Illustrative photograph. Not a specific Orchard Tech workplace or a named PALM worker.
Last reviewed: 29 August 2026. This is a news summary of DFAT’s published policy, not a recruitment advertisement. New Caledonia is not yet listed among the current PALM sending countries on palmscheme.gov.au.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says that in 2026 the Government will work towards integrating New Caledonia into the PALM scheme, with an initial cohort of up to 100 workers, recruited and deployed over a two-year period. DFAT says that first stage was agreed with New Caledonia and France, to allow a gradual entry and a chance to test and refine policy settings. Worker numbers after those two years would depend on employer demand and New Caledonia’s priorities.
Who is in the scheme today
The PALM scheme site still describes the program as open to nine participating Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste. The country list is Fiji, Kiribati, Naoero (Nauru), Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Until DEWR and DFAT open applications for a New Caledonia cohort, employers cannot treat New Caledonian workers as PALM workers on the strength of this announcement.
What “up to 100” is not
It is not a new national cap on the whole PALM scheme. DFAT separately notes that there were just over 31,000 PALM workers onshore in the March 2025 quarter data series, and later public commentary has used a June 2026 figure of just over 32,000. Those are scheme-wide headcounts, not New Caledonia places. Do not quote them as Orchard Tech workforce numbers — they are not.
For employers and hosts
If you want PALM workers now, use the current eligibility and application process on palmscheme.gov.au. Agriculture and selected agriculture-related food manufacturing can recruit nationally; other sectors must be in regional or rural Australia. Orchard Tech’s own placements are in Victoria and New South Wales only.
Compare PALM with Working Holiday visa labour in our PALM vs Working Holiday visa article if you are choosing a pathway. They are different visas and different government programs.
Sources checked 29 August 2026: DFAT, The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme (New Caledonia 2026 paragraph); PALM scheme countries page; PALM scheme data report, March 2025 quarter (31,310 workers) for historical context only.
