Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa (Subclass 482)

The Temporary Skill Shortage TSS Visa (Class GK) (Subclass 482) is a temporary employer-sponsored visa thus an eligible sponsor is required. The purpose of this visa is to allow Australian employers to nominate highly skilled professionals for temporary visas.

Obtaining a subclass 482 visa is a 3-stage process:

1. Sponsorship: The employer must be or have applied for approval as a standard business sponsor.
2. Nomination: The employer must lodge a nomination for the applicant or existing holder of a Subclass 482 visa.
3. Visa Application: The applicant applies for Subclass 482 visa under a relevant stream.

Key Eligibility requirements

Common criteria to all streams

• Your employer must have applied for approval of the nomination of the occupation which your visa application relates.
• Depending on your occupation and nationality you may be required to complete a relevant Skills Assessment.
• Your employer must be an Approved Work Sponsor
• You must have a genuine intention to perform the nominated occupation and the position must also be genuine.
• You must have the skills, qualifications and employment background necessary to perform the tasks of the nominated occupation.
• You must have adequate arrangements for health insurance.
• You must satisfy certain Public Interest criteria and Special Return criteria.
• You must meet health and character requirements.
• You must satisfy specific Nomination Criteria relating to the visa stream you are applying for such as having an occupation on the relevant list of eligible occupations etc.
• You must satisfy specific criteria relating to the visa stream you are applying for.

Short-term stream

• You must have worked in the nominated occupation or a related field for at least 2 years.
• You must have a genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily.
• You must demonstrate your English proficiency by achieving an overall score of at least 5 with a minimum score of 4.5 for each of the 4 components on the IELTS test. (Alternative tests can be used including OET, TOEFL, PTE Academic, CAE). There are prescribed exemptions to this requirement for example if you hold a specified type of passport etc.
• Unless exempt, you must be employed to work in your nominated occupation and in a position in your employer’s business or associated entity.

Medium-term stream

• You must have worked in the nominated occupation or a related field for at least 2 years.
• You must demonstrate your English proficiency by achieving an overall score of at least 5 with a minimum score of 5 for each of the 4 components on the IELTS test. (Alternative tests can be used including OET, TOEFL, PTE Academic, CAE). There are prescribed exemptions to this requirement for example if you hold a specified type of passport etc.
• Unless exempt, you must be employed to work in your nominated occupation and in a position in your employer’s business or associated entity.

Labour Agreement stream

• Your nominated occupation must be the subject of a work agreement between the Commonwealth and your employer (sponsor).
• You must have worked in the nominated occupation or a related field for at least 2 years unless otherwise considered by the Minister.
• You must have suitable English proficiency to perform the tasks of your nominated occupation.

Criteria and requirements relevant to Approval of nominated positions or Approval as a Standard Business Sponsor have NOT been included in the above summary. An approved sponsor and nomination are required for this visa.