The Laurina Farms, Esperance, WA harvest 2024 crew including Northern Hemisphere workers in Australia on Working Holiday visas. Laurina Farms is currently sweating on visa approval for four skilled Germans hoping to head to Esperance for harvest. Photo: Laurina Farms

FARMERS sweating on overseas help for the upcoming harvest are being invited to submit details of relevant visa applications for submission to the Department of Home Affairs via the National Farmers Federation.

The call has gone out in the past 24 hours from WA Farmers, the Victorian Farmers Federation, and NSW Farmers, while Grain Producers South Australia is surveying members to gauge current labour challenges regarding visas.

A statement issued today by the Department of Home Affairs said it has slowed processing of first-year Working Holiday Maker visas and prioritised second and third-year visas to help it get through an historically high level of WHM visa holders currently in Australia.

The move has slowed approval of WHM, or subclass 417, visas to a trickle, since priority for processing of onshore over offshore visas was made public by Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke in late July.

Today’s statement from the Department of Home Affairs appears to be some cause for hope that a significant number of offshore applicants will have their visas approved before headers in southern Australia start rolling.

“Consistent with the balanced approach the government is taking to WHMs, the Department will work with the NFF on identifying and prioritising people with specific skills in the agricultural sector who have applied for a WHM visa, have contracted with an employer to provide their skills to undertake agricultural work, and need to be here inside three months,” the Department of Home Affairs said.

“There [is] a small group of WHMs who head straight to the regions and use their particular skills to support our agriculture sector.

“These are people who, for example, are contracted by farmers for skilled jobs like operating machinery to bring in the harvest and who need to come in inside three months.”

Concerted effort kicks off

Grain Central understands farming organisations, and numerous farmers, contractors and employment agencies have contacted the Mr Burke following his signing of Ministerial Direction 119 on July 25.

It prioritised processing of visa applications from those already in Australia, and by default bumped offshore applications for subclasses including 417 down the list.

The 417 is the primary certification sought by skilled harvest workers residing in the Northern Hemisphere, and Grain Central first reported on visa hold-ups as being an issue for harvest on August 24.

Ministerial Direction 119 was superseded by Ministerial Directions 121 and 122 on September 18, and neither prioritise the processing of the 417 visa.

With WA already harvesting, and a huge crop expected in Vic and parts of southern NSW, growers and state farming organisations have expressed concern around the stress and safety risks a skilled labour shortage will pose in coming weeks.

A statement from NFF chief executive officer Michael Guerin offers some hope the tide may be turning.

“The National Farmers’ Federation has worked with the Australian Government to establish a practical, good-faith process to help address genuine and urgent workforce shortages facing farm businesses,” Mr Guerin said.

“The arrangement enables the NFF to submit eligible Working Holiday Maker visa applications where a worker has been engaged for a specific agricultural role and their timely arrival is critical to activities such as planting and harvest.

“This is not a special visa pathway, nor does it guarantee visa approval or expedited processing.”

Mr Guerin said all applications remain subject to the Department of Home Affairs’ normal assessment processes and eligibility requirements.

“The arrangement is intended only for genuine, urgent cases and relies on industry and government working together in good faith to support Australia’s food and fibre production.”

Call from states

State farming organisations having invited member to email in details of visa applications so they can forward lists to the NFF for compilation and submission to governnment.

In email to members, WAFarmers and VFF used identical wording, saying they were “working closely with the NFF to help address workforce pressures facing Australian agriculture.

“As many members will be aware, the current understanding is that WHM visa processing times may now extend to around three months.”

“For farm businesses preparing for harvest, planting and other time-critical activities, this is creating significant challenges.

“To help address urgent cases, the NFF has worked with the Department of Home Affairs to establish a process for identifying workers whose visa applications may be considered for priority processing.”

Without providing a deadline, WAFarmers members have been asked to supply the following information with regard to harvest visa applications on this “time sensitive” matter:

• Farm business name
• Farm contact email address
• Estimated date employment commences
• Name of visa applicant
• Date of birth of visa applicant
• WHM visa application reference number

“WAFarmers will collate eligible requests from members and provide them to the NFF, which will consolidate submissions from across the industry and forward them to the Department of Home Affairs.”

VFF has an online form for members to fill in asking for the same information, as well as the farm’s district and commodity.

Grain Central understand NSW Farmers has also put out a similar call to its members and the organisation has been contacted for comment.

Source: NFF, Federal Government, WAFarmers, VFF