Employer Sponsored Visas

Employer Sponsored Visas (subclass 482, 186, 494)

The employer-sponsored visas are considered the pathway of migrating to Australia on both temporary and permanent basis. These visas require sponsorship by the eligible Australian employers to hire experienced professionals. The employer needs to notify the Department of Home Affairs about you as their requirement for the business. You would need to provide the relevant documents to obtain the visa.

1. Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (Short-term) visa – subclass 482

This is the best frequently used for employers to sponsor overseas work forces to work in Australia on a temporary basis normally for two years that can be extended further for another two years if required.

The candidate who is successful in obtaining this visa will be granted temporary residence in Australia with multiple entries to and from Australia for the duration of the granted visa, without any restrictions.

This visa enables employers to address labour shortages by bringing in skilled workers where employers can’t source an appropriately skilled Australian worker.

You must meet the following requirement in order to apply for this visa:

• Sponsored by an employer to fill a nominated position
• Have skills, qualifications, experience and an employment background which contest those required for the position
• Be eligible for any relevant licenses or registration essential for the nominated position
• Determine that you are to be paid at least the minimum salary level that applies at the time a decision is made on your visa that is currently $53900 per year
• 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 (STOL)
• Meet minimum standards of English language proficiency unless you are exempt from needing to show (Over all score of 5.0 with a score of at least 4.5 in each of the test components

2. Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (Medium-term) visa – subclass 482

This is the best frequently visa used for employers to sponsor overseas work forces to work in Australia on a temporary basis normally for two years that can be extended further for another four years if required.

With this visa, you can

• work in Australia for up to 4 years
• study (you won’t receive government assistance)
• travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while the visa is valid
• if eligible, apply for permanent residence

You must meet the following requirement in order to apply for this visa:

• Sponsored by an employer to fill a nominated position
• Have skills, qualifications, experience and an employment background which contest those required for the position
• Be eligible for any relevant licenses or registration essential for the nominated position
• Determine that you are to be paid at least the minimum salary level that applies at the time a decision is made on your visa that is currently $53900 per year
• 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 (MLTSSL)
• Meet minimum standards of English language proficiency unless you are exempt from needing to show (at least 5.0 in each of the test components)

Application Process

Following are the stages in this application process:

Stage 1: Employer (the approved sponsor) will lodge a nomination application to the Department of Home Affairs. The employer should have following attributes:

• Lawfully and actively an operating business;
• The direct employer;
• Has a sound business record and abides by immigration laws;
• Can show the employment will bring economic benefit to Australia; and
• Will advance employee’s skills with training.

1. Stage 2: Employer to lodge the application that describes the required position, and the employer has the following the following checklist completed:

• Sponsor is an approved business;
• The position falls in an occupation that meets a minimum skill set; and
• The position is paid at the minimum or above salary level.

1. Stage 3: Lodging the visa application, the employer also needs to show the following:

• Employer has an approved and current business sponsorship; and
• Employer has the approved nominated position

The employee (applicant) need to show the following:

• The applicant has the required skills for the nominated position; and
• The applicant is qualified for the position.

Stage 1 and 2 must be approved by the Department of Home Affairs in order to process the 482 visa successfully.

1. Following checklist is to be completed by the applicant:

Note: Documents not in English must be accompanied by accredited English translations.

2. Employer Nomination Scheme visa – subclass 186

This is a permanent visa for the skilled workforce that requires a nomination by an approved Australian employer followed by the visa application.

This visa can be applied while you are overseas or in Australia. Table below shows the steams of this visa.

Note: Your age must be below 50 years at the time of application unless you qualify for certain exemptions.

The subclass 186 visa is a permanent residence visa that allows you and your family:

• Stay in Australia indefinitely;
• Work and study in Australia;
• Enrol in Medicare Australia for health related care and expenses:
• Apply for Australian citizenship on eligibility;
• Sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence; and
• Travel to and from Australia for five years from the date of visa granted (you will need to apply for resident return or another visa to return to Australia if you have spent five year at 186 visa)

Who can be included?

• Your partner (married or de facto);
• Your or your partner’s dependent children; and/or
• Other dependent relatives.

Note: The applicant and any dependent members must satisfy the health and character requirements.

You can also nominate a skilled workforce as an employer if:

• You are actively and lawfully operating a business in Australia;
• You have a genuine requirement for a paid employee for the positon;
• You are offering a skilled full time position for a period of at least two years;
• You will pay salary at a market rate;
• You comply with the Australian immigration and workplace related laws; and
• Your business or any associated person in your business has a clear profile

Note: You must nominate the applicant in one of the three streams and meet the requirements for the particular stream you required the worker.

3. Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa – subclass 187

This is a temporary visa for skilled workforce who want to work in regional Australia that requires a nomination by an approved Australian employer followed by the visa application.

This visa can be applied while you are overseas or in Australia. Table below shows the steams of this visa.

The subclass 494 visa is a temporary residence visa that allows you and your family:Note: Your age must be below 45 years at the time of application unless you qualify for certain exemptions.

• work only in regional Australia for up to 5 years for your sponsor
• live and study only in regional Australia for up to 5 years
• travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while the visa is valid
• if eligible, apply for a permanent resident visa after 3 years from the time your visa is granted
• Work and study in Australia
• Travel to and from Australia for five years from the date of visa granted 

Who can be included?

• Your partner (married or de facto);
• Your or your partner’s dependent children; and/or
• Other dependent relatives.

Note: The applicant and any dependent members must satisfy the health and character requirements.

You can also nominate a skilled workforce as an employer if:

• You are actively and lawfully operating a business in Australia;
• You have a genuine requirement for a paid employee for the positon;
• You are offering a skilled full time position for a period of at least three years;
• You will pay salary at a market rate;
• You comply with the Australian immigration and workplace related laws; and
• Your business or any associated person in your business has a clear profile

Note: You must nominate the applicant in one of the three streams and meet the requirements for the particular stream you required the worker.