The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme was launched in April 2022, and is the product of merging the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS) and the Seasonal Employee Programme (SWP). This initiative not solely assists Australian companies in addressing native labour shortages by recruiting staff from 9 Pacific Islands and Timor-Leste, but it surely additionally gives vital employment alternatives and talent improvement for staff from these areas.

Who’s it for?

The PALM Scheme was designed to profit two events.

1. Australian companies struggling as a consequence of labour shortages: The PALM Scheme permits Australian employers to fill semi-skilled, low-skilled and unskilled positions by hiring staff for short-term roles for as much as 9 months or long-term roles for one to 4 years.
2. Pacific Islanders and Timor-Leste residents on the lookout for employment and alternatives to upskill: The PALM Scheme permits Pacific Island and Timor-Leste residents to work in Australia, develop their abilities and ship revenue dwelling. The PALM Scheme is obtainable to residents of the next nations:
   • Fiji
   • Kiribati
   • Nauru
   • Papua New Guinea
   • Samoa
   • Solomon Islands
   • Tonga
   • Tuvalu
   • Vanuatu
   • Timor-Leste

The way forward for the PALM Scheme

The PALM Scheme has proved to be an essential non permanent migration program addressing labour shortages throughout rural and regional Australia and within the agriculture business nationally. Since its inception, its recognition has continued to develop with the variety of members rising from 24,500 in Could 2022 to 38,180 in April 2023. The federal authorities had initially dedicated to reaching 35,000 PALM staff by June 2023 however achieved this determine six months forward of schedule in December 2022.

Whereas many questions have been raised as to the longer term and longevity of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme, in Could this yr, the Australian Authorities introduced additional growth and enchancment of the PALM Scheme. The intention is to strengthen this system, so it continues to profit employers and staff and their households and communities. They hope to attain this by:

• Strengthening the Australian Authorities’s oversight of the PALM Scheme to reinforce circumstances and higher defend and help staff and enhance their expertise in Australia.
• Responsibly rising the PALM Scheme and higher supporting employers and taking part nations by:
  • Offering further assets to Division of Employment and Office Relations (DEWR) to extend the PALM Scheme’s regional footprint to raised help PALM Scheme employers, together with small growers.
  • Rising assets together with personnel for taking part nations to extend the variety of staff taking on job alternatives in Australia. It will guarantee nations with aspirations to develop their participation within the scheme can achieve this.
• Supporting greater than 1,000 PALM Scheme staff to achieve formal {qualifications} over 4 years.
• Rising help to make it simpler for PALM Scheme staff to entry superannuation financial savings once they return dwelling.
• Offering entry to Medicare for an preliminary 200 households who will take part within the PALM Scheme household accompaniment pilot.

Can You Get Everlasting Residence if You Are in Australia on the PALM Scheme?

Whereas the PALM Scheme is a short lived migration program, the Australian Authorities is making an attempt to help and enhance the PALM Scheme by providing these in Australia on the PALM Scheme a pathway to PR through the Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV).

The PEV is a brand new everlasting visa that may complement the PALM Scheme by providing everlasting residence to residents from nations throughout the Pacific and Timor-Leste. There shall be an annual allocation of as much as 3,000 everlasting visas made out there via a poll course of to Pacific Island and Timor-Leste nationals, inclusive of companions and dependent youngsters.

PALM Scheme members presently in Australia on non permanent visas shall be eligible to enter the Pacific Engagement Visa poll as soon as registrations open, which in keeping with the DFAT could possibly be as quickly as 2024.

What are the obligations of employers within the PALM Scheme

To be eligible for the PALM Scheme, employers should meet sure obligations:

• Employee wellbeing
  Employers should guarantee staff are supported all through their time in Australia.
• Recruitment processes and labour market testing
  Employers are required to bear a collection of eligibility checks to make sure they’re respected, financially sound, and operationally capable of fulfil the necessities of the scheme.
• Employment circumstances
  Employers should present minimal hours and charges of pay.
• Arrival and departure briefings
  Employers are required to supply arrival and departure briefings for staff.
• Lodging and transport
  Employers are chargeable for offering lodging and transport.
• Pay parity
  Authorized employers at the moment are required to pay PALM staff according to different equally expert and skilled staff on the identical office.
• Visa prices
  PALM Scheme employers are chargeable for paying the upfront price of staff’ visas and submitting visa purposes on behalf of staff.

If you’re an employer wishing to take part within the PALM Scheme  you will have to turn into an permitted Short-term Actions Sponsor and exhibit that you’re a respectable, financially secure enterprise that’s dedicated to employee welfare. If you need help with this, please contact our skilled group of registered migration brokers at Visa Options Australia.

within the PALM scheme?

Whether or not you’re an employer seeking to turn into an permitted sponsor or a Pacific islander or Timor Leste citizen seeking to be a part of this promising program, the group at Visa Options might help! Our skilled group of registered migration brokers will give you steering and help all through the appliance course of and reply any questions you might need alongside the way in which. E book a session.