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Australia's agriculture program for Vietnamese workers: only 5 names can legally recruit you

Visa guide · 2026-10-11 · 7 min read

Australia's agriculture program for Vietnamese workers is real, but only five organisations can legally recruit you for it. Under the labour mobility arrangement between Australia and Vietnam, announced on 6 September 2024, Australia allows at most 1,000 Vietnamese workers in agriculture at the same time, in short-term jobs (6 to 9 months) or long-term jobs (1 to 4 years), in cropping, meat processing, fisheries (including aquaculture) and forestry. If anyone else tells you they can get you into this program, that is the first sign something is wrong.

What the program actually offers

Workers selected for the program go to Australia through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme mechanism. The Vietnam Labour Mobility Arrangement (VLMA), as Australia calls it on its own side, supports the recruitment of up to 1,000 Vietnamese nationals for agriculture-related unskilled, low-skilled and semi-skilled work in Australia for up to 4 years, through PALM scheme employers only. The jobs sit in a defined set of industries: cropping, meat processing, fisheries and aquaculture, and forestry, not general farm work of any kind.

The only organisations allowed to recruit you

As of DOLAB's notice of 24 June 2025, only the Centre of Overseas Labour (COLAB) and 4 service enterprises, ISM LCC, LOD CORP, VTC CORP and MIRAI, are selected by the Australian Government to recruit for the agriculture program. Two names that used to appear on this list, Hoang Long CMS and SONA JSC, were removed. On the Australian side, VLMA workers are recruited through COLAB or approved Vietnamese enterprises; any enterprise not on the current approved list cannot recruit for the VLMA, whatever it claims.

Short-term or long-term: what the difference means

A short-term placement under the program runs 6 to 9 months, while a long-term placement runs 1 to 4 years. Which one you are offered depends on the employer and the role, not on your own preference, so ask early which category a specific opening falls into before you commit time and paperwork to it.

You do not pay a recruitment fee

DOLAB says candidates for the Australia agriculture program do not pay recruitment or service fees; the Australian employer pays these to the selected unit or enterprise instead. DOLAB's own advice is to go directly to one of the five selected units and never through a broker or middleman, however convincing they sound.

The same rights as any other worker

Once you are working in Australia, workers under the PALM scheme and the VLMA have the same workplace entitlements and protections as other employees in Australia. Your pay, conditions and workplace rights do not drop because you came through this program.

A note on the government department's name

Older official documents, including Law 69/2020/QH14 and DOLAB notices from 2024, name the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. DOLAB now belongs to the Ministry of Home Affairs, so do not be thrown if an older document or a scammer's pitch quotes the previous ministry name as if it were still current.

1. Check that the organisation contacting you is one of the five names: COLAB, ISM LCC, LOD CORP, VTC CORP or MIRAI.
2. Confirm you are dealing with that organisation directly, not a broker or agent claiming to represent it.
3. Ask what fee, if any, you are being charged; DOLAB says workers should not pay recruitment or service fees for this program.
4. If a name sounds close to one of the five (a slight spelling change, an added word) but is not an exact match, treat that as a warning sign.
5. If something feels wrong, report it to DOLAB before you pay or sign anything.

Why the approved list matters so much

DOLAB has already removed two names, Hoang Long CMS and SONA JSC, from the approved list. That shows the list is not fixed forever: an enterprise that was legitimate at one point can lose its approval later. Always check the current list rather than relying on something you read months ago, a friend's experience from a previous intake, or a screenshot someone shares in a chat group.

Reporting a problem

DOLAB warns that people misuse the names of the Australia agriculture program and its selected enterprises in false advertising to take workers' money. If you suspect this is happening to you, DOLAB asks people to report problems with the program directly: 41B Lý Thái Tổ, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, phone 024.38249517 extension 502.

While you are preparing

If you want the bigger picture on how Australia's recent visa fast lane for farm work affects Vietnamese applicants, our earlier piece on whether the new visa fast lane is good news for Vietnamese workers is a useful companion read. You can also see how established the Vietnamese community in Australia and New Zealand already is, which matters if you are weighing where to apply. Office and trade roles outside agriculture are listed on our manufacturing jobs page.

Common mistakes to avoid

Trusting an agent or broker who claims a special connection to one of the five approved organisations, when DOLAB says to go directly to the selected unit. Paying any recruitment or service fee for this program, when DOLAB states the employer pays that cost, not the worker. Assuming a name similar to COLAB, ISM LCC, LOD CORP, VTC CORP or MIRAI is close enough to be genuine. Applying for general farm work expecting it to count, when the program covers specific industries: cropping, meat processing, fisheries and aquaculture, and forestry.

Frequently asked questions

How many Vietnamese workers can be in Australia's agriculture program at once?

At most 1,000, in short-term jobs of 6 to 9 months or long-term jobs of 1 to 4 years, across cropping, meat processing, fisheries and aquaculture, and forestry.

Which organisations can legally recruit me for this program?

Only five: the Centre of Overseas Labour (COLAB), ISM LCC, LOD CORP, VTC CORP and MIRAI, as of DOLAB's notice of 24 June 2025.

Do I have to pay a recruitment fee?

No. DOLAB says candidates do not pay recruitment or service fees; the Australian employer pays these to the selected unit instead.

What happened to Hoang Long CMS and SONA JSC?

They were removed from the list of organisations the Australian Government selected to recruit for the agriculture program, so they are no longer approved.

Will I have the same workplace rights as other workers in Australia?

Yes. Workers under the PALM scheme and the VLMA have the same workplace entitlements and protections as other employees in Australia.

Where do I report a suspected scam using this program's name?

Contact DOLAB directly at 41B Lý Thái Tổ, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, phone 024.38249517 extension 502.

Key takeaways

• Australia's agriculture program allows up to 1,000 Vietnamese workers at a time, through the PALM scheme mechanism.
• Only COLAB and 4 enterprises, ISM LCC, LOD CORP, VTC CORP and MIRAI, are currently approved to recruit.
• Two previously approved names, Hoang Long CMS and SONA JSC, have been removed from the list.
• Workers do not pay recruitment or service fees; the employer pays the selected unit.
• PALM and VLMA workers have the same workplace rights as any other employee in Australia.
• Report suspected misuse of the program's name directly to DOLAB.

#australia agriculture program #palm scheme #colab #farm jobs australia #vietnam labour mobility arrangement #scam warning