Australia Labour Agreement Company List: 5,771 Approved Sponsors
If you are searching for an Australian employer who can legally sponsor you, the Australia labour agreement company list is the single most useful public document available. The May 2026 update from the Department of Home Affairs names 5,771 companies holding an active agreement, spread across 26 agreement types. This article breaks down those numbers by agreement type and region, explains how to use the list to find a realistic sponsor, and covers the three things the list will not tell you. Last updated: July 2026 Download the full May 2026 company list here (Google Drive, 5,771 companies with agreement type, start date, and end date). What the Labour Agreement Company List Actually Is A labour agreement is a contract between an Australian employer and the Australian Government that lets that employer sponsor overseas workers when a genuine shortage exists and standard visa programs do not fit. Agreements generally run for five years, per immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. The company list is the Department of Home Affairs’ public register of every business currently holding one. Four columns: company name, agreement type, start date, end date. That is the whole document. If you want the full mechanics of how agreements are negotiated and what concessions they can carry, read our companion guide on Australia’s labour agreement visa for overseas workers. This article focuses on the list itself. Labour Agreement Company List May 2026: The Numbers Most articles on this topic explain what labour agreements are and then send you off to a government page. Here is what is actually inside the May 2026 file. The 5,771 companies fall into four broad families: Agreement Family Companies Share Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA) 3,507 60.8% Industry labour agreements 1,760 30.5% Company specific agreements 304 5.3% Skilled Refugee Pilot and Global Talent 200 3.5% Breakdown by Agreement Type Agreement Type Companies Northern Territory DAMA 758 Far North Queensland DAMA 516 South Australia Regional DAMA 504 Industry – Dairy 375 Industry – Minister of Religion 368 WA DAMA 343 Company Specific 304 South West DAMA 265 Industry – Horticulture 248 Orana DAMA 245 Goldfields DAMA 190 Skilled Refugee Pilot 177 Industry – Aged Care 176 Industry – Premium Dining 167 East Kimberley DAMA 158 Pilbara DAMA 151 Townsville DAMA 134 Industry – On-Hire 130 Great South Coast DAMA 127 Industry – Fishing 127 Industry – Meat 105 Goulburn Valley DAMA 94 Industry – Pork 54 GTS – Established Business 23 Adelaide City Tech and Innovation DAMA 22 Industry – Advertising 10 Three regions carry roughly half the DAMA total: the Northern Territory, Far North Queensland, and regional South Australia. If you are open to regional migration in Australia, your odds improve substantially. Sydney and Melbourne barely appear in this dataset. How to Use the List to Find a Sponsor The list is a filter, not a job board. Used properly it stops you from wasting months applying to companies that legally cannot hire you. Step 1: Match the Agreement Type to Your Occupation Start from the agreement type, not the company name. Each type covers a defined set of occupations. A dairy farm on the Industry – Dairy agreement cannot sponsor a software developer, no matter how much it likes your CV. Check the occupation lists published for industry labour agreements and for each Designated Area Migration Agreement region before you shortlist anyone. Step 2: Check the Agreement Is Still Active Every row shows a start and an end date. Sort by end date. An agreement expiring in the next twelve months is a real risk, because nomination and visa processing can outlast the agreement itself. We have seen candidates get a verbal offer from an employer whose agreement had eight months left, then lose the pathway entirely when it lapsed before lodgement. Step 3: Approach the Company the Right Way Apply to the advertised role first. Do not open with “I need sponsorship.” Employers under these agreements already know they can sponsor, and they have obligations under labour market testing rules that make an unsolicited sponsorship request awkward for them. Prove you are the right hire, then raise visa status once there is genuine interest. Our guide on how to find an employer who can sponsor you in Australia covers the approach in detail. What the List Does NOT Tell You This is where most applicants get burned. The company list is deliberately minimal, and three critical facts are missing from it. Treat the list as a shortlist generator, then verify each of these three points directly with the employer or through a registered agent. Skipping this verification step is one of the most common mistakes in Australian skilled migration applications. Which Visas a Labour Agreement Can Lead To A labour agreement is not a visa. It is the authority that lets an employer nominate you for one of three visa programs. Visa Type PR Outcome Subclass 482 Skills in Demand Temporary, up to 4 years Transitions to PR after a qualifying period Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme Permanent Immediate permanent residency Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Provisional, 5 years Pathway to PR via Subclass 191 Most labour agreement candidates start on the Subclass 482 and convert later. For the mechanics of that conversion, see our breakdown of the Skills in Demand visa to PR transition and how employer sponsorship leads to PR in Australia. How RACC Indonesia Can Help You Having the list is the easy part. Knowing which of the 5,771 companies can actually sponsor your specific occupation, in your target region, with an agreement that will still be valid when your nomination is lodged, is the part that takes experience. Our consultants are MARA-registered migration agents and have guided Indonesian applicants through DAMA, industry, and company specific pathways. If you are unsure whether your occupation appears on any agreement, or which region gives you the best odds, book a migration strategy consultation with RACC Indonesia. This article is general information only and does not constitute migration advice. Immigration policy changes frequently. Seek
