With growing demands for workers and an increasingly limited pool of suitable applicants, sometimes the best solution for businesses is to look overseas for skilled workers to join their companies. With Australia’s borders opening up again to international travellers, a TSS visa might be the answer to filling your company’s talent shortage.
About the visa
A temporary skill shortage (TSS) visa is a temporary visa that allows an employer to fill a position they are unable to fill with a suitably skilled Australian by sponsoring a skilled worker from overseas.
A TSS 482 visa has three different streams – short term, medium-term and the labour agreement stream.
The short term stream, as the name implies, covers a shorter length of stay. If your business is sponsoring an applicant for this visa, it means they can stay for up to two years with the opportunity to renew once, although if an International Trade Obligation (ITO) applies the candidate could stay for up to four years. For the short term stream, the occupation should be on the short-term skilled occupations list.
If a candidate is securing a medium-term stream TSS visa, they can stay in Australia for up to four years. For a medium-term stream TSS visa sponsorship, the occupation must be on either the medium and/or long term strategic skills list (MLTSSL) or alternatively, the regional occupation list (ROL).
The labour agreement stream is made for skilled workers that have been nominated by employers who have a Labour agreement. This enables the candidate to live in Australia temporarily, for a maximum period of up to four years although this can depend on the terms of the labour agreement.
Criteria
The criteria for obtaining a TSS visa is dependent on a variety of factors, in order meet the basic eligibility requirements for a TSS visa, candidates must:
- be nominated by an approved sponsor for a skilled position
- have the skills required to do the job for which they are nominated
- meet the appropriate English language requirements
How to obtain a TSS visa
There are generally three steps involved when it comes to acquiring a TSS 482 visa.
These include:
- A sponsorship application put forth by the employer (who for this needs to be an active, operating business that is lawful while meeting local labour and employment practices).
- What follows this is the nomination application. This is all about the position that is being filled and should include information such as proof of efforts to hire an Australian worker, the authenticity or ‘genuineness’ of the position and salary details. It is essential for this that the business is viable to sponsor for overseas.
- The visa application by the nominated employee. In this application, the nominated employee needs to demonstrate that they meet the required skills for the occupation, and also pass health and character requirements.
How to sponsor someone for a TSS visa
To nominate an employee, a sponsor must meet the following requirements:
- The employer must lodge the nomination to the Australian Department of Home Affairs (DHA)
- Nominate the applicant based on their skills and competency in the relevant occupation.
- If applying for the Labour Agreement Stream, the sponsor must have a current labour agreement in place.
Need help sponsoring someone for a TSS 482 Visa?
At Techvisa we are passionate about ensuring the migration process is as simple as possible for your new employee, your business and you as an individual.
Our services include skill assessments, consulting services and eligibility reports to help you and your employees feel comfortable.
Our team at Techvisa help ensure that from the very first assessment until the day your new employee walks through the door, the visa journey is as seamless as possible. From assisting the applicants in preparing and lodging the expression of interest to catering evidence for the case and helping the applicant in obtaining Australian citizenship, we are here to help.
If you want to find out more or start your assessment, contact the team at Techvisa!
