Temporary Skills Shortage Visa (Subclass 482)

482 Visa Short-term stream

This visa lets employers bring in skilled workers when they can’t find appropriately skilled Australians for a specific occupation. Usually, the skilled worker can stay in Australia for up to 2 years.

Overview

Stay Duration:

• Up to 2 years
• Up to 4 years, if International Trade Obligation (ITO) applies
• Up to 5 years for Hongkong Passport holders

DoHA Fee: AUD 1,455 (plus AUD 365 for each dependent under 18)

Benefits

With the TSS – short term stream visa, you can:

• Live and work in Australia for:
  • Up to 2 years
  • Up to 4 years if the International Trade Obligation (ITO) applies
  • Up to 5 years for Hongkong Passport holders

• Travel to and from Australia at any time within the visa period

• Apply for permanent residency (if eligible) through the Subclass 186 visa or the 187 Visa.

• Extend your stay beyond the initial duration through visa renewal and a new nomination from your employer

• Bring immediate family members with you, pending approval by your employer.

Conditions

• You can apply for this visa from in or outside Australia. If applying in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a Bridging visa A, B, or C.

• You must work only in the occupation you were nominated for:
  • If your employer is an Australian business sponsor, you must work in that business or an associated entity
  • If your sponsoring employer is an overseas business sponsor, you must work only in that particular business (not in any associated entities)

Note: There are certain exemptions that apply for this condition.

• You must fulfil specific minimum English language proficiency requirements, unless you come from exempt countries (NZ, US, Canada, UK, Ireland).

• You must have at least 2 years of relevant work experience. It must be in the nominated occupation or a related field that requires the same skill level.

This experience should be within the last 5 years, full-time or equivalent part-time, but not casual work.

• You must have a positive skills assessment.
  • You might be eligible for exemption. However, you will still need to provide proof of your qualifications (e.g. certificates, licenses, resume, professional references, etc.)
  • If you are a medical practitioner, you need to have your qualifications acknowledged by the appropriate Australian authority that grants medical practitioners the right to practice in this field.

• You must start your employment within 90 days of:
  • Entering Australia (if you are outside Australia during the visa grant date)
  • The visa grant date (if you are in Australia)

• You can’t engage in a different job unless you apply for and are approved for a new Temporary Skill Shortage visa.

• Family members you want to bring must be included in your application (i.e. a secondary sponsored person).

If you have already submitted your application, or been granted the visa, they can still join you in Australia later on through the Subsequent Entrant application.

• You (and secondary applicants) must have adequate health insurance throughout your stay in Australia.

• You (and secondary applicants) must meet all health and character requirements.

• You and (and secondary applicants) must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.

• You and any of your family must not have any debt to the Australian government.

Processing time

The processing time for the 482 visa short-term stream varies depending on your unique circumstances and the volume of applications that DoHA receives.

Based on data from DoHA, 90% of applications were processed in 59 days.

Eligibility requirements for sponsors

Below are the 482 visa requirements for employers for this specific stream:

• You must be or have applied to become a Standard Business Sponsor

• Your business must:
  • Be lawfully established in Australia, and currently operating
  • Have no adverse information known about it, or if there’s any, it’s reasonable to disregard this information
  • Have a genuine need for a skilled worker because no Australian citizen or permanent resident is available for the job. Provide Labour Market Testing as proof.
  • Have complied with Australian immigration and workplace relations laws
  • Not engage in discriminatory practices
  • Ensure that employment conditions for the nominee are not less favorable than those of Australian workers
  • Have a skilled position that belongs to the list of eligible short-term skilled occupations.

• Your business must also be able to:
  • Offer a skilled position that is full-time.
  • Pay the worker at least the annual market salary rate if the worker earns less than AUD250,000 a year,

Note for sponsors

• Your sponsorship must be approved for your nomination to be approved.

• You must nominate the skilled worker you wish to employ for the visa before they can submit their visa application.

• You must ensure that the visa holder works only in the nominated occupation.

• You must pay the cost of nominating the worker (AUD 330).

• You must also pay the Skilling Australians Fund Levy, and not pass this on to the visa applicant.

• You must notify DoHA of any changes in the visa holder’s circumstances

482 Visa Medium-term stream

This visa lets employers bring in skilled workers when they can’t find appropriately skilled Australians for a specific occupation. Usually, the skilled worker can stay in Australia for up to 4 years.

Overview

Stay Duration:

• Up to 4 years
• Up to 5 years for Hongkong Passport holders

DoHA Fee: AUD 3,035 (plus AUD 760 for each dependent under 18)

Benefits

With the TSS – medium term stream visa, you can:

• Live and work in Australia for:
  • Up to 4 years
  • Up to 5 years for Hongkong Passport holders

• Study in Australia

• Travel to and from Australia at any time within the visa period

• Apply for permanent residency (if eligible) through the Subclass 186 visa or the 187 Visa.

• Extend your stay beyond the initial duration through visa renewal and a new nomination from your employer

• Bring immediate family members with you, pending approval by your employer.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the medium-term 482 visa, you must:

• Be nominated by an employer to work in an occupation on the list of eligible Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills list

• Have at least 2 years relevant work experience in your nominated occupation or a related field

• Have a relevant skills assessment if this is required for your occupation

• Meet minimum standards of English language proficiency unless you are exempt from needing to show this

Note: If you have had a visa cancelled or previous application refused, you may not be granted a visa.

Conditions

• You can apply for this visa from in or outside Australia. If applying in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a Bridging visa A, B, or C.

• You must work only in the occupation you were nominated for:
  • If your employer is an Australian business sponsor, you must work in that business or an associated entity
  • If your sponsoring employer is an overseas business sponsor, you must work only in that particular business (not in any associated entities)

Note: There are certain exemptions that apply for this condition.

• You must fulfil specific minimum English language proficiency requirements, unless you come from exempt countries (NZ, US, Canada, UK, Ireland)

• You must have at least 2 years of relevant work experience. It must be in the nominated occupation or a related field that requires the same skill level.

This experience should be within the last 5 years, full-time or equivalent part-time, but not casual work.

• You must have a positive skills assessment.
  • You might be eligible for exemption. However, you will still need to provide proof of your qualifications (e.g. certificates, licenses, resume, professional references, etc.)
  • If you are a medical practitioner, you need to have your qualifications acknowledged by the appropriate Australian authority that grants medical practitioners the right to practice in this field.

• You must start your employment within 90 days of:
  • Entering Australia (if you are outside Australia during the visa grant date)
  • The visa grant date (if you are in Australia)

• You can’t engage in a different job unless you apply for and are approved for a new Temporary Skill Shortage visa.

• Family members you want to bring must be included in your application (i.e. a secondary sponsored person).

If you have already submitted your application, or been granted the visa, they can still join you in Australia later on through the Subsequent Entrant application.

• You (and secondary applicants) must have adequate health insurance throughout your stay in Australia.

• You (and secondary applicants) must meet all health and character requirements.

• You and (and secondary applicants) must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.

• You and any of your family must not have any debt to the Australian government.

Processing time

The processing time for the 482 visa medium-term stream varies depending on your unique circumstances and the volume of applications that DoHA receives.

Based on data from DoHA, 90% of applications were processed in 80 days.

Eligibility requirements for sponsors

Below are the 482 visa requirements for employers for this specific stream:

• You must be, or have applied to become a Standard Business Sponsor

• Your business must:
  • Be be lawfully established in Australia, and currently operating
  • Have no adverse information known about it, or if there’s any, it’s reasonable to disregard this information
  • Have a genuine need for a skilled worker because no Australian citizen or permanent resident is available for the job. Provide Labour Market Testing as proof.
  • Have complied with Australian immigration and workplace relations laws
  • Not engage in discriminatory practices
  • Ensure that employment conditions for the nominee are not less favorable than those of Australian workers
  • Have a skilled position that belongs to the list of eligible Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills or the Regional Occupation List.

• Your business must also be able to:
  • Offer a skilled position that is full-time.
  • Pay the worker at least the annual market salary rate if the worker earns less than AUD250,000 a year,

Note for sponsors

• Your sponsorship must be approved, for your nomination to be approved.

• You must nominate the skilled worker you wish to employ for the visa before they can submit their visa application.

• You must ensure that the visa holder works only in the nominated occupation.

• You must pay the cost of nominating the worker (AUD 330).

• You must also pay the Skilling Australians Fund Levy, and not pass this on to the visa applicant.

• You must notify DoHA of any changes in the visa holder’s circumstances

482 Visa Labour Agreement stream

This visa is for skilled workers who have been nominated by employers under a Labour Agreement. It allows you to temporarily live and work in Australia.

Overview

Stay Duration:

• Up to 4 years
• Up to 5 years for Hongkong Passport holders

DoHA Fee: AUD 3,035 (plus AUD 760 for each dependent under 18)

Benefits

With the TSS – labour agreement stream visa, you can:

• Live and work in Australia for:
  • Up to 4 years
  • Up to 5 years for Hongkong Passport holders

• Study in Australia

• Travel to and from Australia at any time within the visa period

• Apply for permanent residency (if eligible) through the Subclass 186 visa.

• Extend your stay beyond the initial duration through visa renewal and a new nomination from your employer

• Bring immediate family members with you, pending approval by your employer.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the labour agreement 482 visa, you must:

• Be nominated to work in an occupation that is covered by a labour agreement between the Commonwealth and employer.

• Have at least 2 years relevant work experience in your nominated occupation or a related field

• Have a relevant skills assessment if this is required for your occupation

• Meet minimum standards of English language proficiency. Specific requirements are outlined in the labour agreement between the Commonwealth and your employer.

Note: If you have had a visa cancelled or previous application refused, you may not be granted a visa.

Conditions

• You can apply for this visa from in or outside Australia. If applying in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a Bridging visa A, B, or C.

• You must work only in the occupation you were nominated for, and only for the employer who has a labour agreement with the Commonwealth.

• You must fulfil specific minimum English language proficiency requirements, unless you come from exempt countries (NZ, US, Canada, UK, Ireland).

Specific requirements are outlined in the labour agreement between the Commonwealth and your employer.

• You must have at least 2 years of relevant work experience in the nominated occupation or a related field. This can change depending on the terms of the labour agreement.

• You must provide proof of your skills and qualifications (e.g. certificates, licenses, resume, professional references, etc.)

• You must start your employment within 90 days of:
  • Entering Australia (if you are outside Australia during the visa grant date)
  • The visa grant date (if you are in Australia)

• Family members you want to bring must be included in your application (i.e. a secondary sponsored person).

If you have already submitted your application, or been granted the visa, they can still join you in Australia later on through the Subsequent Entrant application.

• You (and secondary applicants) must have adequate health insurance throughout your stay in Australia.

• You (and secondary applicants) must meet all health and character requirements.

• You and (and secondary applicants) must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.

• You and any of your family must not have any debt to the Australian government.

Processing time

The processing time for the 482 visa Labour Agreement stream varies depending on your unique circumstances and the volume of applications that DoHA receives.

Based on data from DoHA, 90% of applications were processed in 5 months.

Eligibility requirements for sponsors

Below are the 482 visa requirements for employers for this specific stream:

• You must have a labour agreement.

• Your business must:
  • Be be lawfully established in Australia, and currently operating
  • Have no adverse information known about it, or if there’s any, it’s reasonable to disregard this information
  • Have a genuine need for a skilled worker. Provide Labour Market Testing as proof.
  • Have complied with Australian immigration and workplace relations laws
  • Not engage in discriminatory practices
  • Ensure that employment conditions for the nominee are not less favorable than those of Australian workers
  • Offer a nominated occupation that is listed in the labour agreement.

• Your business must also be able to:
  • Employ the worker under the terms and conditions agreed to under the labour agreement.

The terms and conditions must be no less than as those for Australian citizens or permanent residents doing the same work in the same place.

Terms and conditions include but are not limited to salary for the nominated position, hours of work and leave entitlements.

• Pay the worker at least the annual market salary rate.

Note for sponsors

• Your sponsorship must be approved, for your nomination to be approved.

• You must ensure your employee meets eligibility requirements before nominating them.

• You must ensure that the visa holder works only in the nominated occupation.

• You must pay the cost of nominating the worker (AUD 330).

• You must also pay the Skilling Australians Fund Levy, and not pass this on to the visa applicant.

• You must notify DoHA of any changes in the visa holder’s circumstances.

482 Visa Subsequent Entrant

This visa is for family members of TSS visa holders who want to join the primary visa holder in Australia and are applying separately for their TSS visa.

Subsequent entrants typically occur when a partner or dependent (or the partner’s dependent child) is not able to apply for their visa at the same time as the primary visa holder due to specific circumstances.

Overview

Stay Duration: As long as the visa is valid

DoHA Fee: varies depending on the primary holder’s TSS visa stream granted

Benefits

With the TSS – Subsequent Entry visa, you can:

• Live, work and study in Australia for the entire duration of the visa’s validity

• Travel to and from Australia at any time within the visa period

• Apply for permanent residence (if eligible)

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

• Have a partner or parent who holds the Subclass 482 visa.

• Be nominated by the primary Subclass 482 holder’s sponsor

• Have adequate health insurance for your entire stay in Australia

Note: If you have had a visa cancelled or previous application refused, you may not be granted a visa.

Conditions

• You can apply for this visa from in or outside Australia. If applying in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a Bridging visa A, B, or C.

• You must meet all health and character requirements.

• You must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.

• You and any of your family must not have any debt to the Australian government.

Processing time

The processing time for the 482 visa subsequent entrant varies depending on your unique circumstances and the volume of applications that DoHA receives.

To prevent delays, make sure to fill in your application thoroughly, submit all necessary documentation, and promptly respond to any requests for additional information.