For employers · Labour agreements
The Restaurant (Premium Dining) labour agreement: which restaurants qualify, what it covers and what it changes
Most restaurants sponsor chefs and cooks through the standard 482, because both occupations are on the Core Skills Occupation List. The premium dining labour agreement is for the restaurants the standard rules do not serve well: fine dining venues that need a restaurant manager or a trade waiter, which the standard list does not cover, or a worker whose English or age falls outside the standard settings. It is one of the ten industry labour agreements Home Affairs offers, with terms fixed in a template that every participating restaurant signs.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed November 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Who qualifies
- Non-franchised, wine list, revenue at least $2m a year, experienced staff
- Occupations
- Chef, Cook, Cafe or Restaurant Manager, Trade Waiter
- Visas
- 482, 494 and 186
- English (482/494)
- IELTS 5.0 overall, 4.5 L/S, 4.0 R/W
- Salary
- No concession: standard threshold applies
- Term
- 5 years from signing
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
Which restaurants qualify
The agreement is not open to every restaurant. The Department's template defines a premium dining establishment by four attributes, all of which must be present: it employs highly experienced staff, it offers a wine list, its revenue is at least $2 million a year, and it is not a franchise. On top of that, the business must need specialised staff both front and back of house. The template gives trade waiters, sommeliers and maîtres d' as examples of the first, and wok and sushi chefs as examples of the second.
Meeting the definition is a continuing obligation, not a gate passed once. The template requires the sponsor to tell the Department within 30 days if the business stops meeting it, for example after a change to the format of the venue or a fall in revenue.
The occupations
The agreement covers four occupations, each available for the 482, the regional 494 and the 186. The right-hand column shows where each stands on the standard lists, which is what decides whether the agreement adds anything.
| Occupation | Code | Outside the agreement |
|---|---|---|
| Chef | 351311 | On the Core Skills list: standard 482 also open |
| Cook | 351411 | On the Core Skills list: standard 482 also open |
| Cafe or Restaurant Manager | 141111 | Not on the Core Skills list: standard 482 closed |
| Trade Waiter | 070499 (administrative code; no ANZSCO occupation) | Not on any skilled occupation list |
For a fine dining venue the agreement matters most for the two roles at the bottom of the table. A restaurant manager or a trade waiter cannot be sponsored through the standard 482 at all, and the agreement is one of the few routes that reaches them. Each agreement also carries a ceiling on the number of nominations per occupation per year, settled when the agreement is made.
The concessions
- English. For the 482 and the 494, IELTS 5.0 overall with at least 4.5 in listening and speaking and 4.0 in reading and writing, or the equivalent in another accepted test. For the 186, the standard English requirement applies.
- Age. For the 494 and the 186, the nominee must be under 55 when the visa application is lodged, rather than under 45.
- Trade Waiter experience. A Certificate III in hospitality (restaurant front of house) or equivalent with 12 months of relevant experience; or 18 months of relevant experience in Australia on a temporary visa; or two years of relevant experience.
What does not change
The template records nil concessions on salary. The nomination must meet the standard income threshold, and the sponsor has to give written evidence of it, as well as paying the market rate. For Chef, Cook and Cafe or Restaurant Manager there is no concession on experience either. The sponsor also commits to taking reasonable steps to recruit suitably skilled Australians first, and to aim to keep overseas workers to no more than a third of its workforce in any year.
Nomination requirements
A 482 or 494 nomination under the agreement needs evidence of at least two labour market testing attempts made in the six months before lodgement, with at least one advertisement reaching a national audience; the other may be local or regional. The position must be full-time, ongoing and available for at least two years. For the 494, the nominee needs at least two years of relevant experience. The labour market testing guide explains how the advertising is usually run.
The path to the 186
A 186 nomination under the agreement needs the nominee to have worked as the primary holder of a 457 or 482 in the nominated occupation: two years for Chef and Cook, three years for Cafe or Restaurant Manager and Trade Waiter. The nominee also needs at least three years of full-time relevant experience in Australia in the occupation, and the standard 186 English requirement applies. The agreement runs for five years from the date the Department signs it and is reviewed after three.
Agreement or standard 482?
For a chef or cook who meets the standard English requirement, at a venue outside the limited service caveat, the standard 482 is usually simpler: there is no agreement to request, no ceiling and no premium dining test to keep meeting. The agreement earns its place where a qualifying restaurant needs a manager or trade waiter, a worker whose English sits between the agreement's scores and the standard ones, or a permanent pathway for a worker aged 45 to 54. The chef and cook guide covers the standard route, and the labour agreements guide covers how a request is made.
Test your restaurant against the agreement
A consultation checks the business against the premium dining definition, compares the agreement with the standard 482 for the roles you need, and sets out the request, the ceilings 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 – Restaurant (Premium Dining) 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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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.
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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
What is a premium dining restaurant for the labour agreement?
The Department's template defines it by four attributes: the business employs highly experienced staff, offers a wine list, has revenue of at least $2 million a year and is not a franchise. It must also need specialised front-of-house staff, such as trade waiters, sommeliers or maîtres d', and specialised back-of-house staff, such as wok or sushi chefs.
Which occupations does the premium dining agreement cover?
Four: Chef (351311), Cook (351411), Cafe or Restaurant Manager (141111) and Trade Waiter, which has an administrative code (070499) because ANZSCO has no matching occupation. Each can be nominated for the 482, the regional 494 and the 186 under the agreement.
Does the agreement lower the salary?
No. The template records nil concessions on salary, and the sponsor must give written evidence that the standard income threshold requirements are met. The concessions are on English, on age for the 494 and 186, and on the experience a Trade Waiter needs.
What English score does the agreement accept?
For the 482 and 494, the template sets IELTS 5.0 overall with at least 4.5 in listening and speaking and 4.0 in reading and writing, or the equivalent. For the 186, the standard English requirement for that visa applies.
Can a cafe or pub use the premium dining agreement?
Only if the business meets the template's definition of premium dining, including revenue of at least $2 million a year, a wine list and non-franchised status, and actually needs specialised front and back-of-house staff. A business that does not meet it would look at the standard 482 for chefs and cooks, a DAMA in its region, or a company-specific labour agreement.
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 restaurant the session tests the business against the premium dining definition, compares the agreement with the standard 482, and sets out the request, the ceilings and the nomination steps.
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