Sc 482 Skills In Demand (SID)

The SID sc 482 Sponsored Visa Program includes 3 streams: Core Skills, Specialist Skills, and Labour Agreement.

• The Core Skills Stream refers to occupations available on the CSOL List and is a potential pathway to permanent residence.
• The Specialist Skills Stream refers to any ANZSCO occupations excluding occupations listed in Major Groups 3, 7 or 8. This Stream requires an annual salary of minimum AUD 141,210
• The Labour Agreement Stream is for skilled workers nominated by employers who have a Labour Agreement. Labour agreements are developed between the Australian Government (represented by the Department) and employers.

This visa process involves the following three steps:

Step 1 – Standard Business Sponsorship Application

• The sponsor must demonstrate to be lawfully operating business;
• The sponsor must be financially stable and profitable;

Step 2 – Nomination Application

• The position must be subject to conditions of employment (other than earnings) that are no worse than those that apply (or would apply) to Australians performing equivalent work in the same location
• Be included on the relevant occupation list
• Subjected to ‘Labour Market Testing’ (LMT) i.e. the sponsor must have
  attempted to recruit a suitably skilled and qualified Australian to work in the nominated position. This requires the sponsor to provide evidence that it has advertised, the position within the last 4 months, for a period of at least 4 weeks through 2 different Australian recruitment platforms
• The nominator must make one off upfront contribution to the Skilled Australian Fund (SAF) per each year the overseas worker will be employed by the business.
  Please note that SAF levy payments are tax deductible
• Ensure the position is paid at the market level and minimum AUD 76,515 per year, excluding superannuation under the Core Skills Stream.

Step 3 – Visa Application

The visa applicant must:

• Have the relevant ANZSCO qualification and at least one year of full-time experience within the last 5 years(or the part-time equivalent) in the nominated occupation (or a related field). For certain occupations 3 or 5 years of work experience may replace the formal qualification as described by ANZSCO (Please note that some occupations may require professional registration or skills assessment depending on the country of passport)
• Have made adequate arrangements for health insurance during your stay in Australia, and meet the relevant health and character criteria
• Have the required level of English proficiency (IELTS 5 in each component or equivalent test)

Transition to Permanent Residency

The sc 482 visa has a validity period of up to 4 years and it is a pathway to the permanent visa sc 186. To meet the requirements of the permanent visa, applicants must have worked for one or more sponsoring employers on a subclass 482 visa for at least 2 years under the new Laws and complied with the conditions on that visa. The main applicant must be less than 45 years of age also achieve the required level of English proficiency (IELTS 6 in each component or equivalent test).

Please note that the above guidelines are based on the current Migration legislation and Occupation Lists, which may change at anytime without prior notice.

Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) 186

The ENS visa program is a two stage-visa process and a pathway to permanent residence.

Under the ENS Program there are the 3 following streams:

1. TEMPORARY RESIDENCE TRANSITION:

• The nominated position is subject to conditions of employment that are equal to those that apply (or would apply) to Australians performing equivalent work in the same location
• The nominator must make a one-off contribution to the Skilled Australian Fund (SAF)
• The applicant must be under 45 y.o. (exemptions apply)
• The visa applicant must have competent English
• The visa applicant must have worked on a sc 482 visa for two years in Australia with one or more Australian sponsors in the nominated occupation.

2. DIRECT ENTRY STREAM:

• The nominated occupation must be included on the Core Skilled Occupation List (CSOL)
• The nominator must make a one-off contribution to the Skilled Australian Fund (SAF)
• The nominated position must be available for a period of at least 2 years
• The visa applicant must be under 45 y.o. (exemptions apply)
• The visa applicant must have competent English
• The visa applicant must have a positive valid skill assessment and at least 3 years of work experience in the nominated occupation.

3. LABOUR AGREEMENT:

• The business has a formal agreement with the Government, which sets the requirements of the Employer Nomination Process.

Please note that the above guidelines are based on the current Migration legislation and Occupation Lists, which may change at anytime without prior notice.

SC 400

Up to 3 months (6 months in limited circumstances)

Visa applicant must:

• be invited or supported by the intended employer or organization.
• have specialist skills, knowledge or experience that is needed but cannot be found in Australia.

SC 408

Visa applicant must:

• have the required skills.
• be supported or sponsored.
• meet additional requirements of the relevant stream.
• work in the entertainment industry.
• participate in activities at the invitation of an Australian organisation.
• participate or observe in an Australian research project.
• work in a skilled position under a ‘staff exchange arrangement’.
• participate in high-level sports competitions or sports training programs.
• participate in a special programme approved by the department.
• do full-time religious work.
• be employed as a superyacht crew member.
• do full-time domestic work in the household of certain senior foreign executives.
• participate in a government-endorsed event.

SC 407 TRAINING VISA

There are 3 visa streams

1. Workplace Based Occupational Training: For applicants who have recent qualifications or one year experience within the past 24 months intending to take part in workplace-based training to enhance their skills in their current occupation, area of tertiary study or field of expertise
2. Training that promotes capacity building overseas: For applicants who wish to participate in a professional development training programme in Australia; Students who need to complete an internship as part of their qualification and government supported workplace trainees.
3. Work-based training for registration: For applicants hoping to gain registration/licencing as part of their occupational requirements

This visa application process involves 3 steps and the sc 407 visa may have a validity of maximum two years. Family members can also be included with part-time work limitation.

Step 1 – 407 Temporary Activities Sponsorship Application

• The sponsor must demonstrate to be lawfully operating business
• The sponsor must be financially stable and profitable

Step 2 – 407 Nomination Application

• The position must be available on the relevant 407 occupation list
• The sponsor must provide a detailed training plan for the occupation
• The salary for the position must be in line with Australian Employment Laws (No specific minimum salary required)

Step 3 – 407 Visa Application
The visa applicant must:

• Have the relevant ANZSCO qualification completed in the past 2 years or 1 year of relevant full-time work experience completed in the past 2 years
• Genuinely intend to work in the nominated position on a temporary basis
• Have made adequate arrangements for health insurance during your stay in Australia
• Have at least functional English (IELTS 4.5 average and minimum 4 in each component or equivalent test)
• Meet the health and character requirements

Please note that the above guidelines are based on the current Migration legislation and Occupation Lists, which may change at anytime without prior notice.

This new regional visa has been introduced in November 2019:

• Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) –Subclass 494

It is a temporary visa that can lead to a permanent visa after the applicant spends 3 years living, working and studying in the regional area.

The Permanent Skilled Regional Visa –Subclass 191 will come into effect in November 2022.

Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) –Subclass 494

The Subclass 494 replaced the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (RSMS) Subclass 187. This is a five-year visa which will include a large number of occupations, some of the key visa requirements are:

• You must receive a full-time job offer for a position in a regional area;
• The position must be on the relevant occupation list;
• The salary rate must meet the market standards;
• You must have at least three years of full time and relevant work experience;
• You must provide a positive Skills Assessment in the relevant occupation.

Definition of “regional area” under the current legislation: most locations outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Two categories of regional areas have been identified:

• Major regional centres: Gold Coast, Perth, Adelaide and other cities such as Wollongong, Newcastle, Sunshine Coast, Canberra, Illawarra, Geelong and Hobart;
• Regional centre & other regional areas: the remaining geographical areas with the exclusion of the above-mentioned Centres.