Up to $10,000 per sponsored worker for WA construction employers
Most construction employers aren’t looking for migration services. They’re looking for workers, productivity and certainty on their project pipeline. The WA Government’s Construction Visa Subsidy Program is what makes overseas skilled workers a low-cost part of that answer – and most employers we speak to don’t know it exists.
We assist with sourcing, sponsorship, visas and subsidy applications as one process – so you secure workers before shortages hit your projects, and the paperwork doesn’t land on your project team.
How the funding is paid
Eligible employers may receive up to $10,000 per sponsored worker, released in three stages as the sponsorship progresses. The program applies across the 482, 494 and 186 visa pathways.
Milestone 1
$2,000
Before visa lodgement
Milestone 2
$4,000
After visa approval
Milestone 3
$4,000
After employment commences
Two things have changed at once
State funding
The Construction Visa Subsidy Program puts money back against the cost of sponsoring a skilled worker. The subsidy is intended to offset costs incurred in the migration process – recruitment, migration representative fees, visa application fees and relocation – which turns international recruitment from a last resort into a realistic strategy.
Federal priority processing
Under Ministerial Direction 119, construction is treated as a critical sector. Nomination and visa applications for eligible construction occupations are prioritised by the Department of Home Affairs, alongside healthcare and teaching.
Together they address the two objections we hear most: it costs too much, and it takes too long.
Western Australia continues to face housing shortages, infrastructure expansion, mining construction activity and population growth – all competing for the same limited pool of trades and supervisors. The employers acting on this now are the ones planning a workforce rather than reacting to a vacancy.
Watch our explainer video
Construction roles with priority visa processing
Ministerial Direction 119 gives construction occupations priority processing for nomination and visa applications. It covers:
Trades and site:
- Construction trades workers
- Construction and mining labourers
- Electricians, general and special class
- Sheetmetal workers
- Structural steel and welding trades workers
- Crane, hoist and lift operators
- Earthmoving plant operators
- Clay, concrete, glass and stone processing machine operators
Professional and technical:
- Construction managers
- Civil engineering professionals
- Architects and landscape architects
- Architectural, building and surveying technicians
- Safety inspectors
- Other building and engineering technicians
Priority processing and subsidy eligibility are assessed against separate lists, and both vary by occupation and visa subclass. Checking your specific roles against each is the first thing we do.
From vacancy to worker on site
- Eligibility check: We review your roles, your business and the pathway options, and tell you whether the subsidy applies. No cost.
- Workforce plan: We map which roles to sponsor, in what order, against your project pipeline.
- Sponsorship and visa: Virginia Bennett, Registered Migration Agent (MARN 2217993), manages nomination and visa lodgement in-house.
- Subsidy and compliance: We assist with your subsidy claims at each milestone and manage ongoing sponsorship obligations once workers are on site.
We assist with sponsorship, visas and subsidy applications and also sourcing international candidates where required. Most providers do one part of that. Sponsorship is a workforce planning decision, not a paperwork exercise – and the funding is only useful if the claim actually gets made at each milestone.
Construction Visa Subsidy FAQs
Q1. Who is eligible for the Construction Visa Subsidy Program?
Eligibility depends on your business, the roles you’re filling and the visa pathway. It’s aimed at WA construction employers sponsoring skilled workers from overseas. We’ll assess your specific circumstances rather than have you work through the criteria alone.
Eligibility depends on your business, the roles you’re filling and the visa pathway. It’s aimed at WA construction employers sponsoring skilled workers from overseas. We’ll assess your specific circumstances rather than have you work through the criteria alone.
Q2. Do we have to have sponsored someone before?
No. Many employers we work with are sponsoring for the first time. If you’re not already an approved sponsor, Standard Business Sponsorship is part of what we manage.
Q3. What if we’ve never been able to make sponsorship work commercially?
That’s the common starting point. The subsidy changes the cost side, and MD119 priority processing changes the timing side. Worth reassessing if you last looked at it before either existed.
Q4. Does this apply outside Western Australia?
The subsidy is a WA Government program. Employer-sponsored migration is available nationally, and we work with construction employers across Australia and New Zealand – see our construction and infrastructure workforce solutions page.
Q5. What does it cost to find out if we qualify?
Nothing. We offer a complimentary consultation to work through your roles and whether the subsidy applies.
WA Construction Incentive Webinar
Join our webinar to understand how WA construction employers are accessing overseas skilled talent – and the funding that comes with it. Covering applicable visa solutions, government funding and workforce planning.
Thursday 24 September 2026 · 12PM (AWST) 2PM (AEST) · ONLINE
Book A Complimentary Consultation
Tell us the roles you’re struggling to fill and we’ll come back with whether the subsidy applies, which pathway fits and what the timeline looks like.
Give us a call on (02) 9407 8700.