Overseas recruitment agency for Australian employers
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CrossNation is an overseas recruitment agency for Australian employers: we recruit from candidates based in Australia and from overseas. Overseas candidates usually need two extra steps before they can start: any professional registration or licence, and work rights such as a visa. CrossNation is a recruitment agency, not a registered migration agent. Our fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, with a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement.
Updated . See our terms
12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive.
Fees are charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST. Charged only when a placement succeeds. No placement, no fee.
Christmas offer: sign our agreement by 11:59pm AEDT, Friday 27 November 2026 and pay 12% on every role. See offer terms.
90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement
See our terms.
Who this page is for
For Australian employers that are considering candidates who live overseas, alongside candidates who already live in Australia.
Structured steps from brief to onboarding support.
Compliance and fit checks before employer time is spent.
Roles CrossNation recruits
Hiring process
Brief: you tell us the role, location, start date and whether you want onshore candidates, overseas candidates or both.
Search: we look at candidates based in Australia first when the start date is soon, and at overseas candidates for roles you can plan ahead for.
Screen: we talk through each candidate's experience against your brief and record their registration or licence status, which you can verify with the regulator.
Interview: you meet the shortlist and choose who to offer.
Offer and start: we coordinate the offer; an overseas candidate must have registration and work rights in place before they start, and visa work needs a registered migration agent.
Readiness and compliance checks
Professional registration or licence where the occupation is regulated (for example Ahpra for nurses, state regulators for electricians).
Work rights: an overseas candidate needs a visa that allows the work, and the employer may need to sponsor. Both are decisions for a registered migration agent.
Qualifications and experience that match the role brief.
Clear expectations on start date, because registration and visa steps set the lead time.
Onshore or overseas candidates?
Candidates who already live in Australia with work rights can usually start as soon as your own onboarding checks are done. Overseas candidates add registration, visa and travel steps, so the lead time is longer and depends on the individual. Many employers ask us for both pools: onshore candidates for immediate gaps and overseas candidates for roles they can plan ahead for.
What does the sponsoring employer have to do?
Sponsorship is the employer's decision, and Home Affairs decides on the visa. For a Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) the employer is an approved standard business sponsor, which lasts five years from the date the sponsorship is approved, nominates the position, and pays at least the required salary. For Core Skills nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 that threshold is AUD 79,423, and the salary must also meet the market rate for the role. Labour market testing requires two valid advertisements, down from three since 11 December 2023. These are the employer's steps, not CrossNation's. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
Which overseas candidates fit which kind of role?
Roles that need registration follow that registration first. Nurses are assessed by the Nursing and Midwifery Board before registration is granted, and trades workers in licensed trades go through a skills assessment and state licensing. Candidates for roles with no registration, such as many hospitality and care roles, still need work rights before they start. We record each candidate's qualifications, registration or licence status and work rights so you can verify them, and we tell you where each candidate is in the process. We do not give a timeline, because registration, assessment and visa steps are run by other bodies.
Overseas and international recruitment agencies in Australia: what to ask
Searches for overseas recruitment agencies in Australia and for international recruitment agencies in Australia return agencies that do very different work. An overseas recruitment agency finds and shortlists candidates. It is not the sponsor, it does not decide a visa, and only a registered migration agent can give migration advice. The questions below are ones you can put to any agency, in writing, before you send a brief. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
How to choose an overseas recruitment agency in Australia
These checks work for any agency. Each one is something you can ask for or verify before you send a brief.
Fee basis in writing
Ask for the percentage, what it is charged on and the event that makes the fee payable, in writing, before you send a brief.
CrossNation: CrossNation's fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, and only when a placement succeeds.
Guarantee terms in writing
Ask for the guarantee period and how it applies in the agreement you sign, not only on the agency's website.
CrossNation: CrossNation placements carry a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement. See our terms.
How candidates are screened
Ask what the agency checks before it shortlists a candidate, and what record it keeps, such as qualifications, registration or licence status and work rights, so you can verify each one yourself.
CrossNation: CrossNation records each candidate's qualifications, registration or licence status and work rights so employers can verify them.
Migration agent involvement
If you are considering an overseas hire, ask who gives visa advice. Only a registered migration agent can give migration advice, and the register of migration agents is public (https://www.mara.gov.au/). This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
CrossNation: CrossNation is a recruitment agency, not a registered migration agent. The employer holds or obtains its own approval.
References
Ask for referee details for a candidate you are shortlisting, call the referees yourself, and ask the agency how it checks references and what it passes on to you.
Which registration, assessment and work-rights steps remain
For an overseas candidate, ask which registration, skills assessment and work-rights steps remain and who handles each, because other bodies run them.
CrossNation: CrossNation tells you where each candidate is in the process and does not give a timeline.
Who the sponsor is
Ask the agency to confirm in writing that the employer is the sponsor and who lodges the nomination, because an agency that finds candidates is not the sponsor.
CrossNation: CrossNation does not sponsor, nominate or lodge visa applications.
Frequently asked questions
What does overseas recruitment through CrossNation cost?
Our fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, and only when a placement succeeds, with a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement.
Does CrossNation provide migration or visa advice?
No. CrossNation is a recruitment agency, not a registered migration agent. Sponsorship is the employer's decision and visa applications need a registered migration agent. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
Which parts of Australia do you recruit for?
CrossNation recruits for employers across Australia, in every state and territory, in metro and regional areas. We are based in Victoria.
Can you promise a candidate will get a visa?
No. Visa outcomes are decided by the Department of Home Affairs, and CrossNation cannot promise a visa, sponsorship or a job.
Is an overseas recruitment agency the same as a sponsor?
No. An overseas recruitment agency finds and shortlists candidates. The employer is the sponsor and makes the nomination, and the visa is decided by Home Affairs. CrossNation does not sponsor, nominate or lodge visa applications.
How long does an overseas hire take?
It depends on the candidate and on bodies CrossNation does not control, such as registration boards, licensing regulators and Home Affairs, so we do not give a timeline. Many employers ask for both onshore and overseas candidates so an urgent vacancy is not held up.
What happens if an overseas worker placed through CrossNation leaves?
Placements carry a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement. How it applies is set out in the agreement between CrossNation and the employer, so ask for the guarantee terms in writing before you sign. See our terms at https://crossnation.com.au/terms. The guarantee is not a promise of any offer, visa or migration outcome.
Send a hiring brief, get a shortlist plan within the fee terms.
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Send us the role, location and start date.
Our fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, with a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement.