The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme lets Australian employers recruit workers from Pacific countries and Timor-Leste when they cannot find enough local staff. It is the largest, best-established route for Timorese to earn Australian wages — legally and with protections.

Two streams

• Seasonal — short-term work (up to around nine months), typically in agriculture and horticulture — picking, packing, farm work.
• Long-term — multi-year work (commonly up to four years) in sectors such as meat processing, aged care and hospitality.

How Timorese join

Workers are selected from a work-ready pool managed by the Timor-Leste government through SEFOPE. You register with SEFOPE, and approved Australian employers recruit from that pool. Your flights, a decent standard of accommodation and your rights at work are covered by the scheme rules — and you should never pay a fee to be selected.

The honest part

PALM is real money and real opportunity — remittances from PALM workers are a major income for Timorese families. But it is hard, physical work far from home, and demand for places is much greater than the number available. Being work-ready — English, a clean record, relevant experience, a good CV — is what gets you picked.

Register your PALM interest with SEFOPE through the official channel. Servisu of Timor explains the scheme and helps you get work-ready — it does not select workers and does not charge fees.