Changes to the Minister of Religion Labour Agreement
We have streamlined the Minister of Religion Labour Agreement (MoRLA) with updated settings and faster pathways to permanent residence.
Until we make systems changes to the online labour agreement request form, add “n/a” in the nominee section of the form. This will allow you to continue with your application. The Department expects updates to the MoRLA request form in ImmiAccount in early 2025.
You can learn more about the streamlined approach to the
MoRLA program in our factsheet.
A summary of updated MORLA requirements/settings is shown on the following page.
Summary of MORLA requirements/characteristics
Australian registered business
| Must be a religious institution under the Migration Regulations and must provide evidence of charitable status. |
| Good standing | In addition to standard requirements, organisations must also provide specific advice regarding any royal commission involvement to mitigate the risks of any child protection issues arising.
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| Labour market Need | Exempt from labour market testing but must still explain why, given the nature of the position/skills required, it is unable to be filled by an Australian worker. |
| Reliance on overseas workers | We will generally not assess this requirement unless there are significant concerns. This is because of the low numbers of overseas workers usually requested under the MoRLA.
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Occupation
| Occupation must be either:
-
Minister of Religion (ANZSCO 272211) as specifically defined for the purposes of the labour agreement program
-
Religious Assistant (ANZSCO 451816) as specifically defined for the purposes of the labour agreement process.
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| Salary | Ministers of Religion On a case by case basis, the following salary requirements may apply: - Standard skilled visa salary requirements apply, subject to the concession that, non-monetary benefits can be included to the value of 10 per cent when calculating the Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR) and assessing whether salary arrangements will meet CSIT requirements or
- Reduced CSIT* requirements apply, and non-monetary benefits can be included to the value of 10 percent when calculating the Reduced CSIT or
- Overseas workers nominated as a Minister of Religion (ANZSCO 272211) can be taken to have met salary requirements where a concession has been awarded due to vow of poverty or a vow of service in place.
*‘Reduced CSIT’ means the equivalent of the national minimum wage, as determined by the Fair Work Commission.
Learn more about
salary requirements.
Religious Assistants The above requirements apply to religious assistants however, no concession can be awarded on the basis that a vow of poverty or service has been declared. See Minister of Religion industry labour agreement template. |
| Skills | For Ministers of Religion, the nominee must: - have been 'ordained' or have ‘professed to a religious life’ as a Minister of Religion (or under an equivalent accreditation process within a religion) and
- possess the minimum qualifications equivalent to a relevant Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) bachelor degree or
- have undertaken at least five years of relevant structured training or instruction. Experience does not substitute for this requirement
- where ordination and minimum AQF qualifications, or structured training cannot be met, then have at least five years’ work experience in the nominated occupation or
- have additional skills requirements in place where the nominee will be undertaking the role of an Archbishop or an equivalent senior position in another religion.
For Religious Assistants, the nominee must: - possess the relevant qualifications equivalent to a relevant AQF Certificate II or III (ANZSCO Skill Level 4) or
- have at least two years of relevant structured training or instruction or
- have worked in the nominated occupation for at least two years of relevant work experience in the nominated role.
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| English | - meet standard English language requirements for the
Skills In Demand (subclass 482) visa or
Employer Nomination Scheme direct entry stream visa or
- have an overall score of IELTS 4.0 (or equivalent) in listening and speaking components and be entering under the Skills in
Demand Visa (subclass 482) visa Labour Agreement stream or
- have an overall score of IELTS 4.5 (or equivalent) with minimum score of IELTS 4.0 in all four categories and be entering under the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa or
- show completion of at least five years full-time study in a secondary education institution or higher education institution where the instruction was delivered in English.
We do not require Overseas Workers to show their English language proficiency if they are working in a cloistered or monastic environment. |
| Permanent residence | ENS visa available after two years. ENS visa available for Direct Entry, if employed in the most senior Minister of Religion role in the organisation, for example, Archbishop or equivalent senior minister of another religion. The nominee must also have been ordained for at least five (5) years and have (where available and applicable) a post-graduate degree or equivalent formal training. |
| Age | No age requirements for SID visa.
ENS visa nominees must be no more than 60 years of age at the time of lodging their ENS application.
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| Other | The Department will not consider a MoRLA while any immigration matter for a nominee is awaiting an outcome. Salaries must be paid from the organisation’s Australian bank account. |
