# FIFO jobs in Australia: oil and gas jobs for foreigners (2026)

> Most FIFO and oil and gas jobs in Australia go to people who already have the right to work there. As a foreigner you usually need an employer-sponsored Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa, or a working holiday visa with a six-month limit per employer. Offshore work needs a suitable visa too.

Source: RigJobsDirect, https://rigjobsdirect.com/guides/oil-and-gas-jobs-in-australia-for-foreigners-fifo
Category: Visa. Last updated: 2026-10-16.

FIFO jobs (fly-in fly-out) are jobs where you fly to a remote site, work a block of long shifts, and fly home for your days off. In Australia they are common in oil and gas, LNG and mining, mostly in Western Australia and Queensland. If you are a foreigner, the short answer is this: you need a visa that lets you work before any FIFO job is possible, and most employers hire people who already have one. The usual routes are an employer-sponsored Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa, or a working holiday visa with limits.

This guide covers the visa routes, how FIFO rosters work, what "no experience" FIFO jobs really are, where the jobs are, and what pay looks like. It is general information, not legal advice. Visa rules and income thresholds change, so check the official links before you apply.

## Oil and gas jobs in Australia for foreigners: what we see

On RigJobsDirect on 16 October 2026 there were **331 open energy jobs in Australia** ([Australia jobs](https://rigjobsdirect.com/jobs/in/australia)), including **45 in Perth** ([Perth jobs](https://rigjobsdirect.com/jobs/in/perth)) and **45 in Brisbane** ([Brisbane jobs](https://rigjobsdirect.com/jobs/in/brisbane)). None of the Australian jobs that day said in the ad that the employer would sponsor a visa. That matches what employers tell candidates in practice: the first filter is your right to work in Australia.

The employers on the board that day included construction and engineering firms (Bechtel, ACCIONA, KBR), service companies (Halliburton, EnerMech, Baker Hughes), and energy companies such as Woodside, Santos and Snowy Hydro. Roles ranged from field engineers and supervisors at remote project sites (Cloncurry, Karratha, Weipa) to operator assistants in cementing at Halliburton in Perth and Roma.

So if you are outside Australia, expect to need either a visa you can get without an employer, or an employer willing to sponsor you for a skill that is hard to find locally.

## Which visa lets you take a FIFO job?

| Route | Who it suits | Key limits |
|---|---|---|
| Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) | Skilled workers with an employer willing to sponsor | Employer must nominate you; salary must meet the income threshold and the market rate |
| Working holiday visa (subclass 417 or 462) | Young travellers from eligible countries | Usually six months with one employer |
| Permanent skilled visas | Skilled workers who qualify on points or state nomination | Long process; check eligibility with Home Affairs |
| Offshore resources work | Anyone working on offshore platforms or vessels | You must hold an appropriate visa for offshore resources activity |

### Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)

The Skills in Demand visa replaced the old Temporary Skill Shortage visa. Home Affairs describes it as a temporary visa that "lets an employer sponsor a suitably skilled worker to fill a position they can't find a suitably skilled Australian to fill" ([Home Affairs](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skills-in-demand-visa-subclass-482)).

The salary in the nomination has to meet an income threshold. For nominations made on or after 1 July 2026, the regulations set the temporary skilled migration income threshold at **A$79,423**, with the next indexation on 1 July 2027 ([Federal Register of Legislation, F2026L00874](https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L00874/asmade/text)). The employer must also pay at least what an Australian would earn in the same role, so many oil and gas roles pay well above the threshold anyway.

In practice, a 482 sponsorship is realistic for experienced specialists: senior drilling and completions staff, subsea engineers, commissioning leads, instrument and electrical specialists. It is rare for entry-level FIFO roles.

### Working holiday visa (subclass 417 or 462)

Working holiday makers can take FIFO work, but there is a catch. Condition 8547 usually limits you to **six months with any one employer**. Construction and mining (including oil and gas extraction) are exempt from that limit only in Northern Australia, a postcode-based area covering parts of Queensland and Western Australia and all of the Northern Territory. You can ask Home Affairs for permission to work longer in some cases, but you must ask before the six months end ([Home Affairs](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/6-month-work-limitation)).

Many FIFO employers want people who can stay for at least a year, so a six-month limit makes you a harder hire. Say clearly in your application how long you can work.

### Offshore platforms and vessels

Offshore oil and gas work in Australian waters is covered by the Migration Act. Home Affairs says non-citizens must hold an appropriate visa to take part in, or support, offshore resources activities, and that crew on vessels in these activities have the same visa requirements as workers on installations ([Home Affairs](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsor-responsibilities/managing-people-in-australias-offshore-oil-and-gas-industry)). Do not accept an offer that asks you to work offshore on a visitor visa.

## How FIFO rosters work

A FIFO roster is written as time on and time off. "2:1" means two weeks on site and one week at home. "8:6" means eight days on and six off. "14:14" means two weeks on and two weeks off. Shifts on site are often 12 hours, and you usually live in a camp or village provided by the employer.

Things to check in an offer:

- **Point of hire.** Most FIFO jobs fly you from a set city, often Perth for Western Australia or Brisbane for Queensland. If you live elsewhere, you may pay the flight to that city yourself.
- **Paid travel days.** Whether travel time counts as paid work.
- **Day shift or night shift**, and how often you swap.
- **Accommodation.** Single room or shared, and whether meals are included.

Western Australia has a code of practice for FIFO work: *Mentally healthy workplaces for fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers in the resources and construction sectors*. It covers resources operations (including petroleum, drilling contractors and facilities management) and construction, and deals with psychosocial hazards, early help and support for recovery ([WorkSafe WA](https://www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/publications/mentally-healthy-workplaces-fly-fly-out-fifo-workers-resources-and-construction-sectors)). It is worth reading before your first swing, so you know what support employers should offer.

## FIFO jobs with no experience: what is realistic

Search results promise "FIFO jobs, no experience needed". Some exist, but they are not the six-figure roles in the headlines. Entry-level FIFO roles are usually:

- **Trades assistants and labourers** on construction and shutdown projects.
- **Operator assistants** at service companies, such as cementing or wireline crews (Halliburton advertised cementing operator assistant roles in Perth and Roma on 16 October 2026).
- **Camp and village roles**: cleaning, kitchen, housekeeping, maintenance.
- **Roustabouts** on drilling rigs, the first step of the drilling ladder (browse [drilling jobs](https://rigjobsdirect.com/jobs/role/drilling)).

Even for these jobs, employers usually want your basic "tickets" already done:

- **White card.** In Western Australia, anyone doing construction work, including engineers and supervisors, must complete general construction induction training with a registered training organisation before starting. The card does not expire, but it becomes invalid if you leave the industry for two years or more ([WorkSafe WA](https://www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/construction-induction-training)). Other states have the same card.
- **A driver licence**, and for some jobs a heavy vehicle licence.
- **A pre-employment medical and drug and alcohol test.**
- **Offshore safety training** such as BOSIET or T-BOSIET for offshore roles. See [offshore safety certificates](https://rigjobsdirect.com/guides/offshore-safety-certificates-gulf-oil-gas).

### Avoid paid "FIFO placement" schemes

Be careful with websites and agents that charge you to "guarantee" a FIFO job. Australia's Scamwatch warns about job scams that ask you to pay upfront or hand over personal details ([Scamwatch](https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/jobs-and-employment-scams)). Real employers do not charge you for a job. Our [guide to avoiding recruitment scams](https://rigjobsdirect.com/guides/avoid-recruitment-scams-gulf-oil-gas-jobs) is written for the Gulf, but the warning signs are the same in Australia.

## FIFO jobs in Perth

Perth is the main FIFO hub for Western Australia. Workers fly from Perth to the Pilbara (Karratha, Port Hedland), the Kimberley and the Goldfields, and to offshore bases. If you are searching for "FIFO jobs Perth", it usually means "jobs with Perth as point of hire", not jobs located in the city.

On RigJobsDirect on 16 October 2026, Perth jobs included a pre-commissioning manager and field engineers at Bechtel, and a slickline service supervisor and a cementing operator assistant at Halliburton. Browse [Perth jobs](https://rigjobsdirect.com/jobs/in/perth) and filter by role, such as [drilling](https://rigjobsdirect.com/jobs/role/drilling) or [maintenance](https://rigjobsdirect.com/jobs/role/maintenance).

### FIFO jobs for women

Women work in every FIFO role, from operators to engineers and site managers. You should also know about safety: in June 2022 a Western Australian parliamentary committee tabled the *Enough is Enough* report into sexual harassment against women in the FIFO mining industry. It made 79 findings and 24 recommendations, and the WA Government supported, or supported in principle, all 15 recommendations within its responsibility ([WorkSafe WA progress report](https://www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/system/files/documents/2025-06/RP_EiE_FinalProgress.pdf)). Ask employers how they handle reports, what the camp security arrangements are, and whether rooms are single and lockable.

## Oil and gas jobs in Australia: salary

Australia's official earnings survey shows mining (which includes oil and gas extraction) as a high-paying industry. In May 2026, average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time adults were **A$3,224.20 in mining**, against **A$2,083.70 across all industries** ([ABS](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-working-conditions/average-weekly-earnings-australia/latest-release)). That mining average works out at about A$167,700 a year before tax and overtime.

Averages hide a lot. Entry-level and camp roles pay much less than experienced operators, drillers and engineers, and FIFO pay depends on the roster, overtime and allowances.

## How to apply from abroad

1. **Decide your visa route first.** Without a working holiday visa or a realistic sponsorship case, applying to entry-level FIFO jobs wastes your time.
2. **Target skills that are scarce.** Experienced specialists have the best chance of sponsorship.
3. **Get your tickets.** A white card can only be done in Australia with a registered provider, but offshore safety training is available in many countries. Check which version the employer accepts.
4. **Apply on the employer's own career site.** Every job on RigJobsDirect links to the employer's own page. You can also browse [jobs open to applicants abroad](https://rigjobsdirect.com/jobs/apply-from-abroad).
5. **Be clear about availability.** Say when you can start, your visa type and its end date, and your nearest point of hire.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can foreigners get FIFO jobs in Australia?

Yes, if they hold a visa that allows the work. Most foreigners use an employer-sponsored Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa or a working holiday visa. Without work rights, Australian employers usually cannot consider you.

### Can I do FIFO on a working holiday visa?

Yes, but you are usually limited to six months with one employer. Construction and mining work in Northern Australia is exempt from that limit, and you can ask Home Affairs for permission to work longer in limited cases before the six months end.

### Do oil and gas companies in Australia sponsor visas?

Some do, mainly for experienced specialists they cannot find locally. On 16 October 2026, none of the Australian jobs on RigJobsDirect mentioned sponsorship in the ad, so do not count on it for entry-level roles.

### What is the minimum salary for a 482 visa?

For nominations made on or after 1 July 2026, the income threshold is A$79,423 a year. The employer must also pay at least the market rate for the role. The threshold is indexed each year, so check Home Affairs before you apply.

### What does FIFO 2:1 mean?

Two weeks working on site, then one week at home. Other common patterns include 8:6 and 14:14.

### Do I need a white card for FIFO jobs?

For construction work, yes. In Western Australia anyone doing construction work must complete general construction induction training before starting. Many resources sites ask for it even for other roles.

## Related

- [Offshore safety certificates](https://rigjobsdirect.com/guides/offshore-safety-certificates-gulf-oil-gas)
- [Rotation schedules in oil and gas jobs](https://rigjobsdirect.com/guides/rotation-schedules-gulf-oil-gas)
- [The drilling career ladder: roustabout to toolpusher](https://rigjobsdirect.com/guides/the-drilling-career-ladder-roustabout-to-toolpusher)
- [Offshore medicals: OEUK, Norway, Australia](https://rigjobsdirect.com/guides/offshore-medicals-oeuk-norway-australia)
- [Oil and gas salary statistics 2026](https://rigjobsdirect.com/guides/oil-and-gas-salary-statistics-2026)
- [Energy jobs in Australia](https://rigjobsdirect.com/jobs/in/australia) and [jobs open to applicants abroad](https://rigjobsdirect.com/jobs/apply-from-abroad)

## Sources

- https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L00874/asmade/text
- https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skills-in-demand-visa-subclass-482
- https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/6-month-work-limitation
- https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsor-responsibilities/managing-people-in-australias-offshore-oil-and-gas-industry
- https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-working-conditions/average-weekly-earnings-australia/latest-release
- https://www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/publications/mentally-healthy-workplaces-fly-fly-out-fifo-workers-resources-and-construction-sectors
- https://www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/construction-induction-training
- https://www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/system/files/documents/2025-06/RP_EiE_FinalProgress.pdf
- https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/jobs-and-employment-scams