You might have heard that Australia is short on skilled workers in a number of areas, particularly engineering, medicine, teaching and accounting. This means that there aren’t enough qualified Australian citizens to meet the high demand for these skilled roles.
That’s why the Australian government originally introduced the 457 visas, to allow qualified people around the world the opportunity to come to Australia and fill these idle positions.
Do you find yourself staring out the window at work, wishing you were 5 minutes from a beautiful sandy beach? Do you wish you were driving your van to work somewhere with a tropical climate instead of the same old dreary, rainy motorway? If so, the TSS visa could be for you!
A TSS (Temporary Skills Shortage) visa allows Australian employers to hire skilled workers from abroad in case that they can’t find a suitable Australian candidate for the job. The TSS visa helps address ongoing labour shortages in Australia that span a wide range of professions and locations across the country, however, Australian citizens still get priority for these roles.
From 18 March 2018, the 457 Visa was abolished and the TSS visa (subclass 482) was introduced in its place. Previously, the 457 visa was the most common visa used by employers to sponsor overseas workers.
Oh, and if you’re in Australia on a TSS visa, it could help you get your foot in the door when it comes to acquiring permanent residency.
Read Also:
Australian Working Holiday Visa vs. Work & Holiday Visa – What’s the difference?
The TSS 482 visa is divided into three streams;
You must be sponsored by an approved business if you want to get a TSS 482 visa. A business can sponsor someone from abroad for the visa providing they can’t find an Australian resident to fill the position.
You don’t have to be in Australia to lodge your visa application, you can do it from anywhere in the world.
Ah, the big question; how do I get my hands on a TSS 482 visa?
It’s simple, to get a TSS 482 visa, you must complete a 3-step process:
When an employer lodges a TSS nomination application, they need to choose a set employment period of up to:
1 year or 2 years – for the short-term stream (unless an international trade obligation applies – in which case it’s up to 4 years)
or
1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years for the medium-term stream or the labour agreements stream.
If you’re wondering ‘Am I eligible for a TSS 482 visa?’ then you should check out the criteria below as well as the two images listing the various occupations with skills shortages.
So, first of all, TSS visa applicants are required to have worked in the nominated occupation or a similar, related field for a minimum of two years.
Previously, there was some work experience related conditions that apply at the nomination stage for the subclass 457 do not apply for TSS nominations.
The TSS 482 visa work experience requirements as outlined in official government legislation are as follows:
Employers sponsoring workers for a TSS 482 Visa must pay a training contribution fee known as the Skilling Australians Fund Levy.
Businesses that have an annual turnover of less than $10m per year will be required to contribute;
Businesses with an annual turnover of $10m+ must make;
In this case, your TSS visa will be granted for 4 years.
If you want to apply for permanent residency, you have to wait 3 years to apply for a permanent 186/187 visa.
No, there is no age limit for the TSS visa. You can apply no matter how old you are!
Yes, you can apply.
Some occupations like chef or restaurant manager are included on the short-term list for a TSS visa. So, while you can be sponsored by a restaurant for 2 years, and gain another extension, you can’t apply for a permanent visa unless your occupation is added to the medium-term TSS skills shortage list in a designated regional area.
If you’re a student graduate, you will not be eligible for temporary or permanent company sponsorship after March 2018 since you need at least 2 full years’ experience in full-time work related to your field.
Generally, applicants for TSS 482 visas (primary or secondary) can be either in or outside of Australia while applying. However, if you’re applying for a short-term (ST) stream visa, you must be offshore if the following applies;
If you have held two ST stream TSS visas in a row (where the second application was made and submitted in Australia) you can apply for a further TSS ST Stream visa while abroad. Bear in mind that your immigration history could be relevant to whether or not you meet the GTE (Genuine Temporary Entrant) requirement for this particular stream.
Condition 8607 is a condition that applies to all primary TSS visa holders. It requires TSS visa holders who want to switch occupations to have a new nomination ready to go and a new visa granted before starting work in a new occupation.
Employers who are approved standard business sponsors for visa subclass 457 can sponsor skilled overseas workers under the TSS visa programme;
Please note:
The validity period of the TSS visa will match the expiry date of the subclass 457 primary visa holder.
There are LMT arrangements in place for the TSS 482 visa. There are no longer any occupation exemptions to LMT. This ensures that employers prioritise finding a qualified Australian citizen for the role before they look for a skilled worker from overseas on a 482 visa.
If a sponsor is looking for an employee from overseas on a salary of under AU$250,000, they will need to provide additional info to show that they’re going to pay the market salary rate to ensure that workers from overseas are protected and that the local labour market isn’t undercut.
If the TSS visa isn’t for you, there’s always an Australian Working Holiday visa. You don’t need any skills or qualifications to apply and you can now stay for three years on a Working Holiday visa. To find out more about getting an Aussie Working Holiday visa, check this out or you can apply with Visa First today, we have a 99.7% visa acceptance rate!
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