Sectors we serve
Visa support for infrastructure and construction employers
Resource Visa helps employers bring overseas specialists onto Australian infrastructure and construction work that supports resources projects: ports, rail, power and process plant. That means short-term mobilisation for heavy lift, module installation and commissioning, and sponsorship where a role is ongoing.
Every engagement starts with an employer. We don’t take on individuals seeking a visa on their own. If you need help with your own visa, you can search the Register of Migration Agents at mara.gov.au.
The right visa
Which visa fits
The subclass 400 (Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist)) visa is for short-term, highly specialised work in Australia where the skills aren’t readily available locally.
Normally up to three months in any 12-month period, counting every 400 stay with any employer. Up to six months only in exceptional circumstances, on strong evidence. A specialist who has already spent time in Australia on a 400 in the last 12 months may be granted only the balance, so offshore and FIFO rosters that add up to more than three months a year need a different visa.
If the role turns out to be ongoing, the 482 is a fresh application with its own sponsorship and nomination. A 400 may carry a ‘No Further Stay’ condition. If it does, the specialist can’t apply for the 482 while in Australia unless the Department first waives the condition. A waiver is discretionary, so the 482 may need to be lodged from outside Australia.
Not sure which visa fits? Read Short Stay Specialist visa (subclass 400) vs Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) first.
Sector detail
What’s specific to infrastructure and construction
Program-driven dates that move, and licensing.
A visa lets someone work in Australia; it doesn’t license the work. In Western Australia, high risk work licences, including crane, dogging and rigging classes, are issued by the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety. Licences are recognised across Australia, but overseas tickets don’t transfer: the worker needs an Australian assessment through a registered training organisation. Dogging and rigging are licence classes in their own right, so having a local crane operator doesn’t always settle the licensing question.
Project-tied roles need care on any permanent-residence pathway. The 482 is a temporary visa. Permanent residence is a separate step, usually through the subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream after a qualifying period working for an approved sponsor. For that stream the nomination comes from the sponsoring employer; a Direct Entry nomination doesn’t need sponsorship approval. Either way, the position must be full-time and available for at least two years.
Roles
Role guides for infrastructure and construction employers
Each page covers which visa typically applies to that role, what the application has to evidence, and what usually goes wrong.
Crane & Heavy Lift Specialists
Bringing heavy lift engineers, lift supervisors and specialist crane operators into Australia. Why licensing, not the visa, is often the constraint.
Coded Welders & Boilermakers
Bringing coded welders and pressure boilermakers into shutdowns. Why the welding procedure qualification is the core of the case, and the requalification trap.
HV Electrical Technicians
Bringing high voltage electrical specialists into Australian sites. Why electrical licensing is often the constraint, not the visa.
Mobilisation events
The events that trigger a visa need
Commissioning & SAT
Bringing a vendor or OEM engineer to Australia for commissioning or acceptance testing. Which visa applies and what the application must prove.
Shutdowns & Turnarounds
Bringing overseas specialists in for a plant shutdown or turnaround. What the Subclass 400 covers, how far ahead to start, and what happens when the date moves.
Reviewed by a Registered Migration Agent (MARN 1686595) · Last reviewed [date]
Book a 20-minute mobilisation briefing
Twenty minutes. No obligation. Direct with a Registered Migration Agent. Tell us the role, the site and the date.
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AWST