482 Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa

The TSS visa, or 482 visa, is a temporary visa that permits the holder to live in Australia, while working full-time for the sponsoring employer, in a nominated occupation which is listed on the Short Skilled List or Medium Long Term Skilled List.

TSS visa requirements

You are required to:

1. have a job offer
2. two years of relevant work experience in the past five years
3. be nominated for a skilled position by an approved sponsor
4. meet the relevant qualification and English language requirements
5. meet health and character requirements

Age restriction for a TSS 482 visa

There is no age limit for a TSS visa however, there is for Permanent Residency. If you are granted a visa in an MLTSSL occupation and intend to apply for permanent residency after three years of working for the same sponsor, you will need to be under 45 at the time of lodging your permanent residency application; unless you meet the exemptions.

482 visa streams

There are three streams applicable to the TSS 482:

1. The Short-Term Stream
   Applicants with occupations on the Short-Term Skilled Occupations List (STSOL) may be eligible for visas of up to two years, renewable onshore once, for a further two years, and potentially renewable for an additional two-year period if applying from offshore. You must continue to meet the Genuine Temporary Entrant requirements;
2. The Medium & Long-Term Stream and Regional Stream
   Applicants on the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or the Regional Occupation List (ROL) can apply for up to four years (with eligibility for permanent residency after three years, depending on meeting age, English, Health and Character requirements);
3. The Labour Agreement Stream

The TSS 482 visa subclass involves a three-step process:

1. a sponsorship application by the employer
2. a nomination application for a skilled position by the employer
3. a visa application by the proposed employee

What you and your family can do whilst on a 482 Visa?

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.

Whilst holding this visa, your family members – included in your application –  can travel to and from Australia for the duration of the visa and can work or study in Australia without restriction.

Processing standards for TSS visa 

Processing standards fluctuate in accordance with the departmental workload and are updated monthly. You can check the current processing time on https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/global-visa-citizenship-processing-times

Who pays for the costs?

All costs relating to the business sponsorship and business nomination is legally required to be paid by the employer including any consultancy fees for migration agents; it is against the law to pass these costs onto the applicant.

Fees for the visa application itself can be paid by either employer or visa applicant; it’s up to what is negotiated between the employer and applicant.

Obligations of 482 visa subclass holders

You must maintain health insurance at an appropriate level while you are in Australia. Reciprocal health arrangements may not always be adequate.
The primary visa holder must also engage in approved work. This generally means:

• only work in the occupation for which your visa was approved. To work in a different occupation you must apply for and be granted a new TSS visa
• only work for the employer who nominated the position you are working in (limited exceptions apply)
• not cease employment for a period that exceeds 60 consecutive days
• hold any licence, registration or membership that is mandatory to perform the occupation nominated in relation to you
• comply with each condition or requirement to which the licence, registration or membership is subject

Employment Terminated

You must notify the Department of Home Affairs of any change in your circumstances. If the 482 sponsor terminates your employment, you must do one of the following:

• Find another employer who is willing to sponsor you and have the approval in place before starting work with the new sponsoring employer; or
• Apply for another type of visa, however, there could be complications due to the 60 days’ time limit; or
• Leave Australia within 60 days depending on your visa grant date

Please be aware that you must have a new 482 nomination lodged and approved before you start working with a new company.

Can a 482 visa lead to permanent residency?

In some circumstances, if you are nominated in an MLTSSL occupation, you may have a pathway to Permanent Residency through the 186 Visa subclass. There is no obligation for an employer to sponsor you for permanent residency. It’s dependent on the business needs and whether or not there is an ongoing need for the full-time position.