Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (TSS) - Subclass 482
TSS visa enables employers to hire overseas skilled workers, if they are unable to source an appropriately skilled Australian worker from the local labour market.
The TSS visa has three streams:
- Short-term stream: If your occupation is in the Short-Term Skills List, you can be sponsored by your employer for up to 2 years with the possibility of extending it for a further two-year period.
- Medium-term stream: if your occupation is in the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or the Regional Occupation List (ROL), you can work in Australia for up to four years. Under this stream, there is also a pathway to permanent residency through the Employer Nominated Scheme (subclass 186).
- Labour agreement stream: for skilled workers nominated by employers who have a labour agreement. The maximum stay period is up to 4 years, depending on the labour agreement.
How do I apply for a TSS visa?
This is a three-step process, requiring a business sponsorship, nomination and visa application:
Standard Business Sponsorship
If an Australian employer seeks to employ a foreign worker under the TSS program, the first step is to have the business approved as a Standard Business Sponsor (SBS). In order to be eligible, the business must be legally established and operating in Australia.
Nomination
Once the employer has lodged the SBS application, the employer must nominate the prospective employee for a position within their business or an associated business. There are three key elements in the nomination process:
Labour Market Testing (LMT)
The employer is required to test the Australian labour market to find a suitably skilled Australian worker to fill the vacancy prior to offering the position to an overseas worker.
Salary arrangements
The employer will be required to demonstrate that the salary for the nominated position meets the market salary rates. The position is also required to meet the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) of $53,900.
Skilling Australian Fund Levy (SAF)
Employers are required to pay the SAF levy at the time of lodgement of the nomination application. A business with a turnover of less than $10 million is required to pay a levy of $1,200 for each year an overseas worker is sponsored and a business with a turnover of more than $10 million per year is required to pay $1,800 for each year a person is sponsored.
Visa
The final step is the lodgement of the visa application. Visa applications are required to meet the following criteria:
- Skills – meet the relevant skills criteria for the occupation and have minimum of two years of work experience in a related field.
- English language requirements
- Health and character criteria
Our service
If you would like advice and assistance on your visa options, please book a consultation by contacting us on 1300 98 70 71.