When Californian Ines Lizaur accepted a job to lead manufacturing at Australian start-up Vow, she had to enter the country on a working holiday visa – usually the domain of backpackers working in bars or picking fruit.

The executive, who was lured away from building rockets for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, took the leap without knowing if she would be able to stay in Australia long-term, relying on the short-term visa while she navigated the complexities of its migration system.