Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa Subclass 482

The Temporary Work (Skilled) visa Subclass 457 was abolished and replaced with a completely new Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa Subclass 482 on 18 March 2018. There are 3 streams available under the TSS visa:

  1. Short-term stream

The Short-term stream is available if your occupation is listed on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL). Employers can sponsor visa applicants on a temporary basis of up to two years only (up to four years if an International Trade Obligation (ITO) applies). There is no pathway for permanent residency following a TSS visa in the short-term stream.​

2. Medium-term stream

The Medium-term stream is only available if your occupation is listed on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or the Regional Occupation List (ROL). Employers can sponsor a visa applicant for up to four years. Once eligible, the visa applicant can later apply for permanent residency through an Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa or Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) visa in the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream.

3. Labour agreement stream

This stream is available if an Australian employer wishes to sponsor a visa applicant and has entered into a labour agreement with the Department.

 

Eligibility criteria for the short-term and medium-term streams of the TSS visa include:

  • Work experience: minimum two years’ relevant work experience.
  • Mandatory labour market testing (LMT), unless an international obligation applies.
  • Minimum market salary rate: Employers must pay the Australian market salary rate and meet the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT), currently $53,900 as at June 2017.
  • Character: Mandatory penal clearance certificates to be provided.
  • Workforce: A non-discriminatory workforce test to ensure employers are not actively discriminating against Australian workers.
  • English requirement:
    • For the medium-term stream – A minimum of IELTS 5 in each test component (or equivalent test).
    • For the short-term stream – A minimum of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 5, with a minimum of 4.5 in each test component (or equivalent test).
  • Training requirement: Employers nominating a worker for a TSS visa will be required to pay a contribution to the Skilling Australians Fund. The contribution will be payable in full at the time the worker is nominated:
    • $1,200 per year or part year for small businesses (annual turnover of less than $10 million); or
    • $1,800 per year or part year for larger businesses (annual turnover of $10 million or more).

 

For more detailed information on obtaining a TSS visa Subclass 482, please see our blog article: https://www.swiftmigrationaustralia.com/swicms/tss-visa-subclass-482-explained/