Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186)
Global Talent Employer Sponsored (GTES)
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494)
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187)
Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA)
Skills in Demand Visa (subclass 482)
An Employer Sponsored Visa Australia allows an overseas worker to temporarily stay in Australia for a given period to fill a skilled or professional role required by the business.
Only individuals who are sponsored by their employers can apply for these different types of visas.
If you are interested in coming to Australia under an employer-sponsored visa, you may wish to complete the form below to get in touch. Our team of migration agents can assist with your visa sponsorship and nomination requirements. We also encourage businesses to get in touch to discuss their labour needs so we can determine the most suitable visa sponsorship arrangements that will allow you to bring your employees to Australia.
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How can I sponsor an employee to come to Australia?
By applying for a Sponsorship arrangement with the Department of Home Affairs your business could be granted the ability to engage overseas workers to work in Australia to help meet your labour needs. Legally established and operating businesses can generally apply to become a visa sponsor provided they meet several eligibility requirements, including but not limited to the following:
- Your business is active and lawful
- Your business has a genuine need for the position
- You will pay the applicant a market salary rate
There are three parts to the employer sponsored visa application process – Sponsorship, Nomination and a Visa.
A sponsorship application is a request by a business to become an approved visa sponsor. There are two main forms of visa sponsorship – Standard Business Sponsorship and Accredited Sponsorship. Standard Business Sponsorship provides a five-year period to sponsor workers. Eligible businesses can upgrade their status to Accredited Sponsorship, which provides access to Government priority visa processing. Other forms of sponsorship include Labour Agreements and Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA’s).
Once a business becomes an approved visa sponsor, it can proceed with the nomination and visa application stages of the process. A nomination application involves an assessment of the position and terms of employment, whereas a visa application is an assessment of a person’s skills and experience.
If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor to a skilled professional, read more here for a summary of what the process of becoming a visa sponsor involves. To explore how your business could engage skilled migrants, our migration agents can assess your business and advise which sponsorship and employer-sponsored visa option best suits your labour requirements. Contact us at our Perth head office on 08 9221 3388 or via our international number +61 8 9221 3388 to speak to our registered migration agents.
Employer Nomination Scheme
(subclass 186) Visa
The Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa (subclass 186) allows Australian businesses to sponsor eligible people to work in Australia on a permanent visa. This visa scheme may also interest individuals already in Australia under a temporary TSS 482 work visa (Medium Term Stream) who may have an option for Permanent Residence through the 186 Visa.
Skilled Employer-Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 494)
The Regional 494 Visa Australia provides businesses in Perth and regional/remote areas the option to sponsor overseas skilled employees with a more direct pathway to Permanent Residence. However, compared to the commonly used 186 Visa, the application process for a 494 Visa Australia requires a mandatory Skills Assessment and Regional Certifying Body (RCB) approval in addition to the 494 visa nomination and visa sponsorship, so a longer application time is usually required.
Global Talent Employer Sponsored Visa
(GTES)
Employers can use the Global Talent Employer Sponsored (GTES) Visa program to sponsor overseas workers for highly-skilled niche positions that cannot be filled by Australian workers or other standard visa programs. Under the GTES, standard visa requirements may be negotiable and applicants may have access priority to government processing and a path to Permanent Residence (PR).
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme
(subclass 187) Visa
The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) 187 Visa allows businesses to sponsor workers for positions in rural, regional and remote locations of Australia for a permanent visa. This is via the Temporary Residence Transition Stream, which is still open to eligible applicants. Your nomination must be ‘certified’ by the Regional Certifying Body (RCB) in your state.
Designated Area Migration Agreements
(DAMA)
Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA’s) are agreements made between the Department of Home Affairs and a Regional State or Territory authority that provide an alternative option to sponsor overseas workers to work in regional Australia for up to 5 years. Under a DAMA, employers have access to different skilled occupations that may not be accessible to other standard visa programs.
Skills in Demand Visa
(Subclass 482)
The Subclass 482 Work Visa Australia, commonly referred to as the Skills in Demand Visa program, allows visa holders to stay in Australia and work for your business. It is the main skilled visa program in Australia.
What you can do on an Employer Sponsored Visa Australia
Although specific provisions apply for each visa, Employer-Sponsored Visas generally allow you to:
- Live and work in Australia – either temporarily or permanently, depending on the visa
- Bring your family to Australia as dependents on your visa
- Travel in and out of Australia (although international travel restrictions may apply due to the pandemic)
- Apply for a further visa or Permanent Visa, depending on the visa circumstances and the applicant’s eligibility
How Interstaff can assist businesses and help you get Employer Sponsored Visa to Work in Australia
Our Registered Migration Agents servicing Perth, Melbourne and Sydney and Australia work with both the sponsoring employer and visa applicants and provide advice throughout the end-to-end visa sponsorship process. We can:
- Advise on whether your business is eligible to sponsor overseas employees fr its labour needs
- Assist with your nomination application to engage visa holders to work for your business and provide consultancy on corporate migration strategies, for example, for project requirements
- Provide support and advice to each individual visa applicant in your business as they go through the process of applying for their visa
- Help your business and visa holders to remain compliant with your sponsorship and visa requirements and obligations by providing ongoing advice
Interstaff has assisted businesses with their Sponsorship and Nomination requirements and obligations and successfully enabled overseas workers to come to Australia for over 35 years since 1988. As visa conditions are subject to change from time to time, it’s best to get the advice of a registered visa agent in Australia that keeps abreast of visa developments and implications for businesses and skilled visa applicants. Businesses interested in becoming approved visa sponsors are encouraged to contact us or call 1800 449 858 to discuss your business migration needs for overseas workers to join your team in Australia.
It would be our pleasure to help your business’ visa applicants on their journey to migrate to Australia and to assist with your labour needs. Get in touch with our registered migration agents on 08 9221 3388 (Perth), (02) 7200 2567 (Sydney), (03) 8319 0902 (Melbourne) or +61 8 9221 3388 (International) or contact us here to discuss your business’ sponsorship options or if you as a skilled professional qualify for an Employer Sponsored Visa under the different pathways available.
“I want to say thank you to the Interstaff team for assisting us through the 186 Visa process – especially when we had questions and your team were quick to answer them. I would recommend Interstaff to anyone in need of a migration agent. I’d give them 10/10. Once again, thank you to your team for an excellent job.”