Employer-sponsored visas encompass many types of visa categories. Specifically, any visa that requires a sponsoring employer to provide sponsorship can be classified as an employer-sponsored visa.
The mainstream employer-sponsored visas include:
- SUBCLASS 407 TRAINING VISA
- SUBCLASS 408 TEMPORARY ACTIVITY VISA
- SUBCLASS 482 TEMPORARY SKILL SHORTAGE VISA
- SUBCLASS 186 EMPLOYER NOMINATION SCHEME VISA
This article mainly explains the features and requirements of the 482 visa as it is a popular visa that has a clear pathway to PR compared to the 407 and 408 visas.
The subclass 482 visa is a temporary work visa that lasts from 1 to 5 years. After meeting other requirements, if the employer is still willing to sponsor, it can be converted to the 186 permanent residency visa.
The basic requirements are two years of relevant work experience and an eligible employer.
Several advantages of the 482 visa:
- No age limit
- Most occupations do not require a skill assessment
- The English requirements are low.
- covers over 500 occupations.
- All streams of the 482 visa have a clear path to permanent residency.
- Fast processing time. According to our latest approval record, takes two to three weeks.
Employer sponsorship effectively solves the problem of employers finding it hard to recruit suitable people. Currently, there is a labour shortage in Australia. The government’s assessment of employer-sponsored visas is relatively relaxed because once these applicants have jobs, they cannot be lost.
For overseas applicants, the biggest advantages of the employer-sponsored visa are no professional assessment, wide occupational coverage, and no points competition like the skilled visas. In fact, many overseas applicants cannot pass the skill assessment because they do not have Australian qualifications or sufficient onshore work experience. It’s challenging for full-time workers abroad to spend their free time getting high scores in IELTS or PTE. Since there is no points test involved, the burden and anxiety involved during the preparation process is low.
There are some aspects of the employer-sponsored visa that I think the government needs to supplement and modify:
First, the occupation list should be abolished. Although there are already hundreds of occupations, there are millions of industries and billions of different occupations. The list cannot cover everything. Many jobs that employers urgently need are not high-skilled but just because not many local people in Australia are willing to do.
Second, the two years of relevant work experience requirement should be modified, suggesting a change to one year, or even to be eliminated altogether. This would give more applicants a chance. The requirement should be based on needs. As long as the urgency of the position and the suitability of the nominee can be proven, sponsorship and nomination applications should be granted.
Third, age limits for converting to permanent residency should be removed. For many jobs, especially trade occupations, the longer the years of work, the more experienced and skilful the worker becomes. A simple example of the head chef of a sushi restaurant. The Japanese Sushi master is almost 80 years old. Ironically, Australia rejects talented workers over 45, which is illogical and unreasonable.
Overall, the situation for employer-sponsored visas will remain relaxed, provided there isn’t a significant political change. But fundamentally, if Australia still suffer a labor shortage, employer-sponsored will be the mainstream visa for the next 3-4 years.
Finally, technically speaking, applying for employer sponsorship is somewhat complex, as it involves three parts: SPONSORSHIP, NOMINATION, and VISA. Fruitful experience from immigration agents or lawyers is essential. The NOMINATION part is associated with a specific occupation, and it’s necessary to prove the genuine need and suitability of the position. While the current attitude of the immigration office is relaxed and less nit-picky, the application process itself remains intricate.