Below we provide a general overview of common visa subclasses that may be suitable for you in sponsoring staff.
This visa enables employers to address labour shortages by bringing in skilled workers where employers can't source an appropriately skilled Australian worker.
Generally the worker must have at least 2 years relevant work experience.
This is a temporary visa. There are three streams to the visa subclass 482, each with its own visa length of stay:
You can select the stream that applies to you by referring to the occupation list on the Department of Home Affairs’ website.
There are three stages involved in the application process. The first two relate to the business, and the last stage relates to the employee / visa applicant.
The employer needs to apply to become an approved Standard Business Sponsor in order to sponsor someone for visa subclass 482 (and visa subclass 494 – discussed below).
To be an approved Standard Business Sponsor, your business must be legally established and currently operating, either in or outside of Australia. For businesses located in Australia, there is an additional requirement to show a strong record or commitment to employing local labour.
Further eligibility criteria are listed here.
Once approved, your business will be an approved Standard Business Sponsor. This sponsorship lasts 5 years starting from the date of approval.
Cost: $420
You may also consider apply for accredited status in order to receive priority for the Department of Home Affairs to process your visa applications.
The business then needs to submit a nomination application to nominate a worker.
There are a number of requirements for the nomination to be approved, including but not limited to:
Further information on how to nominate a worker is listed here.
Cost: $330 plus $1,800 Skilling Australians Fund levy per year (or $1,200 if the annual business turnover is less than $10 million).
The worker can then apply for the visa subclass 482.
After the visa is granted, the worker can commence employment in Australia for the business. The visa lasts up to 2 – 5 years, depending on the visa streams applied for and the worker’s passport status.
This visa specifically enables regional employers to address identified labour shortages within their region by sponsoring skilled workers where employers can't source an appropriately skilled Australian worker.
For migration purposes, most locations of Australia outside major cities (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) are classified as designated regional areas. You may check whether your business is located in a regional area here.
Of note is that this visa subclass has a broader occupation list than visa subclass 482. However the relevant work experience requirement is longer at 3 years instead of 2 years.
This is a temporary visa. There are three streams to the visa subclass 494 – Employer Sponsored Stream, Labour Agreement Stream and Subsequent Entrant. Visa lasts up to 5 years for all three streams.
The application process is similar to the visa subclass 482 discussed above. For the full process please refer to the Department of Home Affairs’ website.
Cost: One-off Skilling Australians Fund levy of $5,000 (or $3,000 if the annual business turnover is less than $10 million).
This is a Permanent Residence visa. This visa lets skilled workers, who are nominated by their employer, live and work in Australia permanently.
The employer must offer a skilled position that is full time and ongoing for at least 2 years.
Generally the applicant must have at least 3 years relevant work experience. The position must also be on the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations which may or may not be the same as the occupation lists for the temporary visas.
There are three streams to the visa subclass 186:
Applying for this visa is a two stage process.
The business needs to submit a nomination application to nominate a worker.
There are a number of requirements for the nomination to be approved, including but not limited to:
Further information on how to nominate a worker is listed here.
Cost: $540 plus $1,800 Skilling Australians Fund levy per year (or $1,200 if the annual business turnover is less than $10 million)
The worker can then apply for the visa subclass 186.
After the visa is granted, the visa holder is able to live, work and study in Australia indefinitely.
This visa allows the applicant to take part in workplace-based occupational training activities to improve their skills for your job, area of tertiary study, field of expertise or in a professional development training program in Australia.
This is a temporary visa. The visa might be granted for up to 2 years.
There are three stages involved in the application process.
The employer needs to apply to become an approved Temporary Activities Sponsor in order to sponsor someone for visa subclass 407.
To be an approved Temporary Activities Sponsor, your business must be an Australian organisation lawfully established and operating in Australia (other than a sole trader or individual). You must also be able to show you can directly provide training, unless you have an exemption.
Further eligibility criteria here.
Once approved, your business will be an approved Temporary Activities Sponsor. This sponsorship lasts 5 years starting from the date of approval.
Cost: $420
The business then needs to apply for approval of the nominated training position.
There are a number of requirements for the nomination to be approved, including but not limited to:
Further information on how to apply for a nomination is listed here.
Cost: $420
Once the nomination is approved, the nominee can then apply for the visa subclass 407.
After the visa is granted, the nominee can commence the training program / temporary activity in Australia for the business.
Dealing with employee sponsorship by yourself can be daunting, as there can be a lot of complexities involved in terms of eligibility and the application process.
If you do decide that sponsoring staff is right for you, we suggest sitting down with your migration lawyer and adviser to go through the sponsorship process in detail so you know what to expect.
If you don't have a trusted lawyer or adviser, please talk with us. Our team at BLG Business Advisers, who are Wollongong Accountants that service right across Australia, can take you through the process and put you in touch with a migration lawyer. We are happy to liaise with your lawyer in order to provide you with the best chances of success.
Whatever you decide we wish you every success!