Likelihood of sponsorship to work in HR role in Perth

[ksprung]

I am out from the UK on holiday and whilst here keen to hear from any HR professionals of their experience or advice regarding the likelihood of a prospective employer sponsoring someone like me (Senior HR/Recruitment/OD specialist with 18 years experience) to come and work for them. Having read some of the blogs here, it seems quite a challenge, but I'm an eternal optimist and always like to think 'Where there's a will, there's a way'. Thanks in advance for any replies!!

[jim c500]

I'm a migrant from the UK but moved on an independent skilled visa rather than through the employer sponsored route. I'm sure there are some who have made the move that way, but I found that applying under my own steam was the best way (apart from anything else, I didn't fancy my migration future being at the whim of an employer - migration discussion boards have plenty of horror stories about what happens to the sponsored when employment goes wrong ...)

Also, there's generally plenty of applicants for HR roles, so this reduces the need for employers to sponsor overseas workers because of skill shortages.

Good luck, Jim

[Moz]

It's probably worth looking at this from the employer perspective, then you will get a better understanding what is required of the employer when they sponsor an candidate for a work visa.

Unless the job function is on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) then the employer will need to show that they are unable to hire an Australian resident or citizen with suitable qualifications and experience. HR functions are not currently on the list (they were a few years ago).

A possible exception to this is if the employer is a pre-qualified migration sponsor, this means they are allowed to sponsor a pre determined number of migrants each year with minimal justification. However, I'm not sure if they can use this for skill sets that are not on the MODL, and even if they can they probably wouldn't want to do so for a skill set that is not in short supply.

That said, the demand situation in Perth or wider WA maybe different from the east coast of Australia, because of the growth in the resources sector. So your best chance of success may be in Perth or regional locations in WA.

Personally I would approach companies directly rather than applying through recruitment agencies who will probably give preference to candidates who are already Australian residents/citizens.

Also, when an employer sponsors a migrant they have to accept certain liabilities and there are also additional one off costs plus their own admin costs. So you can see why employers will only sponsor people for a visa when they really have to.