Learn about employing migrants

Managing people in Australia's offshore oil and gas industry

Under the Migration Act 1958 (the Act), non-citizens are required to hold an appropriate visa to participate in, or to support offshore resource activities.

Non-citizens working on vessels involved in offshore resources activities will have to meet the same visa requirements as non-citizens working on Australian resources installations.

Visas for people working on Australian resources installations

Non-citizens, other than permanent residents, intending to work on an Australian resources installation must hold either a:

• Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa (subclass 482)
• Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa (subclass 400)
  
• Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) - closed to new applicants
  
• Maritime Crew visa (subclass 988) - this would apply to crew members onboard a petroleum export tanker undertaking an international voyage (for example, departing from an overseas port, recovering product from an offshore production and/or storage facility for export, and departing directly for an overseas port).

Arriving at Australian resources installations

Non-citizens intending to work on Australian offshore resources installations or supporting vessels need to ensure they have complied with immigration clearance requirements by meeting one of the following:

• be immigration cleared on the Australian mainland before travelling to the Australian resources installation, or
• if not already been immigration cleared, should report their intended entry to or on an Australian resources installation, minimum of seven days prior to arrival via email at: ora@homeaffairs.gov.au 

When reporting, the following information needs to be provided for each non-citizen:

• full name, date of birth, country of birth and nationality and sex.  This information should exactly match the details of the person's passport biographical data page
• passport details, including passport number, issue and expiry date and issuing authority
• visa subclass held
• project or employment start and end dates
• project, vessel or ship name
• a copy of each non-citizen's passport biographical data page

Visas for people who intend to transit through Australia on their way to Joint Petroleum Development Area

Non-citizens who intend to transit through Australia on their way to the Joint Petroleum Development Area in the Timor Sea, or to other offshore activities that fall outside the migration zone, should hold one of the following visas to be immigration cleared:

• Visitor visa (subclass 600)
• Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601)
• eVisitor (subclass 651)
  

These visas do not allow the holder to work in Australia.