How do I change jobs in Australia?

Moving employer in Australia is common and usually simple. If you’re a permanent resident it’s just notice and paperwork. On a sponsored Skills in Demand (482) visa, the order of steps matters much more.

Notice: what you give and what you’re owed

The law doesn’t set a notice period for employees who resign. Your award, enterprise agreement or contract usually does, so check it before you hand in your notice. Casual employees don’t have to give notice. The Fair Work Ombudsman recommends resigning in writing and stating your last day.

If your employer ends your job, the National Employment Standards set the minimum notice they must give, or pay instead of notice:

Your award or contract can give you more. For your exact numbers, use the Fair Work Ombudsman’s notice and redundancy calculator, or call 13 13 94.

Your final pay

• Wages for all the hours you’ve worked, including penalty rates and allowances
• Unused annual leave, at the rate you’d have been paid if you’d taken it. If leave loading would have applied, it’s paid too
• Long service leave you’ve built up, where your state law or agreement says it’s payable
• Sick and carer’s leave isn’t paid out
• Most awards say final pay is due within 7 days of your last day

Long service leave

Long service leave is a reward for staying a long time with one employer, and most of the rules come from state and territory law, so they differ. In NSW you get 2 months’ paid leave after 10 years, and a pro rata payment after 5 years in some situations, such as your employer ending your job. In Queensland it’s 8.6667 weeks after 10 years, with a pro rata payment after 7 years in some situations. Other states set their own periods. Some industries, such as construction, cleaning and security, have portable schemes that follow you between employers. Check your state’s rules before you decide when to move.

Redundancy

If your job is made redundant after at least a year, you’re usually owed redundancy pay on top of notice. It starts at 4 weeks’ pay, rises to 16 weeks at 9 years, then drops to 12 weeks from 10 years. Employers with fewer than 15 employees don’t have to pay it under the National Employment Standards, though an award may still require it. Casual and fixed-term employees are usually excluded.

On a sponsored 482 visa

How the switch usually works:

1. The new job comes first. Your new employer must be an approved sponsor, or become one, and nominate you, usually in the same occupation
2. You can only start work for the new employer once its nomination for you has been approved
3. Most people resign after that, agreeing a last day so there’s no gap. Your old employer has to tell Home Affairs when your job ends
4. If your sponsored job ends before you have a new sponsor, under the rules in place since July 2024 you have up to 180 days at a time, and 365 days in total over your visa, to find a new sponsor, get another visa or leave. You can work for other employers during that time

Visa rules change: check yours Check your own conditions in VEVO, and confirm the current timeframe with Home Affairs or a registered migration agent before you resign. Your partner and children on your 482 hold it as your family members, so plan the switch as a household. Time with your new sponsor can count towards permanent residence, but the clock may restart. See How do we get permanent residency and citizenship?

Restraint clauses

Some contracts stop you working for a competitor or poaching clients for a time after you leave. Australian courts only enforce these clauses if they’re reasonable to protect the employer’s business. On 7 September 2026 the government released a draft law to ban non-compete clauses for employees earning at or under the high income threshold, currently A$190,100 (about £100,000). It’s planned for 2027 but isn’t law yet. Confidentiality duties would stay. If a restraint worries you, get legal advice before you accept the new job.

Super, references and tax

• Your super stays in your fund. If you don’t choose a fund, your new employer asks the ATO for your existing “stapled” fund and pays into it, so you don’t end up with a new account each job. See What is super, and how does it work?
• Ask your manager for a reference before you leave, and keep your payslips and final pay details
• Give your new employer your tax file number and a new TFN declaration