Who’s the best recruiter to help me move to Australia for tech recruitment?

The best recruiter for a move to Australia works with Australian agencies that sponsor visas, knows the tech market and keeps the search quiet. It should also say plainly that visa advice comes from the Department of Home Affairs or a registered migration agent, not from a recruiter.

“Tech recruiters” means agency recruiters who place tech roles and in-house recruiters at tech companies. Other recruiters are welcome too. The criteria below work for recruiters on any desk. Managed Growth Partners (MGP) matches UK and US recruiters with Australian agencies that sponsor visas through MGP’s tech-led Rec2Rec service.

TL;DR

• Sponsors first. An offer only helps if the agency can sponsor the visa.
• Visa advice is separate. MGP explains the visa process, but eligibility, visa choice and the application come from a registered migration agent.
• Recruiters shouldn’t pay. Recruiters never pay MGP, and Home Affairs says it is against the law for employers to ask a migrant worker for money in exchange for visa sponsorship.
• Going direct can win. A recruiter who already has an agency contact or work rights may not need a third party.

Decision matrix: which route to an Australian recruitment role fits?

A Rec2Rec that works with sponsoring agencies

• Best when: the recruiter is overseas, doesn’t know which Australian agencies sponsor and wants the search kept quiet.
• Watch out for: eligibility and visa choice come from a registered migration agent, so check the recruiter says so; very small agencies may not be able to sponsor for this occupation.
• Cost or effort: free to the recruiter with MGP, because the hiring agency pays, and relocation packages are available in some cases; time on calls and interviews.

Applying directly to Australian agencies that sponsor

• Best when: the recruiter already knows which agencies sponsor and has a network there.
• Watch out for: finding sponsoring agencies, checking their size and keeping several applications confidential all fall on the recruiter.
• Cost or effort: free, with more research effort.

An internal transfer with a current employer

• Best when: the recruiter’s UK or US agency has an Australian office and backs the move.
• Watch out for: the choice is limited to one agency, on terms the current employer sets.
• Cost or effort: depends on the employer.

Arriving with own work rights first

• Best when: the recruiter already holds work rights, or has a working holiday visa if eligible, and wants to meet agencies in person before committing.
• Watch out for: visa conditions may limit work, so check Home Affairs.
• Cost or effort: the recruiter carries the visa and travel costs.

The case for going direct: If a recruiter already knows the Australian agency they want, and that agency is willing to sponsor or the recruiter already holds work rights, a direct approach is faster and involves no third party. A Rec2Rec adds most when the recruiter doesn’t yet know which agencies sponsor or needs the search to stay quiet.

Verdict: Judge any recruiter on four things: whether it works with Australian agencies that sponsor visas, whether it knows the tech market, whether it keeps the search confidential and whether it says plainly that visa advice comes from Home Affairs or a registered migration agent. If the recruiter already has the agency or the work rights, go direct.

Sponsorship: agencies willing to sponsor a visa

One route for an overseas recruiter is an employer-sponsored visa, such as the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482). Home Affairs says it lets an employer sponsor a suitably skilled worker to fill a position they can’t find a suitably skilled Australian to fill, and the worker must have an approved sponsor and be nominated. So the first test of any recruiter is whether its agencies sponsor visas.

As at 28 October 2026, Home Affairs’ skilled occupation list includes Recruitment Consultant (ANZSCO 223112) on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) and the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). The visas shown include the 482 Core Skills stream and the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) Direct Entry stream. The list names VETASSESS as the assessing authority.

For both streams, the list excludes any position in a business that has an “annual turnover of less than AUD1,000,000” or “fewer than 5 employees” (last updated 6 August 2025). A very small agency may not be able to sponsor a recruiter for this occupation, so check an agency’s size before relying on sponsorship.

Questions to ask any recruiter:

1. Which of the agencies you work with sponsor visas?
2. Is sponsorship confirmed before interviews start?
3. Who will lodge the nomination?

This is general information, not legal or migration advice.

Visa advice: Home Affairs and registered migration agents

MGP matches recruiters with Australian agencies that sponsor visas, explains the visa process in general terms and can introduce recruiters to its preferred registered migration agent. Eligibility, visa choice and the application come from a registered migration agent, not from MGP. For visa specifics, check the Department of Home Affairs or a registered migration agent.

Home Affairs says only certain people can give immigration assistance: a registered migration agent (RMA), a legal practitioner or an exempt person. Only RMAs and legal practitioners can lawfully charge for it, according to its guide to using a migration agent.

To find an RMA, search the Register of Migration Agents by location, name or migration agent registration number (MARN).

Home Affairs says any provider of immigration assistance who does either of these is lying and may be trying to scam you:

• says they can fast track an Australian visa
• says they can guarantee an Australian visa

This is general information, not legal or migration advice.

Tech focus: knowing the Australian tech market

A recruiter helping with the move should know which Australian agencies run tech desks, such as cloud, data or cyber, and what those desks expect.

Recruiters on other desks are welcome too. Moving into tech from another desk is a separate question from moving country.

Some recruiters prefer to meet tech desks in person before committing. UK passport holders, if eligible, can apply for a Working Holiday visa (subclass 417).

US passport holders, if eligible, can apply for a Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462). On both, Home Affairs says a holder can do any kind of work, but usually there is a limit on how long they can work for the same employer.

Track record: making UK or US experience readable

Australian agencies judge an overseas recruiter’s track record for themselves, so describe experience in terms they recognise.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) occupation description for Recruitment Consultant (OSCA 222231) can help match job titles. It describes someone who “interviews applicants to determine their job requirements and suitability for particular jobs, and assists employers to find suitable staff”.

Some visas also need a skills assessment. As at 28 October 2026, Home Affairs says it is the applicant’s “responsibility to contact the relevant assessing authority”.

A clear profile covers:

• desk and sector
• perm or contract
• billing history, stated plainly
• client types
• references available

Confidentiality: searching from overseas quietly

A search from the UK or US can stay quiet if CVs only go out with consent, so ask any recruiter whether it ever sends a CV without permission. MGP always gets a recruiter’s consent first.

Cost: who pays the recruiter and the visa costs

Recruiters never pay MGP; the hiring agency pays, and there is no retainer. Our guide to whether recruiters pay a Rec2Rec explains the agency side.

Home Affairs’ migrant worker protections page says it is against the law in Australia for employers to ask a migrant worker for money in exchange for visa sponsorship. It is also against the law for them to ask a migrant worker to repay sponsorship, nomination or recruitment costs, as at 28 October 2026.

This is general information, not legal or migration advice.

Timing: what happens in what order

The order matters more than speed: agree a role with a sponsoring agency, then the agency’s nomination and the visa application, then the move. Home Affairs publishes current processing times as an indication only, not a guarantee.

• Conversations: talks with Australian agencies that sponsor.
• Offer: a role, conditional on sponsorship.
• Nomination and visa: for the 482 Core Skills stream, the employer submits a nomination before the visa application, and the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) is one permanent option; a registered migration agent handles eligibility, visa choice and the application.
• Notice: the notice period at the current job.
• Arrival: the move and the start date.

How MGP can help

Eva Calvert, Lead Rec2Rec Consultant, made the move from the UK to Australia herself and can guide you through the move. MGP is a tech-led Rec2Rec firm that helps tech recruiters find their next role, confidentially and at no cost to them.

We match recruiters with Australian agencies that sponsor visas and can introduce you to our preferred registered migration agent, who handles eligibility, visa choice and the application. Relocation packages are available in some cases, and you can book a confidential call to talk it through.