TSS – Temporary Skills Shortage Visa

TSS-Visa-482

australia, australia jobs, civil engineering jobs, consultanz, Skilled Independent Visas, skills, TSS,

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What is a TSS Visa (Subclass 482)?

In March 2018 the Australian Government introduced a new work visa – the Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa which replaced the 457 visa.

TSS is a temporary visa which allows skilled workers to stay up to 2 years (Short-Term TSS) or 4 years (Medium-Term TSS) depending on the occupation. It is a sponsorship visa.

Occupations on the STSOL List (Short-Term Skilled Occupations ) will be eligible for visas of up to two years. Visas might be renewable once, for a further two years. Occupations on the MLTSSL (Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List) will be eligible for up to four years visa (with eligibility for permanent residency after three years).

Combined Current List of Eligible Skilled Occupations

How much does the TSS visa cost?

The visa costs will be AUD $1,150 for the 2-year visa and AUD $2,400 for the 4-year visa.

Which Employer can sponsor you?

A business which wants to sponsor workers must meet specific requirements:

  • Pay an Australian market salary rate (remuneration at or above $53,900 plus superannuation; and remuneration and other terms and conditions no less favourable than that offered to an equivalent Australian employee)
  • Labour market testing – explore local recruitment options in a non-discriminatory manner before sponsoring
  • Training – businesses with turnover less than AUD $10m will need to contribute AUD $1,200 to a national skills training fund and businesses with turnover of more than AUD $10m will contribute AUD $1,800

Visa Applicant Requirements for Short-Term TSS:

  • Occupation must be listed on a STSOL list
  • English language requirement – overall IELTS score of 5.0, with a minimum of 4.5 in each area. The other English tests such as PTE or TOEFL are also accepted by the department of immigration
  • A police check from Australia and the other countries of residence will be required
  • Case officer must be satisfied that the applicant is a ‘genuine temporary entrant’
  • A minimum of two years of relevant work experience will be required.

Check your eligibility here

Visa Applicant Requirements for Medium-Term TSS:

  • Occupation must be on the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List
  • Minimum of two years of relevant work experience is required
  • A police check from Australia and the other countries of residence will be required
  • English language requirements – overall IELTS score of 5.0 and a minimum of 5.0 in each test component (so-called vocational English)
  • A minimum of two years of relevant work experience will be required

Check your eligibility here

How do you apply for a TSS Visa?

Before you can apply for a TSS visa, your proposed employer will need to lodge a nomination application for you.

They will only be able to do this if they are an approved sponsor or have at least lodged an application to become a standard business sponsor.

This visa involves a three-step process:

Step 1: a sponsorship application by the employer

Step 2: a nomination application for a skilled position by the employer

Step 3: a visa application by the proposed employee

The three steps above must be completed in order. You do not, however, have to wait for each application to be approved to move onto the next step.

Are there any age restrictions?

There are no age restrictions for this type of visa.

English language requirements

Primary TSS visa applicants are required to demonstrate that they meet certain minimum standards of English language proficiency (as outlined below) unless exemptions apply.

Members of your family unit included in your visa application are not required to demonstrate English language proficiency.

English testing arrangements

The following tests are used to determine your level of English language proficiency:

  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
  • Occupational English Test (OET)
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT)
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic test
  • Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) test

The test must have been completed within three years from the date of lodging a valid visa application and the required test scores outlined below must have been met.

Required test scores

Short term stream

For the short term stream, the required results are as follows:

  • IELTS overall band score of at least 5.0 with a score of at least 4.5 in each of the test components.
  • OET score of at least ‘B’ in each of the four components
  • TOEFL iBT total score of at least 35 with a score of at least 3 for each of the test components of listening and reading, and a score of at least 12 for each of the test components of speaking and writing
  • PTE Academic overall test score of at least 36 with a score of at least 30 in each of the test components
  • CAE overall test score of at least 154 with a score of at least 147 in each of the test components.

Medium term stream

For the medium term stream, the required results are as follows:

  • IELTS overall band score of at least 5.0 with a score of at least 5 in each of the test components.
  • OET score of at least ‘B’ in each of the four components
  • TOEFL iBT total score of at least 35 with a score of at least 4 for each of the test components of listening and reading, and a score of at least 14 for each of the test components of speaking and writing
  • PTE Academic overall test score of at least 36 with a score of at least 36 in each of the test components
  • CAE overall test score of at least 154 with a score of at least 154 in each of the test components.

Labour agreement stream

You must demonstrate the level of English language proficiency specified in the Labour agreement.

Exemptions from English language proficiency

You do not need to demonstrate your English language proficiency if you fall into one of the following categories of exempted persons:

  • you are a passport holder from Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States of America
  • you have completed at least five years of full-time study in a secondary or higher education institution where instruction was conducted in English*. Note: a higher education institution includes Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses for the purposes of this visa subclass
  • you are nominated for an occupation which will be performed at a diplomatic or consular mission of another country or an Office of the Authorities of Taiwan located in Australia
  • the person is an employee of an overseas business who is coming to Australia to work for that company, or their associated entity, and the position has guaranteed annual earnings of at least AUD96,400
  • your occupation requires you to hold a licence, registration or membership and:
    • to be granted the licence, registration or membership you must demonstrate a level of English language proficiency that is equivalent to or better than the level described on the previous page (test/scores), and
    • you have been granted the licence, registration or membership.

English language requirement for existing visa holders

If you are an existing TSS or subclass 457 visa holder who is seeking to change employer, you may be asked by your prospective standard business sponsor to provide evidence of your English language proficiency.

This will allow them to lodge a complete nomination application which must be approved before you commence work for them.

Further information in relation to this requirement should be provided to you by the approved sponsor – where this is required.

Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs

This post was last updated on 25th February 2019.

Approved Sponsor

As one of the very few companies in Australia, ConsultANZ has received an On-hire labour Licence which allows us to directly sponsor overseas candidates into the Australian civil engineering and construction industry.

As an Approved Sponsor, under the temporary skill shortage visa subclass 482 (TSS visa), we may nominate a person with the required qualifications and experience if their occupation is on the list of eligible skilled occupations.

If you are a skilled Professional and are looking to work in Australia temporarily, you may be eligible for the TSS visa.

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While visa applicants do not have to use a migration agent to lodge a visa application with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, many individuals applying for an Australian visa may prefer to enlist the services of a trusted professional.

The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) keeps an up-to-date list of registered migration agents.

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