Best city in Australia for Pakistani workers? Start with the job, then read the Census map

Tips · 2026-10-27 · 10 min read

The best city in Australia for Pakistani workers is usually the one where a genuine employer will sponsor you, not the one with the biggest community. The 2021 Census shows where Pakistan-born people actually live: most are in New South Wales (33,902) and Victoria (30,945), with much smaller communities in Western Australia (7,615), Queensland (6,434) and South Australia (5,666). Use those numbers as a starting map, then weigh the visa, the job and your trade licence, because on a regional visa Perth and Adelaide can open doors that Sydney and Melbourne cannot.

Where Pakistan-born people live in Australia: the 2021 Census by state

The Australian Bureau of Statistics counted 89,633 Pakistan-born people in Australia at the 2021 Census. You can open the national profile on the ABS QuickStats page for people born in Pakistan, and each state has its own page in the same series.

State	Pakistan-born people (2021 Census)	Share of the national total	Capital city under the subclass 494 regional rule
New South Wales	33,902	about 37.8%	Sydney is excluded
Victoria	30,945	about 34.5%	Melbourne is excluded
Western Australia	7,615	about 8.5%	Perth counts as regional
Queensland	6,434	about 7.2%	Brisbane is excluded
South Australia	5,666	about 6.3%	Adelaide counts as regional
Tasmania, the ACT, the Northern Territory and other territories	5,071 between them	about 5.7%	Regional (only Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are excluded)

The shares and the last row are our own arithmetic from the ABS totals, rounded. Two states hold about 72.3% of the community: 64,847 people. Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia together have 19,715, fewer than Victoria alone.

What the Census numbers do not tell you

These figures are a snapshot with limits.

They are state totals, not city totals. The WA count covers Perth, Bunbury, Broome and everywhere between. Do not read 7,615 as "Pakistanis in Perth".
They are from 2021. The community was growing fast: 31,934 (35.6%) of the Pakistan-born people counted had arrived in 2016-2021. Five years on, the picture will have moved.
They count where people live, not where jobs are. The Census shows that 30.0% of employed Pakistan-born people were Professionals and 13.4% Machinery Operators and Drivers, with Taxi and Other Road Transport (6.0%), Investigation and Security Services (5.5%) and Computer System Design (5.0%) as the top industries. Those are national figures; they say nothing about which city is hiring your trade today.
They are not an income guide. The median weekly personal income of Pakistan-born people was $767 in 2021, but that mixes students and part-time workers with full-time staff. Our breakdown of Pakistani salary in Australia in rupees explains why a sponsored offer should sit well above it.

The visa decides the city before you do

For most Pakistani applicants the route is employer sponsorship: the job and its visa set the city.

Skills in Demand (subclass 482): the employer's city

A subclass 482 holder may work only in the nominated occupation and only for the nominating business (or, in some cases, an associated entity). In practice your city is wherever that employer needs you. There is no regional limit, so Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are all possible, but a different employer in another city is not a simple switch. Our guide to the 482 visa from Pakistan covers the streams, the English scores and the salary floor.

Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (subclass 494): regional Australia only

The subclass 494 lets holders live, work and study only in designated regional areas of Australia for 5 years. Home Affairs says those areas include all of Australia except Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. That is why Perth and Adelaide matter here: they are state capitals with established Pakistani communities, yet they count as regional for this visa.

The 494 generally needs a nomination in an occupation on the relevant list, at least 3 years of relevant work experience, a relevant skills assessment and an age under 45, unless an exemption applies. Holders may, if eligible, apply for permanent residence after holding the visa for 3 years. For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, the salary floor used for the 494 (the TSMIT) is AUD 79,423. Read the details on the Home Affairs 494 page.

Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491): a state picks you

The subclass 491 needs nomination by a state or territory government agency (or sponsorship by an eligible relative), a suitable skills assessment, an invitation and a pass on the points test. Here the state's own priorities shape where you end up. Red Migration's comparison of state nomination options for 2026-27 sets out how the states differ this program year.

State by state: what to weigh beyond community size

New South Wales and Sydney

The largest Pakistan-born community in the country, and Sydney is outside the 494 regional map. Rental bonds in NSW cannot be more than 4 weeks' rent and are held by NSW Fair Trading, which helps when you sign your first lease. Regional NSW is a different story: cities such as Albury, Newcastle or Coffs Harbour are regional for the 494. Current openings include a CNC Machinist job in Sydney.

Victoria and Melbourne

Almost as large a community as NSW, and Melbourne is also outside the 494 map. In most cases a Victorian bond cannot be more than one month's rent (a higher bond is possible if the weekly rent is more than $900), held by the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority. If you are an electrician, check the licence path first: Energy Safe Victoria does not assess overseas qualifications, so you need a TRA Offshore Technical Skills Record for a Supervised Worker's Licence, then gap training and the Licensed Electrician's Assessment.

Western Australia and Perth

A smaller community (7,615 across the state), but Perth counts as regional for the 494, which is a real advantage if an employer there will sponsor you under that visa. Recent listings on this site in WA include a Fabricator / Welder job in Perth, along with a civil engineering technician, a barber and a pizza chef in Perth and a chef in Bunbury.

Queensland and Brisbane

6,434 Pakistan-born people statewide, and Brisbane is excluded from the 494 map while the rest of Queensland is not. The maximum bond is 4 weeks' rent, and the property manager or owner must give a receipt and lodge it with the Residential Tenancies Authority within 10 days. Overseas-trained electricians need a TRA OSAP assessment and Australian gap training with an RTO before a Queensland licence.

South Australia and Adelaide

The smallest of the five mainland state communities in the table (5,666), and Adelaide counts as regional for the 494. With Perth, it is one of two capitals that offer both an established community and the regional visa options.

How to choose your city, step by step

Confirm your occupation. Look it up on the Home Affairs combined list of eligible skilled occupations, which shows the lists it is on and its skills assessing authority.
Shortlist sponsored jobs, not cities. Filter real vacancies by trade first and note where each one is; that is your real list of cities.
Check which visa the employer will use. A 482 job in Sydney and a 494 job in Perth lead to very different five-year plans. Ask, and get the answer in writing.
Check the licence for your trade in that state. Electricians, plumbers and other licensed trades follow state rules. Get your experience letters attested in Pakistan early; our guide to experience certificate attestation before MOFA lists which body handles which trade.
Read the offer line by line. Pay, hours and the work location must be in the letter. Our checklist of 8 lines to check in an Australian job offer letter helps here.
Tailor your CV to the city's jobs. List each job's dates, duties and the machines or tools you used. A tool such as Build AI CV can help you produce a clear English CV for each application.
Complete Pakistan's formalities. Before you emigrate you must appear before the Protector of Emigrants under section 15 of the Emigration Ordinance, 1979.

Common mistakes Pakistani applicants make when choosing a city

Choosing by community size alone. A big community does not create a sponsored job.
Assuming a capital city cannot be regional. For the 494, Perth and Adelaide are regional. Missing this can rule out good offers for no reason.
Accepting a 494 offer while planning to move to Sydney or Melbourne. The 494 limits you to designated regional areas for 5 years. Decide before you sign, not after you land.
Paying someone for a job in a "Pakistani-friendly" city. In Australia the sponsoring employer must pay the costs of sponsoring and nominating you and cannot pass them on. Read what to check before handing over cash for a job abroad.
Forgetting the new Protector Clearance. BE&OE's FAQ says a worker moving to new employment needs a new Protector Clearance from the relevant Protector of Emigrants office. A change of city with a new employer is a new protection case.

Whichever city you end up in, your workplace rights do not change with the postcode. Our guide to workers' rights in Australia for visa holders covers pay, leave and where to get help.

Frequently asked questions

Which Australian state has the most Pakistan-born people?

New South Wales. The 2021 Census counted 33,902 Pakistan-born people there, about 37.8% of the 89,633 counted across Australia. Victoria was close behind with 30,945, so the two states together held about 72.3% of the national total.

Are there many Pakistanis in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide?

The Census gives state totals rather than city totals: 7,615 Pakistan-born people in Western Australia, 6,434 in Queensland and 5,666 in South Australia in 2021. Those communities are much smaller than in New South Wales or Victoria, but they exist, and smaller states can bring other advantages such as the regional status of Perth and Adelaide for the subclass 494 visa.

Does Perth count as regional for the 494 visa?

Yes, as Home Affairs describes it today. Designated regional areas include all of Australia except Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, so Perth and Adelaide are inside the regional map for the subclass 494. Check the official 494 page before you rely on it, because the rules can change.

Can I move from Perth to Sydney after I arrive on a 494 visa?

Not while the 494 conditions apply. The visa lets holders live, work and study only in designated regional areas for 5 years, and Sydney is not one of them. If a Sydney move matters to you, weigh that before you accept a regional offer.

Should I pick the city with the biggest Pakistani community?

Community helps with housing, food, mosques and first contacts, but it does not give you a visa. On an employer-sponsored visa your city is where your sponsoring employer is, so start with a genuine sponsored job and then judge the city around it.

Key takeaways

At the 2021 Census, NSW (33,902) and Victoria (30,945) held about 72.3% of Australia's 89,633 Pakistan-born people.
WA (7,615), Queensland (6,434) and South Australia (5,666) have smaller but established communities.
For the subclass 494, all of Australia except Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane is regional, so Perth and Adelaide qualify.
On a sponsored visa the job sets the city: shortlist genuine sponsored vacancies first, then judge the city.
Check the trade licence, the bond rules and Pakistan's Protector formalities for the state you choose.

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