Has your tech or start-up business been impacted by labour shortages and does it require skilled overseas workers with niche skills and experience? Or are you a skilled IT professional wishing to work in Australia? The IT Visa Australia option allows overseas workers to migrate to the country and work under skilled visas.
The IT industry is one of Australia’s fastest-growing sectors, providing a range of services from sophisticated cloud computing solutions to software development and engineering. It is also an industry that has expressed concern for local labour shortages. Skilled workers from overseas play an important part in helping Australian tech businesses compete internationally by contributing a depth of skills and experience that can be difficult to source locally.
Given the current labour shortages, globally recognised IT companies may have a need to migrate their employees from overseas to help establish their presence in Australia. Project requirements requiring specialised skill sets can also require businesses to engage temporary overseas workers. Once in Australia, skilled visa holders can be given the opportunity to share their valuable experience with the local employee base and play a key role in establishing and growing the business. IT professionals may have visa options to be sponsored by their employer or migrate independently. Fortunately, several occupations required by the IT sector have been recognised by the Government as critical to the supply of essential goods and services during the current pandemic – for example, some relevant occupations such as Software Engineers and Programmers* have been listed on the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL). It may therefore be possible to access priority Government visa and nomination processing so your business can more quickly access the skills it needs. Here’s what you should know about engaging skilled overseas migrants.
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IT Visas
Thankfully for many IT businesses, after almost two years of requiring workers to be granted Critical Work Travel Exemptions to enter the country, participating States and Territories in Australia re-opened their international borders to fully-vaccinated eligible skilled visa holders from December 2021. International testing and quarantine requirements may also apply depending on the State or Territory of arrival.
These relaxed restrictions mean employers are no longer limited to engaging overseas migrants that can meet a Critical Work Travel Exemption and they can once again more easily engage skilled migrants for their work needs. You may therefore be considering which visa and sponsorship options are available to the IT sector. While Australia does not currently have visas that cater only to the IT sector, there are a few options in the skilled migration program that are commonly used by the sector – such as:
- TSS 482 Visas – for a 2 or 4 year visa period, depending on eligibility;
- Regional 494 Visas – for a 5 year visa period with a provisional pathway to Permanent Residence;
- Global Talent Visas – a permanent residence option for highly skilled individuals. IT-related sectors have been recognised as eligible for particular areas of specialisation;
- Independent Skilled 189, 190 or 491 Visas – for non-employer sponsored Permanent Residence;
- Permanent Residence 186 and 187 Visas – to retain global talent for work in your business.
The applicant and business’ eligibility for these skilled visas depends on several factors, including the circumstances of work, genuine requirements to employ a skilled migrant, and Australian labour market conditions – among others.
*Page last updated: 4 January 2022 – you may wish to contact Interstaff’s Registered Migration Agents so that your circumstances can be assessed with the most up-to-date migration requirements.
How Interstaff’s migration experts can help with IT Visa Australia applications
Interstaff works with businesses in the IT industry to determine a migration strategy that will meet their labour needs. A carefully considered strategy is required whether a single candidate is needed or if the business needs to migrate numerous visa holders at a time. This is especially the case when projects have a dependency on securing key personnel within critical timeframes.
It is important to understand the variety of visa options available, which may include employer-sponsored visas, general skilled migration, and pathways to transition to Permanent Residence. There are also several factors to consider when ensuring the business and applicant remains compliant with Australia’s visa and sponsorship obligations, changing migration laws and regulations, and international travel restrictions/procedures. Our migration agents begin by reviewing your circumstances and advising on eligibility, suitable options and the visa requirements. Following a consultation, our migration agents can assist with all aspects of the application process and any queries you may have or complexities that may arise.
While the sponsorship, visa, and nomination application process can be complex and require ongoing liaisons with the Department of Home Affairs, State and Territory agencies, and regional certifying bodies, don’t let legal compliance and administrative burdens hinder your business’ growth and competitiveness in the industry. Our migration agents are well-equipped to manage your visa and migration requirements, having assisted businesses for over 30 years since 1988.
We are focused not only on managing your business migration requirements but also on providing a supportive employee experience to your candidates requiring visas. We coordinate the sponsorship, nomination and visa process on behalf of you and your visa applicants while providing professional advice at each step of the process. Having facilitated migration requirements for numerous businesses, we undertake a project-style approach to our work, providing you with status updates and visa tools to feed into your overall project plans.
Our experienced migration agents are sought for their expertise in business migration –– and regularly assist HR/Executive teams, project managers, business owners, and their overseas employees with managing their skilled migration needs.
To know more about your IT Visa Australia options and to discuss your business or individual migration needs, simply contact Interstaff’s Registered Migration Agents on 1800 449 858 (Free Call Within Australia) or +61 8 9221 3388 (International) for more information on Australia IT Visas.