Replacing the outgoing Subclass 457 Visa, lots of questions have arisen surrounding the 482 Visa recently. For example, what is it? Why does it exist? Is it the right solution for me? Let’s answer some of these questions in this guide!
What’s the TSS Visa System?
To understand the 482 Visa, it’s important to first look at the TSS Visa system. Short for Temporary Skill Shortage, the TSS Visa system is designed to help businesses that have a shortage of employees in a particular area. If a business cannot find Australian workers to fill their vacancies, this presents a serious issue to the business’s growth and survival opportunities.
Therefore, the Australian government devised the TSS Visa system to help businesses fill these vacancies with skilled workers.
The 482 Visa
If you’re not an Australian worker but have a skill in a required field, you may be eligible for a 482 Visa. As you start researching this visa, you’ll notice that it comes in three different forms. As well as the Labour Agreement Stream, you can apply for the Short-Term Stream and the Medium-Term Stream.
While there are intricacies between the different streams, the short-term version allows applicants to work in the country for up to two years while the medium-term version allows up to four years. Meanwhile, the Labour Agreement Stream allows up to four years but has different specifications.
After receiving a TSS visa, the applicant can work in Australia for the specified number of years while also studying in Australia. Also, they can include family members on the visa. For example, a parent can include their partner and children to live and work in the country alongside them. In some cases, this also provides a path to permanent residency.
Eligibility
Are you eligible for a 482 Visa? First and foremost, you need to have experience in your field, and you need an employer willing to sponsor you. What’s more, the occupation itself must be named in either the STSOL (Short-Term Skilled Occupations List) or the MLTSSL (Medium Long-Term Strategic Skills List). If the occupation isn’t listed, this suggests that there are enough Australian workers to cover vacancies. Alternatively, the occupation may be on the ROL (Regional Occupation List).
In terms of experience, you’ll need at least two years in the relevant field and this needs to have been earned within the last five years. Although casual work is generally not considered, you may be eligible for a 482 Visa based on part-time work.
What’s more, applicants for some occupations will need to complete a skill assessment before they receive a TSS Visa.
Purpose of the 482 Visa
Although this article has touched on the relevant points, the purpose of the 482 Visa is to help businesses to thrive in their relevant industry. Naturally, the government wants to support domestic businesses and offer the conditions they need to survive in the years ahead. This being said, the government is also aware of skill shortages across many different industries.
Therefore, it created the TSS Visa system to combat this problem. After the domestic market is exhausted, the government adds occupations to the relevant lists to attract talent from other countries. The 482 Visa helps skilled workers to get the right visa to work in the country either alone or alongside their families.
All in all, the system helps both businesses with skills shortages and workers with the talent to add to the Australian economy!
