Checks before hiring overseas workers: 6 steps to finish before an offer goes out
The checks before hiring overseas workers work best in a set order: confirm the person can legally do this job in Australia, then test their experience and references, then their qualifications and any licence or registration, then the English the role needs, then identity and police checks, and finally record what you did. Run them on the candidate you plan to hire, not on every applicant, and make the offer conditional on anything still open.
This checklist is for employers and hiring managers taking on someone who lives overseas or has recently arrived. It covers what to check and when, not which visa to use: that sits with Home Affairs and, where needed, a registered migration agent.
Why the order of the checks matters
Each check takes time, and some cost the candidate money. Start with the ones most likely to end the process. There is little point chasing a referee in Manila for a fortnight if the visa does not allow the hours you need.
The order also protects privacy. The OAIC says an organisation may collect personal information that is "reasonably necessary" for its activities, and gives as an example of a collection that may not be reasonably necessary collecting information about all job applicants when it is only required for shortlisted candidates.
Business.gov.au says an employer who still wants to check references can give a conditional offer, then send a written offer if no issues are found. Tell the candidate which checks are still open.
The six checks at a glance
| Check | What it answers | Where you check it |
|---|---|---|
| Work rights | Can this person do this job, for these hours? | VEVO, with the visa holder's permission |
| Experience and references | Did they do the work they claim? | Records made at the time, and a referee you reached yourself |
| Qualifications and licences | Are they allowed to start this work here? | The licensing or registration authority |
| English for the role | Can they handle the job's talking, reading and writing? | A short task from the real work |
| Identity and police | Is this the person on the papers? | Original ID, an Australian police check, overseas certificates |
| Records | Could you show later what you checked? | Your own hiring file |
Check 1: work rights come first
Business.gov.au says an employer is responsible for making sure a new employee can legally work in Australia, meaning they are a citizen or hold a visa that lets them work here. It describes two ways to hire a non-citizen: employ someone already here with a work visa, or sponsor a skilled worker to get one.
For a current visa holder, Home Affairs tells employers to check the work conditions through the free system Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO), with the visa holder's permission. The result shows unlimited work rights, limited work rights with the conditions, or no work rights.
Read the conditions, not just the headline. The Fair Work Ombudsman says some visas limit how many hours a person can work, for example international students, or what job they can do, for example a seasonal worker. Save a PDF of the result: Home Affairs recommends it because compliance officers may ask for it, and says you do not need to keep a copy of the travel document.
If you plan to sponsor someone still overseas, the visa is a separate Home Affairs process, and a sponsored worker may be asked for evidence of recognised qualifications, skills or work experience. The business.gov.au guide to hiring an overseas worker is a plain starting point; this guide gives no visa advice.
Home Affairs says it is against the law to hire a non-citizen without a valid visa, or to have them work against their visa conditions, and that using a labour hire organisation does not free an employer from its obligations to migrant workers.
Check 2: experience and references
Next, test the work history the decision rests on. Ask for evidence by type: contracts, payslips, tax or social insurance records and reference letters. For points-tested skilled visas, Home Affairs expects a reference on official letterhead with a full street address, the exact period of employment, each position, the main duties and salary, and the signer's typed name, position and direct number. That is a fair benchmark for any letter.
Then speak to a referee on a number you found yourself, not the one printed on the letter. The Fair Work Ombudsman's reference checking template says to ask for referee details at the interview stage and get the applicant's permission to contact them. Our guides on how to verify overseas work experience and confirming a referee you cannot meet in person cover both parts; for trades roles, see the checks that show whether a tradesperson's experience is real.
A gap in dates or a company that has closed is a question to ask, not proof of anything.
Check 3: qualifications, licences and registration
A qualification, a skills assessment and a licence answer different questions. The Department of Education says occupations needing specialised knowledge and skills have registration, licensing or other industry requirements that must be met before starting work. For a licensed trade, ask for the licence number and look it up on the register of the state where the person will work; the NSW Government's licence check, for example, shows categories, expiry dates, status and any conditions.
For health roles, search the Ahpra Register of practitioners, which shows whether a practitioner may practise and any conditions. Ahpra tells international practitioners they cannot work in their profession in Australia before they are registered. An overseas nursing qualification, a visa or RPL does not make someone a registered nurse or an enrolled nurse here.
For roles with no licence, the Department of Education's Country Education Profiles help employers understand the level of an overseas qualification.
Check 4: the English the job actually uses
Set the English standard from the job, not from an accent or a country. A forklift operator follows safety instructions and radio calls; a support worker writes clear notes; an estimator reads drawings and emails clients.
The fairest test is a short task from the real work, given to every shortlisted candidate in the same way: explain a safety step, or write a handover note. Where a visa or registration board requires a formal English test, check its official page rather than inventing your own score. Business.gov.au says employers must not discriminate against applicants because of attributes including race and national extraction, so record the task and the result.
Check 5: identity and police checks
Every result only counts if it belongs to the person in front of you. Look at original photo ID and check that names and dates of birth match across the passport, references and certificates.
For Australian history, the ACIC explains on its page for employers how to get a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check through an accredited body or police agency. A check needs the applicant's informed consent, and the ACIC aims to process 95 per cent of checks within 10 business days. The AFP's National Police Certificate covers offender history in Australia and costs $57, or $114 if fingerprints are needed.
An Australian check says nothing about years abroad. A candidate applying for a visa may already be gathering overseas certificates: Home Affairs may ask for one from every country a person lived in, usually if they are over 17 and lived there for at least 12 months in the past 10 years. Ask only where the role justifies it: criminal record information is sensitive information under the Privacy Act. Our guide to background checks for overseas candidates goes further.
Check 6: record what you checked
Keep a short, dated file for the person you hire: the VEVO PDF, each referee call, the register search, the English task and the police check result, with who did each one.
Keep only what you need. Under APP 11 an organisation covered by the Privacy Act must protect the personal information it holds and destroy or de-identify it once no longer needed. The OAIC says most small businesses, those with an annual turnover of $3 million or less, are not covered, but some are.
Running the checklist for one candidate
- Tell the shortlisted candidate which checks you will run, and get written permission for VEVO, referee calls and any police check.
- Run VEVO, or confirm the sponsorship steps on the Home Affairs pages, and save the result.
- Collect work records and speak to a referee on a number you found yourself.
- Look up the licence or registration on the official register.
- Give the same short English task every shortlisted candidate does.
- Sight original ID, then start the police checks the role justifies.
- Make a conditional offer naming what is outstanding, then confirm it in writing.
If an agency supplied the candidate, still run the work rights check yourself; our guide to pre-screened overseas candidates lists the questions to ask a provider.
When a candidate shares a Talent Tabloid username, you can open the profile on People Search and see which roles and qualifications carry verified badges, plus a video intro and work evidence; the page for employers explains more. Treat it as a head start on step 3, never a replacement for VEVO or a police check.
Common mistakes when hiring from overseas
- Leaving work rights until last, after weeks of reference calls.
- Reading "limited work rights" in VEVO without reading the conditions under it.
- Relying on an agency's VEVO check alone.
- Calling the number printed on a reference letter instead of one you found yourself.
- Treating a skills assessment or overseas qualification as a licence to start work.
- Running police checks on every applicant instead of the person you intend to hire.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules can change: check the official government website, or get advice for your situation, before you act.
Frequently asked questions
What checks should I do before hiring an overseas worker?
Work rights through VEVO, then experience and references, qualifications and licences, the English the job needs, identity and police checks where justified, and a record of each. Run them on the candidate you intend to hire.
Is VEVO free for employers?
Yes. Business.gov.au and Home Affairs describe VEVO as a free service for checking a potential employee's visa conditions. An organisation registers through an organisation ImmiAccount, needs an Australian Business Number, and must have the visa holder's permission for each check.
Can I make a job offer before every check is back?
Yes, as a conditional offer. Business.gov.au says an employer still checking references can make one, then send a written offer if no issues are found.
Does an Australian police check cover time spent overseas?
No. The AFP says its National Police Certificate is a summary of a person's offender history in Australia. For years lived abroad, the candidate usually obtains certificates from those countries.
Who is responsible for work rights if a labour hire company supplies the worker?
Home Affairs says using a labour hire organisation does not free an employer from its obligations to migrant workers. It suggests contract clauses requiring the labour hire organisation to use VEVO.
Key takeaways
- Check work rights first, through VEVO with permission, and save the PDF.
- Test experience with records from the time and a referee you reached yourself.
- A qualification or skills assessment is not a licence or registration.
- Set the English task from the job and use it for every shortlisted candidate.
- Run police checks only where the role justifies them; an Australian check does not cover years abroad.
