About Subclass 494
Last Updated on April 10, 2023 by Ozlinks Education
The Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) Subclass 482 visa programme is designed to give employers the ability to overcome labour shortages by sponsoring skilled foreign workers to fill positions where they are unable to find an Australian worker with the necessary skills, while also ensuring that Australian workers are given priority.
Depending on the occupation and stream for which you applied, this visa allows you and any family members who have been granted this visa to stay in Australia for up to four years with a pathway to permanent residency.
The Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) Subclass 482 is comprised of three distinct streams: the Short-Term Stream, the Medium-Term Stream, and the Labour Agreement Stream.
Short-Term Stream
Applicants with ANZSCO occupation on the Short-Term Skilled Occupations List (STSOL), are classified as Short-Term Stream. If you are granted this visa, you will be able to work for that Australia sponsor for a period of two years (or up to four years in the case of an international trade obligation (ITO), with the option to extend your stay for a further two years if your employer sponsors continue to nominate you. However, there is no path to permanent residency.
Medium-Term Stream
Applicants with ANZSCO occupations on the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) are classified as Medium-Term Stream. If you are granted this visa, you will be able to stay and work in Australia for up to four years; after three of the four years, you will be able to apply for permanent residence if you meet the eligibility criteria of the subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) Visa
Labour Agreement Stream
This visa is for skilled workers who have been nominated by their employers and have a labour agreement. The labour agreements are an agreement between Australian employers and the Australian government that allows businesses to sponsor workers to come to Australia under the terms of the labour agreements.
TSS Subclass 482 Visa Application Process
The TSS visa subclass 482 application process consists of three steps: Sponsorship, Nomination, Visa Application.
1-Sponsorship
The company must first obtain sponsorship approval in order to sponsor overseas workers. To meet the sponsorship requirements, the company must be legally and actively operating in Australia under its legal name. To demonstrate that your business operation meets the requirements, you must provide supporting documents such as the most recent company tax returns, financial statements, business activity statements (BAS), lease agreement, detailed business plan, and so on. The type of evidence required would vary depending on the applicant’s specific circumstances.
Standard Business Sponsor (SBS): This is the most common option for Australian employers based in Australia.
Overseas Business Sponsor (OBS): Suitable for employers based in another country who wish to sponsor an overseas employee to work at their Australian branch.
Accredited Business Sponsored (ABS): Suitable for an Australian employer who holds the SBS sponsorship and wishes to become an accredited business sponsor (ABS) in order to receive additional benefits such as faster processing times and a discount on labour market testing requirements.
If your application for sponsorship is approved, your sponsorship will be valid for five years, and you will be able to sponsor oversea workers through the TSS visa program. You must fulfil certain responsibilities to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and the sponsored workforce once you become a Standard Business Sponsor (SBS) or Accredited Sponsor (AB).
2-Nomination
Occupation and Labour Market Testing (LMT)
To nominate an overseas worker, the company must first determine which ANZSCO occupation the worker should be nominated for, and the nominated occupation must be on the MLTSSL or STSOL list. Furthermore, the company must demonstrate that no suitable Australian citizen or permanent resident worker can be found for that position. To provide this evidence, the company must conduct labour market testing (LMT). The MLT requires the company to post at least 3 job advertisements for the nominated occupation on the major job listing sites and the government’s workforce websites in Australia for at least 28 days prior to the nomination application.
Labour Market Testing Alternative Requirements
Labour market testing (LMT) does not apply when an employer sponsors an overseas worker for a nomination position with an annual salary of $250,000 AUD or more, excluding superannuation. The MLT also does not apply to the occupations listed below, as well as occupations in relevant professional fields such as SPORT, ACADEMIC RESEARCH, and TOP-TALENT CHEF, where the position is in the international outstanding category. To see the occupations list, click here.
Who can be exempt from labour market testing?
LMT is exempt where an International Trade Obligation (ITO) applies. Click here for the full details of the LMT exemption.
3-Visa Application
The visa application is the third step in the procedure. To apply for a subclass 482 visa, the applicant must have a valid nomination approval for the relevant occupation, which was nominated by the sponsor. The applicant must have the following:
- Have at least two years of relevant work experience in the nominated occupation.
- Have a positive skill assessment for the nominated occupation.
- Have a relevant English language requirement.
Is a skills assessment required for the 482 visas?
As a visa applicant, you must have the necessary skills to perform the job. To meet this criterion, you must have your skills assessed by an authorised assessing authority. The skill assessment requirement varies depending on the occupation, for instance, if your occupation is listed under the legislation IMMI 18/039 and you have one of the passports specified under that list, you are required to have the relevant skills assessment. Click here to learn more about TSS skill Assessment.
Is an English test required for visa 482?
English language requirements for subclass 482 visa applications are mandatory and must be met at the time of application. The English test is waived for applicants with passports from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, or Ireland. For more information on the English language requirement, please visit this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
If both your passport country and your occupation are listed in this table, you must have a skill assessment before applying for a TSS Visa Subclass 482. Unless you are exempt for skill assessment. Visit for full details of skill assessment requirement for subclass visa 482.
Yes. The RPL evaluation process is just as thorough as any other evaluation. But the evidence you need to show may be different from what is usually asked in a class assessment.
Disclaimer:
Information under ANZSCO Occupations (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) section is published in accordance with a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia licence guideline. ANZSCO Version 1.3 updated on 25 March 2021 and original source can be accessed on Australian Bureau of Statistics website.
This section does not intend to provide immigration assistance pursuant to section 276 of Migration Act (Cth) 1994 as described in the Migration laws. It is based on public guidelines available at Department of Home Affairs’ Website. It is your responsibility to verify accuracy and status of provided information with your Registered Migration Agent (RMA) who is bound by the MARA code of conduct before submitting any visa applications.