Moving to Australia with a 482 visa

Australia is one of the most popular ex-pat destinations. It is also welcoming to skilled workers from a variety of sectors. It has great beaches, a stable economy and a good work/life balance. What’s the catch I hear you say? Well, it’s not always easy to secure a 482 Visa to be able to work in Australia.

What is a 482 work visa?

The 482 Temporary Skill Shortage Visa lets an employer sponsor a suitably skilled worker to fill a position they can’t find a suitably skilled Australian to fill. There are three streams of the 482 visa. Short-term, medium-term and labour-agreement stream.

Short-term stream

You can stay for up to 2 years. This can be extended to 4 years if an international Trade Obligation applies (ITO). Hong Kong passport holders may stay for up to 5 years.

The 482 visa processing times according to the Australian Department of Home Affairs are anywhere between 44 days and 11 months. It costs from AUD1,330.

Medium-term stream

You can stay for up to 4 years unless you are a Hong Kong passport holder, then it’s 5 years.

Processing times are between 30 days and 6 months and the cost is AUD2,770.

Labour-agreement stream

You can stay up to 4 years depending on the terms in the agreement, except for Hong Kong passport holders who can stay up to 5 years.

Processing times are between 36 days and 6 months and the cost is AUD2,770.

There is also a Subsequent Entrant Visa. This is for family members of subclass 457 and TSS visa holders who are applying separately for their TSS visa and want to join the primary subclass 457 or TSS visa holder in Australia.

You can stay as long as your visa is valid and it costs AUD1,330.

What is it like to work and live in Australia?

According to the current (Oct 2022) Mercer’s 2022 Quality of Life Index, Canberra is in first place with Adelaide in third. Perth and Brisbane are both in the top 10 with Sydney coming in 21st place. Sydney has risen five places since the start of the year. The UN states Australia is the second-best country in the world to live.

Australia offers some of the highest graduate salaries in the world and only has 5% of unemployment. The services sector dominates the Australian economy, followed by Industry and agriculture. Australia is a significant exporter of energy, food and natural resources.

Working hours are 38 per week on average and workers are entitled to four weeks paid leave every year. Australia also offers one of the best average salaries in the world.

Other advantages are the mandatory employee benefits such as holiday pay, long service leave, maternity/paternity leave and sick pay.

Australia boasts a great climate in general with around 3000 hours of sunshine a year. Australians definitely get the work/life balance and love to spend time on the beach having a ‘Barbie’ or surfing. You’ll find many workers go straight to the beach after work or chill out around their pools with friends and family.

Australia has a friendly and welcoming culture due to its long history of immigration. The big cities are diverse and multicultural. There are so many more advantages to Australian life that I would have to write another blog just to describe them.

482 visa eligibility requirements

So, have I sold the prospect of moving to Australia to you? Is it something you’ve been contemplating for a while? Before you bite the bullet, you need to know if you’re eligible for the 482 visa. Here are the general requirements to apply for a Temporary Skill Shortage visa.

• Have the relevant skills and qualifications required for the position as well as having an occupation on the Consolidated Skilled Occupations list.
• Have a vocational level of English
• Have an offer of employment by an Australian employer
• Have at least 2 years of work experience in your occupation
• Meet the DHA health and character requirements
• Meet relevant licensing, registration or professional membership requirements
• Have made arrangements for adequate health insurance in Australia to cover you for your stay

If you are an employer who wants to sponsor someone to work in Australia you must meet the following criteria:

• The job position for the foreign national worker must be full-time and genuine
• You must be an active and lawfully operating business
• Meet the required Australian employee training benchmarks
• Meet employment and salary condition-related requirements

Applying for a 482 visa

The visa process in Australia is a complex and difficult one. Many wisely choose to hire the services of a registered migration agent. A migration agent can help you as a company with the process of sponsoring a foreign national to fill a position in your company. They can help with the relevant paperwork and work out the best sponsorship package for you and your potential employee.

Your potential employer must apply to become a standard sponsor before you apply for the 482 visa. They must apply online, submit the relevant documents and pay a sponsorship fee of AUD420. This doesn’t apply if you are applying for the labour agreement stream. However, your employer must be part of the labour agreements.

Your sponsor is required to pay the skills levy fund once they begin the nomination process. The amount varies depending on the size of the business and the work period length.

Small businesses with less than AUD10 million turnover have to pay AUD1200 yearly. Businesses with a turnover of over AUD10 million have to pay AUD1800.

Once your sponsor’s nomination has been approved, you can start the 482 visa application process. Migration agents can help with this process as it can be complicated and any mistakes will mean the process may fail or take longer.

Can a 482 visa lead to permanent residency?

There is a possibility of achieving permanent residency from a TSS visa if:

• You are under 45 years of age at the time of application
• Your application is on the medium-term list
• You’ve worked for the same employer for 3 years on your TSS visa
• Have an adequate level of English (IELTS 6 in each band or equivalent)

There are other pathways to permanent residency from a TSS 482 visa. If you would like to discuss them, contact a migration agent in Sydney who will be able to help you further.

A jack of all trades, but master of none, but often better than a master of one. I enjoy writing articles, Diy projects, and cooking. So come take a look at one of my articles and leave a comment.