Australian Employer Sponsored Visas 2023

For most people, the most challenging part of emigrating to Australia is finding an Australian employer willing to sponsor them. This process is made even more difficult, as many sponsored jobs are not even posted on job search websites, newspaper advertisements.

How many visa options for Skilled Sponsored Workers?

Are you a skilled worker looking for an employer sponsorship visa? There are a number of temporary and permanent options that allow you to be employed by Australian businesses. You can be sponsored by an employer to work permanently in Australia under the Employer Nomination Scheme or the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme. The Temporary Skill Shortage or the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional allows employers to sponsor you to work in Australia for up to four years. Here are full list of temporary and permanent employer sponsorship visas.

Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (subclass 482)

The Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) is a temporary visa which permits the holder to live in Australia, while working full-time for the sponsoring employer, in the nominated position. This visa has 4 seperate streams: The Short-term Stream, Medium-term stream, Labour Agreement Stream and Subsequent Entrant Stream. To become eligible for this visa, you must be sponsored by an approved business and the nomination must be under an approved occupation. If you are granted this visa as a primary applicant, you can travel to and from Australia for the duration of the visa and will be entitled to work only for the approved sponsor who has nominated you in your chosen occupation.

The 482 visa offers an easier pathway to permanent residency through the subclass 186 or subclass 187 visa. However, depending on your personal circumstances, the 494 might be the more appropriate choice.

Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494)

The subclass 494 visa lets skilled workers, who are nominated by their employer, live and work in designated regional areas of Australia for up to 5 years. The 494 enables the regional employers to identify skilled labors and sponsor them to Australia in the areas where they can’t get appropriate human resource in Australia. To be able to apply for a visa subclass 494 you will have to satisfy the skills assessment test as per the Australian norms. The skills for which you have been nominated for or you are applying for must be listed in the Skills Occupation list attached to the subclass 494. Visa holders can apply for permanent residence via subclass 191 pathway after 3 years from the time visa is granted if the requirements are met.

Both the TSS 482 visa and the 494 visa have a path to permanent residency through the 186 visa and 191 visa respectively. However, with the 494 visas, you don’t need an employer to nominate you for PR (through the Subclass 191 Visa), as long as they meet two conditions. These conditions are that they live and work in a regional area for 3 years.

Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa

The Employer Nominated Scheme (ENS) 186 Visa is a permanent residency visa for skilled workers that requires the sponsorship of a nominating employer. This visa requires the applicant to complete a skills test and be nominated by an approved Australian employer. Before you can submit an application for the Subclass 186 visa your employer must lodge a nomination for you with the Australian Department of Home Affairs (DHA). At the time of application you must have been employed for at least 3 years in the occupation for which they have been nominated. After five years, if you have been living in Australia for a minimum of two years, you can obtain another five-year multiple re-entry visa online otherwise you will have the option for Australian citizenship.

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa

The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa allows the local employers to fill the skill shortage in their businesses by sponsoring overseas skilled migrants for permanent residency. The visa assists regional employers that have not been able to fill their positions vacant with Australian Citizens or permanent residents to sponsor skilled people from overseas to fill their vacancies and to work and live in a regional are. The scheme is only applicable to employers in designated regional areas of Australia and does not include the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong or Melbourne.

The subclass 187 visa is a permanent visa, and provides a potential pathway to Australian citizenship. This visa allows you and your family to live in Australia and work permanently in regional Australia.

Training visa (subclass 407)

The Training visa (subclass 407) is a temporary visa that enables you to visit Australia for up to two years to complete workplace-based training. This visa allows you to work for your sponsor in your occupation, whilst partaking in a structured training program provided by your employer. It is important to know that you must have employer sponsorship, a valid temporary visa and hold recent and relevant employment experience or study experience.

The purpose of Training visa 407 is not to fill labor shortages in Australia. 407 visa is not for people who want to work in Australia. It’s for people who want professional training for their nominated occupation. A lot of people apply for training visas for on-the-job training, personal/occupational development or registration/licensing. That is a most common stream for applicants to develop their skills as long as your occupation is on the Skilled occupation list.

You can’t get permanent residency in Australia with a visa 407. However, it is very probable that work experience obtained on a 407 Training Visa will be considered eligible for skilled or employer sponsored visas. It can help you gain more experience to give them a more competitive edge when it comes to applying for Subclass 482, 494, or 491 visas.

How can I get sponsored for Australian visa?

You can work for an employer in Australia while on a Working Holiday Maker (WHM) or on a Student visa. If you are are from nine Pacific islands and Timor-Leste, you can work under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme. However, I know that a lot of people are not eligible for these visas. So, if you wish to come to Australia to work temporarily, then you should consider a temporary employer-sponsored work visa.

How do I find an employer to sponsor me in Australia?

To obtain an employer sponsored visa, you will firstly need to find an Australian employer who is willing to sponsor you. We recommend you speak to the manager of the department you would like to work in, or alternatively the Human Resources department. Enquire about their ability to sponsor someone from another country with the right skill-set. After you spend some time speaking with companies and applying for different positions, it would be a good idea to plan a trip to Australia so you can meet with each of the employers on your list. Most firms want a face-to-face meeting with you before agreeing to sponsor your visa. When they meet you in person, you have a higher chance of convincing them to sponsor you.

If you are able to, we recommend that once in Australia, try to set up some volunteering work with Australian organisations. Joining Australia groups on social media such as Facebook and Twitter will also be useful in building your own network. Making these connections while you are in Australia will be vital for your sponsorship opportunity. By engaging with people on a personal level, they will be more likely to consider you for sponsorship than if they had never met you at all.

Once you have found an employer, they should lodge a sponsorship and nomination for the position they want you to fill. You can then apply for a temporary work visa online through the Australian Department of Home Affairs website.