The Restaurant (Premium Dining) Industry Labour Agreement: Sponsoring Chefs, Cooks and Trade Waiters
Fine dining restaurants struggle to find experienced chefs and front of house staff. The Restaurant (Premium Dining) Industry Labour Agreement gives them a sponsorship route. So here are its published terms.
Agreement terms checked on 12 October 2026 on the Home Affairs ILA page and in the template agreement. Home Affairs can change them at any time. Therefore, confirm the current terms on the Home Affairs ILA page and in the template agreement before you act.
What the restaurant ILA is
An industry labour agreement is a template deal between Home Affairs and a sector. As a result, the terms are set and non-negotiable. The restaurant agreement runs for five years, with a nomination ceiling per occupation each year.
For the wider picture, read our pillar guide to labour agreements in Australia. Meanwhile, our aged care ILA guide shows a sibling agreement. Restaurants outside the premium dining test can read our guide to what a DAMA is instead. For example, our Far North Queensland DAMA guide covers a region listing cooks.
Who counts as a premium dining restaurant
Only a premium dining restaurant can request this agreement. The restaurant must:
- employ highly experienced staff;
- offer a wine list;
- have revenue of at least $2 million per annum;
- be non-franchised;
- require specialised front of house staff, such as trade waiters, sommeliers and maitre d’s; and
- require specialised back of house staff, such as wok chefs, sushi chefs and specialised cuisine chefs.
Moreover, the test continues after signing. If the business stops meeting it, the sponsor has 30 days to tell Home Affairs.
The restaurant ILA at a glance
| Item | Published position, checked 12 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Visas available | 482, 494 and 186 after a transition |
| Occupations | Four: Chef, Cook, Cafe or Restaurant Manager and Trade Waiter |
| Salary rule | Nil concessions; standard 482, 494 and 186 rules apply |
| English, 482 and 494 | IELTS 5.0 overall, 4.5 listening and speaking, 4.0 reading and writing |
| English, 186 | Standard 186 requirement, no concession |
| Age limit, 494 and 186 | Under 55 at lodgement; none published for the 482 |
| Experience rule | Standard for chefs, cooks and managers; three routes for trade waiters |
| PR transition | 186 after two years (chefs, cooks) or three (managers, trade waiters) |
| Endorsing body and fee | None named by Home Affairs; no request fee |
The four occupations
Home Affairs lists four occupations, and we counted four on 12 October 2026:
- Chef, ANZSCO 351311.
- Cook, ANZSCO 351411.
- Cafe or Restaurant Manager, ANZSCO 141111.
- Trade Waiter, which has no ANZSCO code, so the nomination uses code 070499.
The trade waiter role combines the ANZSCO waiter tasks with Restaurant Industry Award duties, such as cellar work. In addition, Home Affairs accepts all five ANZSCO waiter specialisations, including sommelier. The other three occupations must match their ANZSCO tasks with no concession.
Skills, qualifications and experience
Chefs, cooks and managers face the standard Skills in Demand skill rules, with no concession. For a trade waiter, however, the template offers three routes:
- a Certificate III in Hospitality (Restaurant Front of House), or an RTO-assessed equivalent, plus 12 months of relevant work; or
- at least 18 months of relevant work in Australia on a temporary visa; or
- at least two years of relevant experience.
The 494 then needs at least two years of relevant experience. By contrast, the 186 needs three years of full time work in Australia in the occupation. Home Affairs names no skills assessing authority for this agreement.
The English concession
For the 482 and the 494, the worker needs IELTS 5.0 overall or an equivalent test. Listening and speaking must each reach 4.5. However, reading and writing can sit at 4.0. For the 186, the standard requirement applies, which Home Affairs currently states as Competent English.
Salary: no concession here
Unlike several other ILAs, this agreement gives no salary concession. Schedule 2 of the template says “nil concessions”. So the sponsor must pay the annual market salary rate. The pay must also meet the Core Skills Income Threshold. That is AUD79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, and the 494 TSMIT matches it.
Furthermore, each 482 or 494 position must be full time and ongoing for at least two years. Our guide to 482 salary thresholds explains how the market rate is set.
Age and labour market testing
For the 494 and the 186, the worker must be under 55 at lodgement. That is a concession on the standard limit of 45. Home Affairs publishes no age limit for the 482.
Labour market testing applies to every 482 and 494 nomination. The sponsor must show at least two attempts in the six months before lodging. One must have national reach, for example on Seek, Indeed or Workforce Australia. The other may be local. Our labour market testing guide covers the general rules.
The pathway to permanent residence
The agreement approves a 186 pathway only after a transition on a primary 457 or 482 visa in the occupation. For chefs and cooks, that period is two years. For managers and trade waiters, it is three. In addition, the worker needs three years of full time work in Australia in that occupation.
Extra obligations under the agreement
Schedule 6 adds obligations beyond the standard ones. The sponsor must pay the worker directly and give workplace rights information within seven days. It must never nominate a worker who owes recruitment money. Any labour hire provider must be licensed, and the worker must still work directly for the restaurant.
What it costs
Commonwealth figures, re-verified on Home Affairs on 12 October 2026:
- There is no cost to request a labour agreement, and no endorsing body fee.
- Sponsorship approval costs AUD420. A 482 nomination costs AUD330 and a 186 nomination AUD540.
- The SAF levy for the 482 is AUD1,200 per year under AUD10 million turnover, otherwise AUD1,800. For the 186 and 494, it is AUD3,000 or AUD5,000 one-off.
- The 482 Labour Agreement stream visa starts from AUD4,015. The 186 and 494 streams each start from AUD6,140.
Our guide to 482 sponsorship costs covers what you cannot pass on. Then our Skills in Demand visa pillar covers the visa stage.
Frequently asked questions
Which visas does the Restaurant (Premium Dining) Industry Labour Agreement cover?
It covers the Skills in Demand 482, the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional 494 and the Employer Nomination Scheme 186. The 186 follows a two or three year transition.
Which occupations can a premium dining restaurant sponsor?
Four: Chef 351311, Cook 351411, Cafe or Restaurant Manager 141111 and Trade Waiter, nominated under code 070499. Sommeliers and maitre d’s fall under the trade waiter role.
What English scores apply under the restaurant ILA?
For the 482 and 494, IELTS 5.0 overall or equivalent. Listening and speaking need 4.5, and reading and writing need 4.0. For the 186, the standard requirement applies.
Is there a salary concession under the restaurant ILA?
No. The template says nil concessions, so the market salary rate and the standard thresholds apply. The CSIT is AUD79,423 for nominations lodged in the year from 1 July 2026.
Can a sponsored chef move to permanent residence?
Yes, through the 186 after two years on a 457 or 482 visa in the occupation. Managers and trade waiters need three years. The worker must be under 55 at lodgement.
Sam Kanjo, Migration Lawyer, Skyline Migration Lawyers, Melbourne.
Talk to us about the restaurant ILA
We help restaurants with labour agreement requests and nominations. Call Skyline Migration Lawyers on 03 8108 8748. Or email info@skylinemigrationlawyers.com.au.
This article is general information only. It is not legal advice and it does not guarantee any outcome. Labour agreement terms change, so please seek advice tailored to your business before you act.
For employers: how we run sponsorship and labour agreement matters
The seven stages, who does what, how documents are collected, privacy, payments, and a working cost estimator. See how we work with employers.
