Permanent Residency for Chefs in Australia

The typical study pathway for becoming a chef includes:

1. Certificate III in Commercial Cookery (1-2 years): This is a n entry level course where you will learn the basics.

2. Certificate IV in Kitchen Management (1 year): This course will provide you with advanced training. And this is the minimum requirement that you need to have in order to qualify as chef in Australia.

3. Diploma of Hospitality Management (1-2 years): This course will equip you with skills required to run a kitchen or a hospitality business. This course is not mandatory in your PR pathway but is optional if you want to improve your skills.

Before enrolling in any of the courses above, ensure that your course is CRICOS registered. You can check whether your course is CRICOS registered here.

The Job Ready Program (JRP) is designed for international students who have completed an Australian qualification. This program assesses the practical skills of students who are studying trade courses. Completing the process is essential to obtaining a skill assessment, which will make you eligible to apply for skilled migration.

The JRP for chefs consist of 3 steps

• Job Ready Employment (JRE)

• Job Ready Workplace Assessment (JRWA)

• Job Ready Final Assessment (JRFA)

You must complete each step before moving on to the next on

Source: VETASSES

If you complete the Job Ready Program (JRP), you don’t require additional work experience for your skill assessment. Because, the JRP requires you to complete a minimum of 12 months of full time or equivalent part time paid employment. Working full time means you should be working at least 38 hours per week and part time would differ which would also impact on the time taken to complete the JRP. Your 12 months period commences at your Job Ready Employment (JRE) start date. Therefore, your experience that you gained while doing your JRP is sufficient. Keep in mind that this work experience will only be valid if your employer is approved by the TRA.

Edits: If you complete the Job Ready Program (JRP), you don’t require additional work experience for your skill assessment. Because, the JRP requires you to complete a minimum of 12 months of full time paid employment, which means you should be working at least 38 hours per week. Your 12 months period commences at your Job Ready Employment (JRE) start date. Therefore, your experience that you gained while doing your JRP is sufficient. Keep in mind that this work experience will only be valid if your employer is approved by the TRA.

You can also claim up to 3 months of prior employment if your employment was undertaken immediately before applying for the JRE. Your work experience will only be considered if it satisfies the following criteria:

• undertaken with the first eligible employer you registered for JRE,

• in your nominated occupation,

• undertaken in the three months immediately before your online JRE application,

• current and ongoing on the date you submitted your online JRE application,

• not already used to meet requirements for a PSA skills assessment outcome, and

• for employment arrangements approved by TRA

Getting a skill assessment as a chef is recommended because skill assessments are mandatory for skilled migration as well as for employer sponsored visas. Getting a skill assessment at the earliest is recommended since the skill assessing authority for chefs, Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) can take up to 7 months to process your application and provide an outcome. Time is a crucial factor when it comes to visa applications especially if your visa is expiring in the near future. Moreover your skill assessment will be valid for 3 years which enables you to use the assessment for various visa subclasses for a period of 3 years.

As a chef, you have two pathways through which you can get PR

• General skilled migration pathway

• Employer sponsored pathway.

General skilled migration program

If you are to apply for PR through the general skilled migration program, a skill assessment from TRA is mandatory. After obtaining the skill assessment, you need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) and Registration of Interest (ROI) to the federal government, relevant state, or territory depending on the type of visa that you are applying for. The occupation of chef is on the MLTSSL which means that you can apply for the SC 189, 190 and SC 491 visas. If the relevant state government is happy with your application, they will nominate you and the issue an invitation.

The visa subclasses that you can apply under the general skilled migration program are:

Subclass 189 – Skilled Independent Visa: This is a points tested visa where you don't have to rely on a state sponsorship or an employer sponsorship.

Subclass 190 – Skilled Nominated Visa: This is a PR visa that requires you to have a nomination from a state or territory.

Subclass 491 – Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa: This visa also requires you to have a nomination from a state or territory or an eligible family member in the regional area. This visa provides you a PR pathway through the SC 191 visa after you have lived and worked in a regional area for a certain period of time.

Employer sponsorship

The employer sponsorship pathway to PR is also an attractive pathway to obtain PR in Australia, as you don't have to rely on the nominations of state or territory or fret and work on getting more points to compete in the skilled migration program. It would be sufficient to have an employer sponsor you. The biggest hurdle migrants face when applying for employer sponsorships is the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT), which currently stands at AUD 73,150. This is the minimum salary that your employer has to provide you with while also paying you the Annual Market Salary rate.

The visa subclasses that you can apply under the employer sponsored visas include:

Subclass 482 - Skills in Demand Visa: This is a temporary visa which can be granted up to 4 years depending on your occupation. Currently, you must have 2 years of full-time work experience to apply for this visa. After this visa, you can apply for PR via the SC 186 visa through the Direct Entry stream or Temporary Residence Transition Stream.

Subclass 186 - Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS): This is a PR visa, you can directly apply for PR though the Direct Entry stream if you have 3 years of full-time work experience and a positive skill assessment. Or you can apply through the Temporary Residence Transition Stream if you hold a SC 482 visa and are being sponsored by the same employer.

Subclass 494 - Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa: This is a temporary visa that provides you a PR pathway through the SC 191 visa once you have lived and worked in regional areas for a certain period of time.

Chefs as shown below is an occupation that is in demand throughout Australia as per jobs and skills Australia. Moreover its found in the Medium and Long Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) which makes chefs eligible for a variety of visa subclasses.

Among the top 20 occupations in demand in Australia that have a VET pathway, chefs were at the 14th place in October 2023. Also in 2022, Chefs were the 4th most in demand occupation in Australia.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia