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With ongoing staffing shortages across the veterinary sector, many clinics are hiring candidates who are in Australia and hold a temporary visa. In practice, most international veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and support staff will already be in Australia on either a Working Holiday visa (Subclass 417/462), Student visa (Subclass 500), or Temporary Graduate visa (Subclass 485) at the time they apply for a role.
Understanding how these visas work is essential for compliance and workforce planning.
Working Holiday visas are a common option for younger veterinarians, veterinary nurses, kennel hands, and support staff who are already travelling in Australia.
The key condition clinics must check is the six-month work limitation, which restricts holders to working for the same employer for a maximum of six months. In limited circumstances, extensions may be possible, but only with written approval from the Department of Home Affairs. These visas are also subject to age and passport restrictions, generally limited to applicants aged 18–30 (or 35 for some nationalities).
Working Holiday visas are best suited for short-term staffing needs, locum coverage, seasonal workload increases, or as a trial period before exploring sponsorship under another visa, such as the Skills in Demand Subclass 482.
Student visas are common among international veterinary nursing students and those completing pre-veterinary pathways. During study periods, students are restricted to 48 hours of work per fortnight, with unlimited hours permitted during official semester breaks. Importantly, work must not interfere with course attendance or completion.
Students can work for multiple employers, provided they stay within the permitted hours. For clinics, student visa holders are often well suited to part-time roles, weekend shifts, and after-hours support.
The Temporary Graduate visa is frequently held by recent international graduates, including veterinary nurses. This visa provides full-time work rights with no employer or occupation restrictions, making it ideal for longer-term hires. Depending on the qualification, visas typically last between 18 months and several years and can offer pathways to Employer-Sponsorship as well as permanent Residency.
Before hiring any international candidates, clinics should always confirm the visa subclass, work restrictions, expiry date, and whether sponsorship is viable for long-term employment.
If you’re a visa holder working in Australia or the owner of a veterinary practice and have any questions – contact the team at VetVisa for expert advice.
Priscilla is driven by her passion for facilitating the immigration journey, specifically for the veterinary industry. She not only aids veterinarians and vet nurses aspiring to call Australia home, but she has a keen focus on working alongside veterinary practices to provide expert advice in helping scale their teams by accessing global talent pools. Fluent in Portuguese, Priscilla ensures effective communication and support for individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds, further enhancing her ability to cater to the needs of her clientele.
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Last-minute Facebook posts and panic locum searches aren’t a staffing strategy, they’re a symptom of a system that needs to change. Let’s start with the facts - we’ve all done it. Posted a FB message that went something like: “URGENT – Looking for Locum tomorrow”...
