How to find a job in Australia or New Zealand: a 6-step plan from occupation check to scam check

To find a job in Australia or New Zealand from overseas, work in this order: check that your occupation can be sponsored, learn what the work visa asks of you and your employer, aim at employers who can actually hire from abroad, rewrite your CV for every job, prepare for a phone or video interview, and check every offer for scam signs before you send money or documents. Doing them out of order wastes months.

This plan is for skilled workers anywhere who need an employer-sponsored visa.

The plan in six steps

1. Check your occupation on the official Australian list and, for New Zealand, against the work visa rules.
2. Learn the visa basics: what the employer must do, what you must show (experience, English, sometimes a skills assessment).
3. Target employers who can sponsor: ads that state sponsorship, and New Zealand employers on the accredited list.
4. Tailor every application: a short, plain CV rewritten with the ad's own words, plus a 1 page cover letter.
5. Get interview-ready for phone and video calls across time zones.
6. Check every offer before you pay anything, send your passport or sign.

Step 1: Find your occupation on the official list

Australia publishes one combined list of eligible skilled occupations. For each occupation it shows whether it is on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) or the Regional Occupation List (ROL), and which skills assessing authority covers it.

Search for your job title and the titles close to it, then write down the matching occupation, its lists and its assessing authority.

Each assessing authority has its own procedures, timeframes and charges, and some sponsored workers need a skills assessment before they can apply for the visa.

For New Zealand, the question is less about a list and more about the job offer and your background. The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) asks for 2 years or more of relevant experience, or a qualification at level 4 or higher on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework, in the same field as the job.

Step 2: Understand what a sponsored job needs

A sponsored work visa starts with the employer. Knowing what each side must do helps you spot offers that do not add up.

Australia: the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)

The subclass 482 visa lets an employer sponsor a suitably skilled worker for a position they cannot fill with a suitably skilled Australian. In the Core Skills stream the occupation must be on the CSOL and the salary must meet the market rate for the job and no less than the Core Skills Income Threshold, which is AUD79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.

You need at least 1 year of relevant work experience in the occupation or a related field, gained within the last 5 years. You also need to meet the English requirement, and a 482 holder may work only in the nominated occupation and only for the sponsoring business.

New Zealand: the Accredited Employer Work Visa

The AEWV is for people with a job offer from an accredited employer, and the employer sends you a link to the online application. The offer must be for at least 30 hours a week, from an accredited employer with an approved job check for that job, and paid at least the market rate.

For jobs at ANZSCO or NOL skill level 3 to 5 you must show you can speak and understand English, and test results must be no more than 2 years old.

The two side by side

Home Affairs does not accept English tests taken entirely online at home, such as IELTS Online, so book a test centre. Practice tests at PractiseNow can show you where you stand first.

Step 3: Aim at employers who can hire from abroad

An employer that does not sponsor cannot bring you over, however good your CV is. Your time goes further on ads that say plainly that visa sponsorship is offered, or that overseas applicants are welcome.

Our sponsored jobs in Australia list shows current employer-sponsored roles, and the jobs with New Zealand accredited employers list does the same for New Zealand. Each listing shows the location, salary and visa details stated in the ad, so you can filter out roles that do not fit before you write a word. If you work in software, data or IT support, start with the IT and technology jobs page.

For New Zealand, check the employer yourself on Immigration New Zealand's accredited employer list. You can search by company or trading name, or by its 13-digit New Zealand Business Number, and the list is updated daily. Some accredited employers choose not to appear in the search results, so if a name is missing, ask the employer directly before you rule the job out.

Step 4: Tailor every application

Tahatū, the New Zealand Government careers service, advises updating your CV for each job application using information and keywords from the job ad.

Keep the document short and plain. The Queensland Government suggests 1-3 pages depending on how long you have been working, with headings and dot points; Tahatū aims for 2 pages if you can, in a plain black font with plenty of white space. Two pages suits both countries. Our guide on how to write a CV for Australia and New Zealand walks through each section.

Add a cover letter of 1 page, tailored to that job and addressed to the contact person in the ad. Save both files as PDFs with your first and last name in the file name, unless the employer asks for Word.

Not sure what goes in that one page? Our guide on how to write a cover letter that gets read walks through it line by line.

If you use an AI tool to draft, check every line. Tahatū warns that recruiters can often spot an AI-generated CV, and that AI results must be checked for errors and exaggerated claims. A tool like Build AI CV can give you a clean first draft to edit, but the facts and the final wording must be yours.

Leave your photo, age and date of birth off, and make sure everything you send is true.

Step 5: Get ready for interviews across time zones

Employers often use a phone interview to decide who to invite to a video or in-person interview, and phone interviews are common for applicants who live out of town. From overseas, expect a phone or video call first.

For video calls, Tahatū suggests a quiet place, clothes you would wear to an in-person interview, a plain background, the device at eye level, and a test of your camera, microphone and internet beforehand.

For a fuller checklist, JobsAbroad Pakistan's step-by-step plan for video interviews for Australia jobs is written for Pakistani applicants, but its setup checks work for anyone calling from overseas. Our job interview tips for Australia and New Zealand cover the answers, and InterviewTraining.ai lets you practise them out loud.

Prepare a few short stories about your work using the STAR method: the situation, the task, the action you took and the result. Interviewers often ask for real examples, and a clear two-minute story beats a list of duties.

Step 6: Check every offer before you commit

Job scams target people applying from overseas. Scamwatch lists warning signs: a recruiter contacting you out of the blue by text or on WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram, a quick hiring process with no interview, being told to top up an account with your own money or cryptocurrency, and being asked for a "recruitment fee" or for training materials before you start.

Paying for a job is not normal in either country. In New Zealand, employers cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay their recruitment costs, even through a third party. In Australia, cashback schemes where an employer unreasonably makes someone pay for a job are illegal. Both governments also refuse visas where money was paid for sponsorship or a job offer.

Two more checks are quick. Australia does not issue "work permits", so anyone selling one is running a scam. And only registered migration agents (listed on the OMARA register), lawyers or exempt people may give Australian visa help; in New Zealand, immigration advice must come from an adviser on the Immigration Advisers Authority register unless they are exempt.

Before you sign, read the terms. Our job offer checklist for Australia and New Zealand covers what a written offer should include.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the occupation check. Months of applications go nowhere when the job title you chose does not match an occupation an employer can sponsor.
• Applying to every ad. An ad that says nothing about sponsorship may be meant for people who already have work rights. Focus on ads that state sponsorship or employers you have found on the accredited list.
• One CV for every job. A generic CV hides the keywords the employer is scanning for.
• Paying to get a job. Recruitment fees, "processing fees" and cashback requests are warning signs, and paying for sponsorship can sink the visa itself.
• Sending your passport too early. Scamwatch advises never sending passport or identity documents unless you are certain the employer is genuine; a real employer will not need your bank details until you have accepted a job.

Frequently asked questions

Can I find a job in Australia without being there?

Yes, if the employer is willing to sponsor you. Focus on ads that state visa sponsorship, apply with a tailored CV, and expect phone or video interviews. The employer then nominates you and you apply for the visa.

Do I need a job offer before applying for a work visa?

For the employer-sponsored route, yes. The subclass 482 visa needs an employer to nominate you, and the New Zealand AEWV needs a job offer from an accredited employer, who sends you the link to apply.

How do I know if a New Zealand employer can sponsor me?

Search Immigration New Zealand's accredited employer list by company name or its 13-digit business number. Some accredited employers choose not to appear in the search, so ask the employer directly if you cannot find them.

Should I pay a recruiter to find me a sponsored job?

Be very careful. New Zealand employers cannot make you pay their recruitment costs, Australian cashback schemes are illegal, and paying for sponsorship can lead to a visa being refused. Treat any upfront fee as a warning sign and check the person yourself.

How long should my CV be for Australia and New Zealand?

Aim for 2 pages. The Queensland Government suggests 1-3 pages depending on your experience, and Tahatū suggests 2 pages if you can. Rewrite it for each job using the words in the ad.

Key takeaways

• Check your occupation and the visa basics before you write any applications.
• Sponsored work visas start with the employer, so target ads that state sponsorship.
• Check New Zealand employers on the accredited employer list yourself.
• Rewrite your CV for every job with the ad's own words, and keep it to about 2 pages.
• Never pay for a job or sponsorship, and do not send your passport until you trust the employer.