Hiring Timeline

How Long Does It Take to Hire an Overseas Tradesperson?

Most RecruitUp placements take 4 to 8 months from initial brief to the worker's start date. Sourcing and skills assessment run in parallel with sponsorship and nomination, not after them — here's the stage-by-stage breakdown.

Start Your Hiring Timeline The Full Employer's Guide

A note on visa guidance: RecruitUp Global is a recruitment agency, not a migration agent. All content on this site is for general educational purposes only. For immigration advice or to lodge a visa application, consult a MARA-registered migration agent. RecruitUp specialises in finding and placing qualified South African tradespeople with Australian employers who are ready to sponsor — we handle the recruitment side, not the visa lodgement.

Stage by Stage

The six stages, from brief to start date

Stages 1 and 4 run alongside the others rather than in sequence — that overlap is what keeps the total timeline to 4–8 months instead of stacking every stage end to end.

Sourcing & Screening

Starts immediately, runs in parallel

RecruitUp begins sourcing and screening candidates against your brief as soon as we're engaged — before sponsorship approval is even underway, so a shortlist is ready when the visa stages catch up.

Sponsorship Approval

1–3 months (p75); up to 4–5 months (p90)

If your business isn't yet an Approved Standard Business Sponsor, your MARA-registered migration agent lodges this application first. Already-approved sponsors skip straight to nomination.

Labour Market Testing & Nomination

1–3 months (p75); up to 2–4 months (p90)

Most Core Skills stream nominations require Labour Market Testing — advertising the role on two approved platforms for at least 28 days — before your agent lodges the nomination for the specific role and worker.

Skills Assessment (TRA)

3–5 months (p75); up to 5–7 months (p90) — runs alongside

A Trades Recognition Australia assessment verifies the candidate's trade qualification. This runs concurrently with sponsorship and nomination rather than after them, which is what keeps the overall timeline from stacking up sequentially.

Visa Grant

1–3 months (p75); up to 3–5 months (p90)

Once nomination is approved and the skills assessment is complete, the visa application is lodged and processed by the Department of Home Affairs. Processing times are set by Home Affairs and vary by case complexity.

Relocation & Licensing

2–6 weeks, once the visa is granted

Flights, temporary housing, opening a bank account, and any trade-specific local licensing (such as an electrical licence or white card) happen in this final stretch before the worker starts on site.

What slows it down

Not yet being an Approved Standard Business Sponsor — adds a full extra stage before nomination can be lodged
Incomplete or poorly documented Labour Market Testing evidence
Waiting for the visa stages to start before sourcing candidates
Migration agents unfamiliar with the Core Skills stream specifically

How to speed it up

Start sourcing candidates immediately — run it in parallel with sponsorship, not after it
Get Standard Business Sponsorship approved early if you aren't already an approved sponsor
Use a migration agent experienced specifically with 482 Core Skills nominations
Prepare Labour Market Testing evidence properly the first time, rather than risking a request for more information

Common Questions

Hiring Timeline — FAQ

How long does the whole process take?+

Most RecruitUp placements take 4 to 8 months from initial brief to the worker's start date. Sourcing and skills assessment run in parallel with sponsorship and nomination rather than after them, which is what keeps the overall timeline as short as it is. Complex cases, or employers who aren't yet Approved Standard Business Sponsors, can take longer.

What slows the process down the most?+

The two biggest delays are employers who aren't yet an Approved Standard Business Sponsor (adding a full extra stage before nomination can even be lodged) and incomplete or poorly documented Labour Market Testing, which can trigger a nomination refusal or request for further information. Waiting to start sourcing candidates until the visa stages are underway is the third most common self-inflicted delay.

How can employers speed it up?+

Start sourcing candidates immediately rather than waiting for sponsorship approval to clear first — the two can run in parallel. Get Standard Business Sponsorship approved as early as possible if you're not already an approved sponsor. And use a migration agent experienced specifically with the Core Skills stream, since documentation errors are the single biggest cause of processing delays.

Does the timeline differ by trade?+

The visa-stage timeline is the same regardless of trade — it's set by Home Affairs processing times and Labour Market Testing requirements, not the occupation. What varies by trade is how long sourcing takes, since some occupations (heavy diesel fitters, boilermakers in shortage regions) have a smaller South African candidate pool than others (electricians, carpenters).

Can the 494 regional visa be faster than the 482?+

Not materially — the sponsorship, nomination, and visa-grant stages follow a similar timeline for both visas. The 494's advantage is a broader occupation list and a more direct pathway to permanent residency for regional roles, not a shorter overall process.

Keep Exploring

How Long Does It Take to Hire an Overseas Tradesperson?

The six stages, from brief to start date

Sourcing & Screening

Sponsorship Approval

Labour Market Testing & Nomination

Skills Assessment (TRA)

Visa Grant

Relocation & Licensing

What slows it down

How to speed it up

Hiring Timeline — FAQ

Related guides

Hire Overseas Tradespeople in Australia

482 Visa: Complete Employer Guide

482 Visa Processing Times

Is It Worth Sponsoring an Overseas Worker?

Visa Document Checklist

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