The TSS Visa (Temporary Skill Shortage) Subclass 482 has replaced the Subclass 457 Visa since March 2018. The TSS visa program assists Australian businesses who experience genuine skill shortages and cannot find Australian workers to fill vacant positions. It also allows potential employees to to rely on their skills, work experience and qualifications as an opportunity to migrate to Australia.

SC482 Visa (TSS) have three streams which are listed below:

• Short-Term Stream – up to two years
• Medium-Term Stream – up to four years
• Labour Agreement Stream

TSS visa holders can:

• live and work in Australia for up to four years
• study in Australia
• include immediate family on their 482 visa
• transition to permanent residency (if eligible)

SC482 – General Eligibility

You might be eligible to apply for the TSS Visa if you have an Australian employer who is willing to sponsor you and meet the following requirements:

Occupation

TSS Visa applicants must be qualified or have sufficient experience in an occupation listed on the relevant skilled occupation list. There are three lists relevant to the 482 Visa.

• Short-Term Skilled Occupations List (STSOL)
• Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL)
• Regional Occupation List (ROL)

Sponsor & Nomination

You must be nominated by a Standard Business Sponsor or a business that has applied for a Standard Business Sponsorship. The SBS application evaluates that there is adequate evidence to support that the business is legally established and currently operating in Australia. There must be no ‘adverse information’ about the business. It is also important to demonstrate that the business is financially viable and that they have a good record of employing local labour.

Your employer must also lodge a nomination application. This is to show that there is a genuine need for the position, providing details of the position including the tasks and responsibilities, ensuring appropriate employment conditions are being offered and that there are no suitably qualified Australian citizens or permanent residents in the local labour market who can fill the position. In addition, a business must demonstrate that the local labour market has been tested. The Department wants to see evidence that an employer has firstly made genuine efforts to recruit suitably skilled Australian citizens or permanent residents for the position before they make the decision to sponsor a person from overseas.

Experience

Applicants must have at least 2 years of work experience in the nominated occupation or another relevant role.

Applicants must gain this experience within the previous 5 years before applying. Part-time work may be considered. Casual work will not be considered.

Depending on the nominated occupation and the applicant’s country of origin, a skill assessment may be required before applying for the TSS visa. Some assessing authorities require more than 2 years of experience to complete the assessment.

Skill Assessment

Some primary TSS visa applicants must undergo a mandatory skills assessment to be eligible to apply for this visa. Find out if you need to complete a skill assessment here

English Language

Visa applicants applying under the short-term stream must meet the following English language requirements:

• IELTS – Overall score of 5 with at least 4.5 in each component
• PTE – Overall of at least 36 with at least 30 in each component

Please note, if you are applying under the short-term stream, you are automatically considered to have met English requirements, if one of the following apply:

• you hold a passport from Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, UK or the US; or
• you have completed at least 5 years full-time study in at least a secondary level institution and most classes were in English; or
• you annual earnings are to be at least $96,400.

Visa applicants applying under the medium-term stream must have the following results in an English language test:

• IELTS – Overall score of 5 with at least 5 in each component
• PTE – Overall of at least 36 with at least 36 in each component

Dependent family members are not required to meet any English requirement.

Age

There is no age limit for the TSS (Subclass 482) Visa

Health Insurance

482 Temporary Visa holders must maintain adequate health insurance while in Australia.

You can apply for health insurance online here

Some countries have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia. Applicants from these countries may not need health insurance. Find out more here