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About 482 Visas

The 482 visa, also referred to as the TSS visa, is for skilled workers from outside Australia who have been sponsored and nominated by a business to work in Australia on a temporary work basis. TSS visa holders can work in Australia for their approved sponsor in their chosen occupation under one of the three streams. Visas are granted for 1 to 4 years depending on your nominated occupation, circumstances and visa stream.

The streams of the 482 Visa

The 482 visa (TSS visa) is split into three streams. The three streams are:

  • The Short-term stream
  • The Medium-term stream
  • The Labour Agreement stream

The Short-term stream is available to you if your employer chooses to sponsor you as an overseas worker on a temporary basis. Occupations for the TSS visa are listed on the Short-term occupation list (STSOL). You must be able to successfully demonstrate that your previous work experience or qualification matches this list. See the lists of eligible skilled occupations for the current list of occupations. The short-term stream can be used for a duration of 2 years. It can be used for 4 years if an International Trade Obligation (ITO) applies to you.

The Medium-term stream visa is available to you if your employer chooses to sponsor you as an overseas skilled worker for up to 4 years. Occupations are listed on the Medium and Long-term Strategic skills list (MLTSSL) or the Regional Occupation List (ROL). See the lists of eligible skilled occupations for the current list of occupations.

The Labour agreement stream is available to you if your employer chooses to sponsor you as an overseas worker. You must have entered into a labour agreement with the Department for this to apply to you. See more information on labour agreements.

Approved sponsor

Before you can apply for a TSS visa, your future employer will need to firstly lodge a nomination application for you. They will only be able to do this if they are an approved sponsor or if they have lodged an application to become a standard business sponsor.

See more information on sponsorship on the Government website.

Applying for your visa

You can apply for a 482 visa (TSS visa) if you:

  • are sponsored by an employer to fill a nominated skilled position
  • have the desired skills and qualifications requirements including completing any skills assessments that are required
  • have demonstrated English language requirements
  • are currently in Australia and carry a substantive visa, a subclass 010 (Bridging A) visa, a subclass 020 (Bridging B) visa or a subclass 030 (Bridging C) visa
  • have fulfilled any conditions that may apply or have applied to your last visa
  • meet health and character requirements
  • meet requirements of the stream in which you apply for

Additional Eligibility

Short-term stream

You may be able to be granted a visa under this stream if the following requirements below apply to you:

  • have worked in your nominated occupation or in a related filed for a minimum of two years
  • are a genuine application for entry and stay as a short-term visa holder (known as a ‘Genuine Temporary Entrant’ (GTE))
  • will be working directly for your sponsor unless the nominated occupation is excused from this requirement - see TSS legislative instruments for more information

Medium-term stream

You may be able to be granted a visa under this stream if the following requirements below apply to you:

  • have worked in your nominated occupation, or a related occupation for a minimum of two years (unless not required under the labour agreement)
  • will be working directly for your sponsor

Labour agreement stream

You may be able to be granted a visa under this stream if the following requirements below apply to you:

  • are nominated in an occupation included in a labour agreement which your employer has entered into with the Department
  • have worked in your nominated occupation, or a related field for a minimum of two years (unless not required under the labour agreement)

Stages of a 482 Visa Application

There are three stages to employing a skilled worker under the subclass 482 visa program:

  • 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 stages above must be completed in order. Applications for each of the three stages can be submitted at the same time.

What you can do

This visa allows you to travel to and from Australia for the duration of your visa and:

  • if you are the primary visa holder, to work in Australia for an approved sponsor in your nominated occupation
  • if you are a family member, to work and study in Australia.

Location

You can generally be in or outside Australia when you apply. However, you cannot apply for another Short-term stream in Australia as the primary visa applicant if all of the below apply:

  • you have held more than one Short-term stream TSS visa
  • you were in Australia when the application for your most recent TSS visa was made
  • this requirement would not be inconsistent with an ITO.

Application by Family Members

If you are wanting to bring your family with you, you should try to make a combined application. This way you will only pay one visa application charge. If you need to make a new 482 visa application, you will be required to make a separate visa application and pay the visa application charge again. You and your family must comply with all visa conditions and Australian laws - see Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa - Conditions.

Health Insurance

All 482 visa holders are subject to visa condition 8501. This condition requires you, including your accompanying family members, to maintain adequate arrangements for health insurance for the duration of your stay in Australia. See the Government website for more information.

Changing Employer or Occupation in Australia

All 482 visa holders are subject to visa condition 8607. This condition means that you cannot stop working for your approved sponsor and can only work in your nominated skilled occupation.

If you want to change your employer, you are not required to apply for a new visa. However, before you begin working for your new employer you must firstly be nominated and approved by your proposed new employer (who must also be an approved business sponsor).

If you start working for your proposed new employer before the nomination is approved, you will be in breach of visa condition 8607 and your 482 visa may be cancelled.

Processing Times

Processing times for 482 visas can often vary. For the Short-term TSS visa, it can take up to 11-18 days to process the application. For the Medium-term TSS visa, it can take up to 11-17 days to process the application. For the Labour agreement TSS visa, the processing time is not always known due to a lower volume of applications. See the Government website for more information.

Important: You should organise your health examinations upfront before lodging a visa application to reduce processing times.

Fees

See the Government website for information on current 482 visa fees. The particular fee you are interested in is listed under the “work” section under "Temporary Skill Shortage – Short Term Stream, Medium-Term Stream and Labour Agreement (Subclass 482)”.

Other Costs

You may have to pay other costs, such as the costs of health assessments, English language tests, skill assessments and police certificates, if required.