The Harbour Master’s Guide For Emigrating to Australia

Welcome to our guide on the Australian skills assessment process for a Harbour Master. Before we examine the skills required to be recognised as a Harbour Master it may be helpful to explain that the skills assessment is the first step of the emigration process. The skills Assessment of a Harbour Master determines their eligibility to emigrate and the visa options available. Ultimately, it will affect their employment opportunities once they are in Australia.

While we appreciate that each case is unique, we always strive to secure the best possible outcome from the Skills Assessing Authorities in Australia. Experience has proven that a positive accreditation result is an essential first step to a successful case.

Australia’s top employers and recruiters are increasingly turning to the UK for highly skilled workers to meet the demand in key professions.

Securing Employment in Australia

Sterling Migration works closely with many of Australia’s leading employers, connecting them with international candidates who possess the specific skills these Australian companies require.

To secure a job offer from a reputable Australian employer, candidates must first complete their skills accreditation, receive an invitation to emigrate from the government and be able to provide a potential start date.

Leading recruiters across Australia trust Sterling Migration to endorse and introduce only the best candidates who have been assessed and are ready to emigrate. We are always delighted when we can recommend a client for a role that we believe will be their ideal fit.

Ensuring Harbour Masters Are In High Demand

Every skilled migrant wants to know that they will be able to secure the best role that matches their personal requirements quickly and easily in Australia. The Australian emigration system ensures that they can.

Each year, State Governments and the two territorial Governments report to the federal government on their local demand for Harbour Masters and if they need to bring any in from overseas to fill potential shortage skills gaps. The report will provide the precise number of overseas a Harbour Masters required in the region during the coming year to fill any potential skills gap.

The Skills in demand are placed on priority lists. These lists range from those skills in high demand across the entire country to those skills with only limited demand within rural areas. Depending on the list a skill is on will determine which visa(s) are available to people within that profession.

Curently, Harbour Masters are on the STSOL skills shortage list. Being on the STSOL list means a Harbour Master may qualify for the following visa streams:

186, 189 (PT), 190, 407, 485 (GW),491 (F), 491 (S/T), TSS (M), 494 Visa streams.

Skills and Experience Required To Be a Harbour Master

Before a Harbour Master can apply to emigrate as a skilled worker to Australia, their qualification, skills, and experience must be independently verified via a rigorous accreditation process. The process ensures all Harbour Masters invited to emigrate can do their job to the required Australian standards.

1. Defining the job title a Harbour Master:

The profession “a Harbour Master” can mean something slightly different in Australia to what is referred to overseas. In “official emigration terms”, this profession is aligned within the occupation category “Specialist Managers nec” and is uniquely identified by the code 139999. This registry system that has been in place since 2006 and has proven to work well for Australia.

2. Key Requirements for a Harbour Master:

For a Harbour Master to be deemed experienced to the Australian standard, here are the essential skills, tasks, duties and responsibilities they must be familiar with:

General Duties:

Communication and collaboration
• Quality control and inspections
• Safety and hazard management
• Environmental management
• Customer service
• Human resources
• Data
• analytics
• and databases
• Records
• documentation
• reports and research
• Business operations and financial activities
• Security and emergency services
• Operating procedures and processes

Core Specialist Responsibilities:

Develop and maintain emergency plans
• Design or install sustainable processes and systems
• Manage operational budgets
• Manage services
• staff or activities
• Maintain operational and production records
• Provide customer service and communicate information
• Communicate and collaborate
• Establish organisational policies or programs
• Develop operational strategies
• plans or procedures
• Collaborate with stakeholders
• Monitor compliance with regulations
• standards or procedures
• Verify and maintain financial records
• Manage or document operational procedure or process
• Undertake financial reporting
• documentation and analysis
• Environmental impact reduction planning
• Undertake recruitment activities
• Inspect
• test or maintain equipment or systems
• Use data to inform operational decisions
• Train staff
• Maintain inventory and stock
• Procure materials
• supplies
• or stock
• Communicate with others to coordinate work
• Negotiate purchases or contracts

Specific Tasks Associated with the Role:

Recruit staff
• Monitor organisational procedures to ensure proper functioning
• Develop emergency procedures
• Resolve customer complaints or problems
• Analyse financial records to improve efficiency
• Develop safety standards
• policies or procedures
• Maintain operational records
• Analyse data to inform operational decisions or activities
• Order materials
• supplies
• or equipment
• Monitor organisational compliance with regulations
• Approve expenditures
• Examine financial records to ensure compliance with policies or regulations
• Coordinate operational activities with external stakeholders
• Confer with peers to accomplish work
• Inspect condition
• or functioning
• of facilities or equipment
• Monitor activities of individuals to ensure safety or compliance with rules
• Develop operating strategies
• plans or procedures for green or sustainable operations
• Monitor inventories
• Implement organisational process or policy changes
• Develop operating strategies
• plans or procedures
• Interview employees
• customers or others to collect information
• Direct organisational operations
• projects or services
• Advise others on business or operational matters
• Analyse financial records to improve budgeting or planning
• Document organisational or operational procedures
• Implement transportation changes to reduce environmental impact
• Prepare operational budgets
• Negotiate contracts for transportation
• distribution or logistics services
• Conduct employee training programs

3. The Australian eligibility criteria for a Harbour Master:

Currently Harbour Master’s are listed on the STSOL reflecting the demand for the profession within Australia.

Please note:

Even though Harbour Master is on the STSOL shortage skills list, it does not guarantee that there are currently places available under any visa stream. The emigration selection process is a dynamic environment that changes continually as quotas for specific skills are met within each region and economic demands change. We provide an up-to-date report at the time of application to ensure our clients secure the best possible visa for their requirements.

Navigating the Skills Assessment Process

As part of the accreditation process, you will be required to provide:

• Relevant qualifications
• Detailed reports from previous employers
• Registrations and licences

Additional for specific cases:

• Video footage of your work
• Photographs
• Attend an interview

These additional items may incur further costs and will cause delays, so they are best avoided where possible.

Context and Function:

The primary purpose of the assessing authority is to protect their Australian Harbour Masters from migrants entering Australia and driving down standards or wages.

Therefore, they often look to delay, frustrate, delay or even reject cases preventing accreditations wherever possible with those aims in mind. They are also motivated by the additional fees they may charge when a person is required to resit an assessment.

The result of a candidate’s skills assessment is often a critical factor in their emigration success. It is vital that a Harbour Master secures the highest possible skills accreditation possible. To have your own team of experts fighting for you provides a considerable advantage in preparing your case and maximising your credibility.

Points Test For Harbour Masters

Each candidate applying to emigrate as a Harbour Master is assessed against a number of criteria set out by the Australian Department of Home Affairs. The criteria include:

• Age
• Qualifications
• Work Experience
• Partners Skills
• English Language Ability
• Miscellaneous

The candidate is awarded points accordingly. Those Harbour Masters who achieve the minimum points required will be eligible to enter the Expression of Interest pool. As with all legal processes, there are many ways to gain points and forfeit points, simply by how a case is presented. The Australian Immigration Authorities do not provide any feedback on the quality of a case once it has been presented and have no statutory obligation to do so. Therefore, if a case has an error that could be easily corrected, the candidate will not be asked to correct the mistake.

Expression of Interest

Once candidates complete their skills accreditation successfully and achieve the minimum points required for a Harbour Master, they become eligible to enter the “Expression of Interest” pool.

The best analogy is that it is a recruitment process. Entering the Expression of Interest pool is like meeting the minimum requirements set out by the employer to be eligible to apply for a position. There is no guarantee of selection.

This is a competitive environment where Harbour Masters from across the globe are requesting one of the available visas to emigrate. Australia periodically selects those it deems to best meet its requirements for a Harbour Master from the pool of available candidates. Those a Harbour Masters selected are invited to apply to emigrate.

Candidates who fail to be selected within two years are automatically removed from the pool.

Police and Medical Checks

The final hurdle to overcome is completing the Police and Medical checks. Assuming nothing is discovered that has not been previously disclosed, the visa will usually be issued within a few weeks.

From the date the visa is issued a Harbour Master will have one year to enter Australia to activate the visa. It is during that time that it is best to reach out to potential employers and make all the necessary arrangements to begin a new life in Australia.

Once a visa is activated, the Harbour Master may leave Australia for a few more months if they require extra time before emigrating permanently.

Find Out More

Emigration law is one of the most complex areas of legislation and is continuously being adapted. By definition, emigrating to Australia is a legal process where the individual must prove their case. The government is not responsible for assisting an applicant in that process. On the contrary, in legal terms, it is the government against whom a Harbour Master must fight and win their case and the right to be hired by the best employers in Australia.

Once you have completed your skills assessment and been invited by the Government to emigrate, you will be ready to meet leading employers with vacancies that will fit your requirements perfectly.

To discover more, complete our online assessment form for your complimentary guide and to discuss your options with one of our friendly experts.