Sponsored Visas
The Australian Employer Sponsored Visa Category is designed to allow Australian businesses to address labour shortages by sponsoring skilled overseas workers. These visas provide pathways for both temporary and permanent residence, enabling employers to recruit highly skilled workers when they cannot find suitably qualified Australian citizens or permanent residents.
This category is crucial for both employers and migrants, as it links an applicant’s skills directly to an established job role and a clear path to long-term settlement in Australia.
Key Visa Schemes
The primary schemes within this category include:
- Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa (Subclass 482)
- Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) Visa (Subclass 186)
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 494)
Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa (Subclass 482):
- Purpose: This is the main temporary visa, allowing a sponsored skilled worker to live and work in Australia for up to 4 years
- Pathway: It provides a common pathway for skilled migrants to transition to the permanent Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa (Subclass 186) after meeting specific work requirements.
Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) Visa (Subclass 186):
- Purpose: A permanent residence visa that allows skilled workers to live and work in Australia indefinitely.
- Streams: It has three streams: the Temporary Residence Transition stream (for 482 holders), the Direct Entry stream (for those who qualify directly), and the Labour Agreement stream.
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 494):
- Purpose: A five-year provisional visa requiring the holder to live, work, and study in a designated regional area of Australia. It is designed to encourage skilled migration to areas outside major cities.
- Pathway: After holding the 494 visa and satisfying certain criteria, including a minimum taxable income threshold for three years, holders may be eligible to apply for the Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Visa (Subclass 191).
General Requirements
While specific requirements vary by subclass and stream, applicants for all employer-sponsored visas must generally satisfy the following:
- A lawfully operating Australian business must formally nominate the position and sponsor the applicant. The employer must meet specific criteria, including a genuine need for the position and compliance with Australian labour market testing where required.
- In some cases, dependent on the visa type and occupation, the applicant must have their skills formally assessed by a relevant Australian skills assessing body to confirm they meet the standards for their nominated occupation.
- Applicants must meet a minimum level of English proficiency, which varies depending on the visa subclass and stream.
- All applicants and accompanying family members must meet Australia’s health and character requirements, which typically involve medical examinations and police clearance certificates.
- Applicants generally must demonstrate a minimum amount of relevant work experience in their nominated occupation.
You can also apply for residence under the Sc191 (not employer sponsored) once you have held a Sc494 or Sc491 (General Skilled Migrant visa) for 3 years and have lived and worked in Australia.