For employers · Seasonal and peak staff
Seasonal and peak-season staff: the visa options
Harvest, the tourist season, the Christmas rush: most peak staffing does not need sponsorship, but each source of workers comes with its own limits. This guide sets out the options from the employer's side and when a sponsored route makes more sense.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed on 10 November 2026 · Check the OMARA register
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - PALM
- Up to 9 months or 4 years
- Working holiday makers
- 6 months per employer (exemptions)
- Students
- 48 hours a fortnight in term
- Recurring skilled need
- 482, DAMA or labour agreement
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 →Working holiday makers
Working holiday makers (subclasses 417 and 462) have work rights, but condition 8547 limits work with any one employer to six months. Some work does not count towards the limit, including plant and animal cultivation and specified industries in northern Australia, and work at different locations where no location exceeds six months. Otherwise the Department can permit longer work only in limited situations, and the request has to be made before the six months end. Detail: keeping a working holiday maker past six months. Regional work can also help a working holiday maker qualify for a second or third year, which keeps experienced seasonal staff coming back.
Students and graduates
Student visa holders can work up to 48 hours a fortnight while their course is in session and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks, which often line up with the summer peak. Check each student's work conditions and course dates in VEVO, because a roster that breaches condition 8105 puts their visa at risk. Graduates on a 485, partners and others with full work rights have no hours limit. See student work hours.
PALM: Pacific and Timor-Leste workers
Under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, employers approved by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations recruit workers from Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste for jobs they cannot fill locally, on short-term contracts of up to 9 months or long-term contracts of up to 4 years, on the subclass 403 PALM stream. Employer approval, accommodation and welfare obligations come from the scheme, not just the visa. See PALM for employers.
When to sponsor instead
Seasonal workers solve volume; they rarely solve skill. If you need the same skilled person every year (a farm supervisor, a head chef, a mechanic for the harvest fleet), a 482 in a listed occupation gives you that person year-round. A DAMA for your region, or an industry labour agreement such as horticulture, meat, dairy or pork, can cover occupations and concessions the standard program does not.
Your obligations with any visa worker
Check work rights in VEVO before the first shift and keep the record. Visa workers have the same workplace rights as anyone else, including award pay and conditions; check the Fair Work Ombudsman for the award that applies. Allowing someone to work without the right to, or in breach of their work conditions, is an offence for the employer, and coercing a visa holder is a separate offence under the 2024 employer compliance laws. See the employer exploitation laws.
Plan the season before it starts
In an employer consultation Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536, registered since 2015) looks at your peak, your roles and your location and sets out which mix of visas works, and whether sponsoring would save you rehiring every year. A$330 inc. GST for 30 minutes or A$550 for 60 minutes, credited in full if you engage the practice.
Book an employer consultation →
In other currencies: A$330 is about US$225, €205 or £170; A$550 is about US$380, €340 or £285 (approximate, November 2026).
General information, not migration advice. No visa outcome can be promised.
Not sure which visa fits you?
Answer three questions. An automated guide points you to the route that usually applies. General information only.
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 we hire working holiday makers for the whole season?
A working holiday maker can work for one employer for up to six months under condition 8547. Some work is exempt, such as plant and animal cultivation and specified industries in northern Australia, and otherwise the Department can give permission to go beyond six months only in limited situations, requested before the six months end.
How many hours can a student work in our peak period?
Up to 48 hours a fortnight while their course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks. Check the student's course dates and work conditions in VEVO before rostering.
What is PALM and who can use it?
The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme lets employers approved by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations recruit workers from Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste for jobs they cannot fill locally: up to 9 months on short-term contracts or up to 4 years on long-term contracts, on the subclass 403 PALM stream.
When should we sponsor instead?
When the need is year-round or recurs every season with the same skilled role. A 482 suits a listed occupation at the market rate and threshold; a DAMA or an industry labour agreement (horticulture, meat, dairy, pork, fishing) can cover roles and concessions the standard program does not.
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