Chefs and cooks fall in the trades occupation group, so an employer-sponsored hire usually looks at the Core Skills stream and its AUD 79,423 income threshold rather than Specialist Skills. Check the exact occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List and any conditions attached to it before advertising or briefing a recruiter.
By CrossNation Editorial Team. Sources checked 4 October 2026.
Specialist Skills is limited to ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6, which excludes the trades group that chefs and cooks sit in.
Source: Home Affairs: Skills in Demand visa, Specialist Skills stream (retrieved 4 October 2026)
AUD 79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
Source: Home Affairs: Salary requirements to nominate a worker (retrieved 4 October 2026)
Requires the occupation to be on the Core Skills Occupation List and the nominated salary to meet the Core Skills Income Threshold.
Source: Home Affairs: Skills in Demand visa, Core Skills stream (retrieved 4 October 2026)
Home Affairs limits the Specialist Skills stream to ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6. Chefs and cooks belong to ANZSCO Major Group 3, technicians and trades workers, so paying a high salary does not open that stream. The realistic routes are the Core Skills stream, for an occupation that is on the Core Skills Occupation List, and a labour agreement or DAMA where one covers the role. For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 the Core Skills Income Threshold is AUD 79,423, and the salary must also meet the market rate for an equivalent Australian worker.
An occupation on the list can carry conditions, and entries for some kitchen occupations describe the type of venue. Before you plan a search, open the list entry for your exact occupation and compare it with how your business actually operates: the kind of venue, the menu and the duties the person will perform. A position description that reads like a different kind of job from the one on the list is a common reason nominations run into trouble. Write the duties to match reality, then check them against the entry with your registered migration agent.
Ask about years in a comparable kitchen, cuisines and sections worked, and whether the candidate has formal qualifications or will need a skills assessment. Ask what they understand about Australian food safety and allergen practice, because you will train them on your own procedures regardless. On pay, check which modern award covers your kitchen, and remember a sponsored worker must be paid at least the nominated salary, which must clear the threshold and the market rate. Our salary guides reproduce award minimums with the clause and date.
You give us the role, venue type, location, hours and salary. We search for sponsorship-ready overseas chefs and cooks alongside candidates who already live in Australia with work rights, and present a shortlist. For roles that do not need a visa, the onshore search is often the simpler one. We do not sponsor workers or advise on the stream, and we cannot promise a start date.
The fee is 12% of the candidate's annual salary, charged only when a placement succeeds.
Check the list on the Home Affairs website for your exact occupation and any conditions on the entry. Lists and conditions can change.
That depends on whether the occupation is on the relevant list. Check Home Affairs and ask a registered migration agent.
Yes. We recruit candidates with work rights already in Australia as well as sponsorship-ready overseas candidates.
No. The stream turns on the occupation, and Specialist Skills is limited to ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6.
The CrossNation hospitality salary guide reproduces Fair Work award minimums with the clause and the date read. The Fair Work Ombudsman remains the authority.
