Visa Sponsorship Australia: An Introductory Guide For Employers
If your business is one of the many organisations short of skilled workers, an Employer Sponsored Visa in Australia could be the answer to your problems.
You can find out everything you need to know about Visa Sponsorship Australia solutions right here.
Employer Sponsored Visas allow Australian employers to sponsor highly-skilled, non-Australian workers to come to Australia to fill genuine vacancies within their business. Four Corners has helped thousands of clients with visa sponsorship. We apply our extensive experience to your company’s unique circumstances and provide tailored advice for both the business and the visa applicant.
Both Australian employers looking for an overseas employee, and overseas employees responding to an employer who has shown an interest in sponsoring them, will still need to meet certain criteria in order to be eligible for an Employer Sponsored Visa Australia. It’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with requirements and restrictions regarding eligible occupations, documentation and the prospective employee’s age and current location. You can save time and money on visa sponsorship with the right advice.
While you may feel that you’ve ticked every box and are ready to proceed with visa sponsorship, it’s vital to weigh up your situation and choices. Every business, and every potential overseas employee is different – a Work Sponsorship Visa Australia isn’t one-size-fits-all. With a range of visa types to consider, it’s important that you find the right one to suit both your business and the employee.
Working within the complex and constantly changing legislative environment requires specific expertise, and it’s essential to identify the possible risks and understand their implications. There are both temporary and permanent visa options within the Visa Sponsorship Australia category, so you’ll need to understand the difference, and which kind best fits your needs.
It’s not as simple as just deciding to offer a job to a non-Australian located overseas. There are many conditions to understand and meet, including:
If there’s a job vacancy in your business that you’ve been unable to fill because there’s a scarcity of local applicants with the necessary qualifications or experience, you could possibly sponsor someone with the appropriate skills to come to Australia to take the role. During the visa application process, you will need to nominate the particular person and specify the occupation.
Employers can sponsor employees to work in Australia on a temporary basis, under the following visa types:
But your employee may wish to come here with the intention of seeking permanent residency, in which case they’ll need one of the following:
We can advise you on the visa type best suited to the needs of both you and your employee, and the different types of sponsoring visa for employees are discussed in more detail below.
A visa sponsored by employer may be available to skilled workers who:
You may be able to take over the sponsorship of someone who already has an Employer Sponsored Visa but wishes or needs to change their employment.
But some temporary residents may already have work rights under their current visa without sponsorship, or might be able to apply for a working visa unassisted. This type of visa holder or applicant does not need sponsorship.
The Australian government charges a fee for processing visa applications. While the fee is just a few hundred dollars for Short Stay, Temporary Activity and Training visas, the Temporary Skill Shortage visa is more expensive, and permanent residency visas cost several thousands.
The Department of Home Affairs publishes a Skilled Occupation List detailing the job types eligible for sponsorship. There are almost 700 roles currently on the list, so it’s not possible to include them all here, but typical jobs are in the following fields:
| Accounting | Automotive trades | Food and hospitality | Mining |
| Advertising, PR and marketing | Building, industrial and technical trades | Health care | Real estate |
| Agriculture | Childcare | Horticulture | Retail |
| Air conditioning | Education | Human resources and recruitment | Science |
| Air transport | Emergency services | Insurance | Shipping |
| Animal and veterinary services | Engineering | IT and telecommunications | Social services |
| Architecture and design | Environment | Law | Sport |
| Arts, entertainment and publishing | Fashion and beauty | Management | Travel |
Don’t be too concerned if the vacancy you have is not on the Skilled Occupations list. We can assist you in negotiating a special labour agreement. If your selected employee is an exceptional specialist, we can guide you through the intricacies of the Global Talent Scheme.
There are several different types of visa sponsorship in Australia. Click on ‘Learn more here’ below each visa type for more details.
This is a permanent residence visa for skilled workers. It allows sponsorship for employment in Australia under one of three streams:
This stream may be available if your employer wishes to sponsor you for permanent residence.
You may be eligible under this stream if you hold either of the following:
The Direct Entry stream is for:
The Agreement stream is for people sponsored by an employer through a negotiated formal labour agreement.
Allows skilled workers to live in Australia permanently by working in regional Australia.
You must:
Permanently
You can:
You must work permanently in a regional area for two years.
A visa allowing skilled workers to live and work in regional Australia for five years. If eligible, visa holders can apply for permanent residence after three years. The initial visa can be Employer Sponsored to address an identified labour shortage, or negotiated via a labour agreement.
This visa, referred to as the TSS visa, enables employers to address labour shortages by bringing in genuinely skilled workers where they cannot source an appropriately skilled Australian.
It facilitates the targeted use of overseas workers to address temporary skill shortages while ensuring that Australian workers get priority. TSS visa holders can work in Australia in their nominated occupation for their approved sponsor under one of three streams:
This stream is available if your employer wishes to sponsor you (as an overseas skilled worker) on a temporary basis only in occupations listed on the Short-term Skilled Occupation list (STSOL) for a TSS visa – see lists of eligible skilled occupations.
It can be used to fill positions for a maximum of:
two years or four years if an International Trade Obligation (ITO) applies.
This stream is available if your employer wishes to sponsor you (as an overseas skilled worker) for periods of up to four years in occupations listed on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or the Regional Occupation List (ROL) for a TSS visa.
This stream is available if your employer wishes to sponsor you (as an overseas worker) and has entered into a labour agreement with the Department.
You must have the skills to fill a position nominated by an approved business for an approved occupation.
One to four years – depending on your nominated occupation, the visa stream and your circumstances.
This visa allows a person to do short-term, highly specialised, non-ongoing work. In limited circumstances, they may participate in an activity or work relating to Australia’s interests, such as assisting in a natural disaster. The maximum length of stay is normally three months, but may occasionally be extended to six months.
You must:
Up to 3 months (6 months in limited circumstances).
You can work or participate in the activities for which you were granted the visa.
A visa designed for entertainment industry workers, religious workers, super-yacht crew members, domestic workers in special circumstances, high-level sports competitors, research project team members, reciprocal staff exchanges and other specialised situations.
This visa allows applicants to:
Trainees need to be aged at least 18 and can stay in Australia for up to two years.
Four Corners Emigration is one of the world’s leading migration specialists, assisting over 61,000 individuals, small businesses and multinationals since 1996. We provide expert advice and visa services for temporary and permanent entry to Australia and work with organisations and individuals currently in Australia and around the world.
Our consultants, including founder Matthew Garvey, are registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority.
We ensure our clients have access to accurate advice, strategies and support to enable them to access the skills they need via non-Australian employees. Through expert knowledge and exemplary customer service, we aspire to be the market leader and most trusted supplier of migration services in the world.
We have a highly successful track record across a wide range of industries and professional fields and are committed to delivering tailored, people-focused visa solutions giving you stability and the peace of mind you deserve.
We adhere to the OMARA Code of Conduct and are members of the Migration Institute of Australia. We currently have offices in Australia, South Africa and the UK.
Our promise is an expression of our values – quality, leadership, integrity and care.
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