
| Fishing Hand | 899212 | Any location | Not on any skilled occupation list |
| Master Fisher | 231211 | As set in the agreement | Not on the Core Skills list (listed for 494) |
| Ship's Engineer (Fishing Industry) | 070499 | As set in the agreement | On the Core Skills list as Ship's Engineer |
| Ship's Master | 231213 | As set in the agreement | Not on the Core Skills list (listed for 494, 491) |
| Ship's Officer | 231214 | As set in the agreement | Not on the Core Skills list (listed for 494) |
| Seafood Process Worker | 831313 | Category 2 or 3 only | Not on any skilled occupation list |
Ship's Engineer (Fishing Industry) is nominated under the administrative code 070499 but must meet the ANZSCO requirements for Ship's Engineer. Each agreement sets yearly ceilings on nominations when it is made.
Experience and certificates
For a deck hand or fishing hand on a 482, the worker needs at least two years of recent relevant experience overseas or at least one year in Australia, shown by a signed sea-time or log book. The worker must also hold safety and rescue certificates that comply with the STCW 1978 convention and a first aid certificate issued within the 12 months before nomination, or else obtain an Australian first aid certificate within a year of starting work. For the other five occupations, the worker must meet the ANZSCO requirements for the occupation. For the 494, at least two years of recent relevant experience is needed, and for the 186, three years of full-time work in Australia in the occupation.
English
- Deck Hand and Fishing Hand, 482 (any location): IELTS 4.5 overall with no component minimum, or 4.5 in speaking and listening with no overall or reading and writing minimum.
- Other occupations, 482 in Category 1: IELTS 5.0 overall with at least 4.5 in each component.
- All occupations, 482 and 494 in Categories 2 and 3: IELTS 5.0 overall with no component minimum (for deck and fishing hands the 482 keeps the lower setting above).
- All occupations, 186: IELTS 5.0 overall with at least 4.5 in each component.
The deck hand and fishing hand concessions depend on the sponsor meeting extra obligations set out in the agreement.
Pay and catch share
In Category 1 and 2 locations there is no salary concession; in Category 3, guaranteed earnings must be at least 90% of the income threshold. In every location the sponsor must show in writing that the worker is engaged full-time and that annual monetary benefits are not less than a percentage of catch, and the monetary pay must still reach the threshold, or 90% of it in Category 3. Accommodation, clothing, meals and travel are additional to that amount and cannot be counted towards it. If an equivalent Australian worker receives more in a 12-month period, the sponsor pays the difference the following month.
Age and labour market testing
In Category 2 and 3 locations the worker must be under 55 when a 494 or 186 application is lodged; in Category 1 the standard age rules apply. For the 482 and 494: in Category 1, the same labour market testing as a standard nomination; in Category 2, at least two separate attempts with national reach in the last 12 months; in Category 3, at least two attempts in the last 12 months, one with national reach and one that may be local or regional. Labour hire or recruitment providers used must hold the licence their state or territory requires.
Permanent residence
A 186 nomination needs the worker to have been employed directly by the sponsor, full-time, as the primary holder of a 457 or 482 in the occupation for at least three years before the nomination. The template sets the 482 employment period at up to four years and the 494 at five. The agreement runs for five years and is reviewed after three, and the sponsor commits to aim to keep overseas workers to no more than a third of its workforce in any year.
Plan your crew under the agreement
A consultation matches each crew role to the agreement, checks certificates and sea-time evidence, and sets out the pay structure, the request and the first nominations.
Book a consultation — A$330 inc. GST, credited
General information only, current at 8 November 2026; not advice on your own case. Department of Home Affairs, Labour Agreement – Fishing Industry template and industry labour agreements page; skilled occupation data as read on the date shown above. The terms of a signed agreement, including ceilings, are set when the agreement is made. Outcomes depend on the Department’s assessment of each request and application; no registered migration agent can guarantee a result (Code of Conduct, Migration Agents Regulations). Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536.
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Book 30 minutes with Keshab.
Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536), reads your situation with you and tells you which route fits, what it costs and what happens next.
Video consultation. A$330 inc. GST for 30 minutes, credited in full if you go ahead. Advice on your own case is given in the consultation, and you leave it with a clear plan in writing.
What you get
- 30 minutes (A$330) or 60 minutes (A$550) by video with a registered migration agent, Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536.
- A written summary of your options and next steps after the session.
- What to bring: ABN, what the business does, the role and salary, the candidate’s CV and current visa.
- Prefer no call? The sponsorship readiness check is done in writing, A$550.
Book an employer sponsorship consultation — A$330 inc. GST, credited In writing, no call — A$550
Need 60 minutes, or bringing a partner, employer or documents to go through? Extended consultation, A$550 inc. GST.
MARN 1576536 · practising since 2015 · contact details
Questions we get asked first
Can a fishing business sponsor deck hands?
Not through the standard 482: deck hand and fishing hand are not on the skilled occupation lists. The Fishing Industry Labour Agreement covers both, along with Master Fisher, Ship's Engineer (Fishing Industry), Ship's Master, Ship's Officer and Seafood Process Worker, for the 482, the regional 494 and the 186.
What English does a deck hand need under the fishing agreement?
For the 482, an overall IELTS 4.5 with no component minimum, or 4.5 in speaking and listening with no overall or reading and writing minimum. For the 494 in regional locations, an overall 5.0; for the 186, an overall 5.0 with at least 4.5 in each component. The deck hand and fishing hand concessions come with extra sponsor obligations in the agreement.
What certificates does a deck hand or fishing hand need?
Safety and rescue certificates that comply with the STCW 1978 convention, and a first aid certificate issued within the 12 months before nomination; otherwise an Australian first aid certificate within a year of starting work. They also need two years of recent relevant overseas experience or one year in Australia, shown by a signed sea-time or log book.
Can crew be paid a share of the catch?
The sponsor must show in writing that the worker is engaged full-time and that annual monetary benefits are not less than a percentage of catch, and the worker's monetary pay must still meet the income threshold, or 90% of it in Category 3 locations. Non-cash items such as accommodation, meals, clothing and travel are on top of that amount, not part of it.
What does the consultation cost?
A$330 inc. GST for 30 minutes by video with Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536), credited in full if you engage WIDEN. For a fishing business the session matches each crew role to the agreement, checks the certificates and sea-time evidence, and sets out the pay structure, request and first nominations.
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