Employer Sponsored Migration
Are you an employer interested in sponsoring an overseas worker, or are you an overseas worker that has a full-time employment opportunity in Australia? There are employer sponsored, 2-year and up to 4-year temporary visas, and employer nominated permanent visa options available that you might consider.
The requirements for each type of visa will depend on the occupation, salary, location, age of the applicant, contract length and visa sponsorship arrangement the employer has with the Department of Home Affairs. In some cases, there are special, additional requirements placed on certain occupations while in others, there may be relaxations (concessions) to the requirements available if the employer is able to use a Labour Agreement (LA) or Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) sponsor arrangement, or where there are COVID-19 concessions available. Please visit our Employer Sponsorship page for more information on the range of sponsor arrangements currently available.
Employer sponsored visas also allow for eligible family members to accompany overseas workers to Australia, and have study/work rights. All visa applicants must meet health and character requirements.
Some further general information on each employer sponsored visa is provided below but of course, we would be happy to have a chat with you about your particular circumstances and the best visa option for you.
Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (subclass 482)
The Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa allows employers to sponsor overseas workers to live and work in Australia on a temporary basis where employers are unable to meet their immediate skilled Australian workforce needs from the local labour market. The visa is valid for a maximum of either two or four years, depending upon the nature of the skilled position.
There are different streams under which employers may nominate overseas workers (Short-term, Medium-term and Labour Agreement streams).
Requirements
Employers must first gain sponsorship status with the Department of Home Affairs. Then, the employer must nominate the full-time role (unless exemptions apply) and show, for example, that the role’s salary is ‘market rate’ and that recent national labour market testing has been conducted, unless an exemption applies. Employers must also abide by certain legally binding sponsor obligations.
Visa applicants must have the appropriate level of qualifications and a minimum of 2 years’ relevant work experience to perform in the role, meet English proficiency requirements, have any required licences/registrations and adequate health insurance in place for their stay. Visa applicants cannot apply for a subclass 482 visa without an employer sponsorship and nomination.
There may be opportunities to progress from a TSS visa to employer sponsored permanent residence if the role cannot be filled by a suitably qualified local Australian citizen or permanent resident. Alternatively, TSS visa holders may be eligible for other permanent visas in their own right which do not require employer sponsorship. Please contact us to find out more.
Labour agreement stream
The Far North Queensland Designated Area Migration Agreement (FNQ DAMA) allow employers in the regions of Far North Queensland (including Cairns, Douglas, Mareeba, Tablelands, Cook, Cassowary Coast, Torres Shire Council, Weipa and Northern Peninsula local government areas) to sponsor skilled overseas workers under the Labour Agreement stream. Click here for more information about The Far North Queensland Designated Area Migration Agreement (FNQ DAMA).
Migration Plus can assist employers seeking to access to the FNQ DAMA, Townsville DAMA, Northern Territory (NT) DAMA and other regional Labour Agreements providing advice, guidance and management of this process from beginning to end. Please contact us to find out more.
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 494)
The subclass 494 – Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa replaced the subclass 187 Regional Sponsored Migration Stream visa on 16 November 2019. The main fretures of this visa are:
- That the main applicant must be under 45 years of age, demonstrate competent English, provide a positive skills assessment and evidence of three years’ relevant, full-time work experience in a listed occupation.
- The visa requires an employer sponsor in a regional area of Australia (excludes Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Perth).
- The position must be full-time, paid at the Australian market rate for the job and likely to be available for at least 5 years.
- It is a 5-year temporary visa, requiring the holder to live, work and/or study in regional Australia and if the holder is the employer sponsored, only work in the nominated position.
- After holding the visa for 3 years, a visa holder may apply for a Permanent Residence subclass 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa if the applicant has complied with the conditions on the subclass 494 visa and meets the set taxable income requirements. The subclass 191 does not require an employer sponsor.
- In most cases, Subclass 494 visa holders will NOT BE able to apply for most other skilled visas in Australia UNLESS they have completed at least three years of living/work/study in a designated regional area.
Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186)
The Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) allows Australian employers to fill skilled positions with suitably qualified migrants on a permanent basis where there are ongoing skills shortages in the local, Australian labour market. This visa is available in both Direct Entry and Temporary Residence Transition streams.
Requirements
ENS applicants generally need to be under 45 years of age, employed in a listed and eligible occupation, with the full-time position be available for at least 2 years after visa grant. Salary, English and licensing/registration requirements apply.
There are two streams available for the ENS program.
This stream is for current TSS or subclass 457 Temporary Work (Skilled) visa holders. Generally speaking, applicants must have worked full-time in the nominated position for 2 out of the last 3 years.
This stream requires evidence of appropriate qualifications (which is a skills assessment through an authorised assessing body for most ENS applications) and evidence of 3 years of full-time work experience in Australia or overseas in the nominated occupation. Employers need to be actively and lawfully operating in Australia but do not need prior sponsor status in order to nominate a position under this stream.
There are some exemptions available for the age, English proficiency, work experience and skills assessment requirements for the ENS permanent visa.
Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme visa (subclass 403)
Are you a Pacific Islander or from Timor Leste, over 21 years of age and interested in seasonal, short-term work or aged care work in Australia? The PALM Scheme Scheme has been set up to assist Australian businesses in agricultural and accommodation industries that experience cycles of skills shortages by allowing them to sponsor neighbouring island citizens during peak seasons. The PALM scheme now also includes aged care jobs. You require an Australian business sponsor and generally you may work up to 9 months in Australia on this visa for seasonal work, or up to 4 years for aged care work.
On this visa you may be able to participate in FREE additional skills training providing you with basic First Aid, English and IT training. The training costs are covered by the Australian Government so there is no cost to you or your Australian business sponsor!
Currently, you cannot include any family members on this visa but there may be other visa opportunities for them to come visit you while you are in Australia. Please contact us to find out more information on this visa.
We are here to help!
We have helped many employers and employees navigate, and understand, the vast sea of sponsor types, occupation lists, labour market and market salary evidence types, concessions, visa criteria and obligations, to achieve timely outcomes to meet their business and career requirements.
With particular expertise in regional visa programmes targeting key skills shortages, we would be pleased to guide you through the options available to suit your needs.
Please contact us for an eligibility assessment so may we help you determine the right visa for you.
Georges Abou Rjeili
Rating: 5 stars
I highly recommend Migration Plus if you are looking to migrate to Australia. They were very helpful and supportive through out the whole process of my visa application specially Dr. Anna Morozov. In fact, I got my partner visa 820 in less than 3 months and now I’m a permanent resident. The follow-up and advises they had for me were very efficient.
Brian Pohakiu
Rating: 5 stars
I am so grateful for the MigrationPlus team especially Fiona and Mateja, their expertise engaged in overseeing the 482 visa (Labour Agreement) application process from the start to the eventual granting of the visas, for me and the entire family. Very competent and efficient service.
채원석
Rating: 5 stars
First of all, I would like to say a huge thanks to Mrs Mateja who consulted my case. When I left Australia, I almost gave up to get a permanent visa but I made it now. As an offshore applicant, it was not easy but Migration Plus is very helpful and professional. Absolutely, I suggest the Migration Plus to people who are preparing any visas in Australia.
Alan Galiñanes
Rating: 5 stars
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. EXCELLENT SERVICE AND PROFESSIONALISM. THEY MADE OUR DREAM REALITY. FOREVER GRATEFUL WITH THIS TEAM. THANKS.
Debbie Liu
Rating: 5 stars
Highly recommend Migration Plus, great service with the professional team. Thank you heaps :)
