Interstate and international applicants

Useful information for living and working in Western Australia

Can I be the successful applicant for a position if I do not have Australian Permanent Residency, Citizenship or any type of visa/permit to allow me to work and live in Australia?

Yes you can, however, under Government legislation applicants who are currently eligible to work in Australia must be considered for appointment in the first instance.  Other applicants will be considered where no applicants who are eligible to work in Australia are found to be suitable.

Who is eligible?

To be eligible for a permanent appointment an applicant must be an Australian or New Zealand Citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident.

To be eligible for a fixed term appointment an applicant must hold a current visa/permit to live and work in Australia that does not expire prior to the length of the contract being advertised or be an Australian or New Zealand Citizen or Australian Permanent Resident.

DEC is an approved business sponsor of overseas employees and will consider sponsoring overseas applicants to fill essential positions. Sponsored employees are eligible to work in Australia for a finite period of time, therefore where no eligible applicant is found suitable, DEC may consider an ineligible applicant and if found suitable DEC may sponsor with a visa 457 for a fixed term appointment.

If, as a sponsored employee, I am eligible to work for a finite period of time only, does this mean that I cannot apply for a permanent job vacancy?

No.  You may apply for permanent job vacancies; and where no suitable eligible applicants are found and you are merit selected you may only be appointed on a fixed term basis subject to obtaining a valid working visa. Should you subsequently obtain Australian Permanent Residency and are still occupying the original (permanent) position on a fixed term basis then permanent appointment may proceed.

How will I know if I am being assessed (eligible) for a position I have applied for?

Once the position is closed the selection panel will assess all applicants for the advertised role to select those suitable for interview and at this time will assess eligibility of all applicants.  If your application is deemed ineligible you will be notified by email and your application will not be considered further – this will only occur where there is a strong field of eligible applicants.

For more information about the sponsorship process, and general information about living and working in Western Australia, including links to relevant websites such as the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Australian Taxation Office and Migration Agents Registration Authority, please refer to Our Environment, Your Future (PDF 634 kb). For further information or advice, please contact DEC Recruitment at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

This information is current as at 27/4/12.