If you’re struggling to find engineers, project managers and surveyors for your next civil or construction project, sponsoring overseas workers is one way to close the gap, without your business having to become a visa sponsor itself.
TradeConnex holds an On-Hire Labour Agreement with the Department of Home Affairs. It lets us sponsor skilled overseas workers on a Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) visa for up to four years, employ them directly, and place them on your project. You get the worker. We carry the sponsorship.
Why these roles are hard to fill locally
Engineers, project managers and surveyors are some of the toughest roles to fill on Australian construction and civil sites right now. Infrastructure Australia projects a shortage of more than 300,000 construction and infrastructure workers by 2027, and experienced people in these positions are often the hardest gap to close through the local market alone.
This isn’t limited to one type of project. TradeConnex places workers across construction, civil and infrastructure, and renewable energy projects, and the sponsorship route works the same way whichever of those sectors your project sits in.
When a project timeline can’t wait for the right local candidate to come along, sponsoring from overseas becomes a practical option, provided someone is willing to take on the sponsorship obligations that come with it.
How the On-Hire Labour Agreement works
This is where our OHLA sponsorship service comes in. TradeConnex already holds the agreement with Home Affairs, so your business doesn’t need to apply for its own sponsorship status, build the compliance capability, or take on the ongoing obligations of being a sponsor.
Instead:
- TradeConnex sponsors the worker on a Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) visa, for up to four years.
- We employ the worker directly, handling their payroll, tax, superannuation and sponsorship compliance.
- We on-hire the worker to your business, so they work on your site under your direction without your business becoming the sponsor.
- The agreement covers all Australian states and territories, so it works whether your project is in Sydney or regional NSW.
Because TradeConnex is the legal employer, the sponsorship obligations, record-keeping and ongoing compliance sit with us, not your business. Day to day, the worker reports to your site and works under your direction like any other member of your team. The sponsorship relationship runs in the background.
Engineers, project managers and surveyors under the agreement
At a general level, the roles TradeConnex can sponsor under the agreement include civil, structural, electrical and mechanical engineers, construction and project managers, surveyors, estimators, and selected trades. This isn’t an exhaustive or fixed list. Home Affairs, not TradeConnex, sets and updates which occupations are eligible for sponsorship, so treat this as a starting point for a conversation rather than a guarantee for a specific role.
When sponsorship makes sense
Sponsorship isn’t the first option for every vacancy. It suits a specific situation: a role you’ve genuinely struggled to fill through the local market, where the project can’t sit idle waiting, and where you need someone qualified and available rather than a longer local search. If that’s the position you’re in with an engineering, project management or surveying role, it’s worth a conversation before the gap starts costing you time on site.
What this means for your project
For an employer, the practical difference is speed and simplicity. You’re not setting up sponsorship infrastructure, or committing your business to years of ongoing compliance obligations, just to bring in one engineer or surveyor. You raise the need, TradeConnex handles the sponsorship and employment relationship, and the worker joins your site through our standard hire skilled workers process once they’re on the ground, working alongside the rest of your crew.
Getting started
If you’ve got engineer, project manager or surveyor roles you can’t fill locally, request workers and talk to the TradeConnex team about whether sponsorship through our On-Hire Labour Agreement is the right fit for your project.
The information in this article is general in nature and describes TradeConnex’s On-Hire Labour Agreement service. It is not immigration, migration or legal advice. Visa requirements, occupation lists, income thresholds and processing times are set by the Australian Department of Home Affairs, change regularly, and depend on your circumstances. For advice about your situation, speak to the TradeConnex team or a registered migration agent, and confirm current requirements at homeaffairs.gov.au.
