Australian Work Visas

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@goumbik

If you want to work in Australia you need ensure you have the appropriate visa with suitable work rights for both you and your employer.

There are many different visas which can facilitate employment in Australia, each have different requirements to apply, visa conditions and provisions about whether you can renew the work visa or if you can transition to an Australian permanent residence visa.

Learn about the more popular work visas.

Temporary Skilled Shortage (TSS) 482 Visa

Skilled individuals with an occupation on the relevant list and who have a job offer with a business operating in Australia, or overseas and looking to establish themselves in Australia, may qualify for employer sponsorship via the TSS 482 visa.

This is a temporary visa with a validity of up to 4 years and may offer a pathway to Australian permanent residence. This will depend on whether the application should be lodged in the short-term or if it can be submitted under medium-term stream.

The TSS 482 visa replaced the 457 visa on 18 March 2018 which is no longer available for new applicants.

Temporary Work Activities

The temporary work activities 400, 407 and 408 visas are for people either undertaking highly specialised work, or working in Australia's interest, completing occupational training and professional development, or working in specific short-term activities from entertainment to Australian government endorsed events and sports events:

  • Short Stay Specialist 400 Visa

  • Training 407 Visa

  • Temporary Activity 408 Visa, including the ‘covid visa’

Graduate 485 Visa

International students may consider applying for the 485 visa after completing 2 years of study in an approved course and an approved educational institution in Australia.

The 485 visa will provide unlimited work rights and is a good way to help students remain in Australia, gaining relevant work experience in their field of study.

Applicants must apply for the 485 visa in one of the two following streams:

  • Graduate Work stream: This visa is valid for 18 months. Those who had, at anytime, lodged a primary or secondary student visa application prior to 5 November 2011 will be required to use this stream

  • Post Study Work stream: This visa is valid for up to 4 years depending on whether the student completed studies at the Bachelor, Masters or Doctorate level and is a suitable option for those who had submitted their first ever student visa application on or after 5 November 2011. Anyone who lodged a student visa prior to this date must apply in the Graduate Work stream.

From 16 November 2019, international students who completed those studies in a designated regional area may be eligible for for an additional visa validity period of 1 or 2 years. This will depend on whether applicants completed studies in regional cities and major regional centres, or regional centres and other regional areas.

Working Holiday 417 Visa

The 417 visa facilitates a cultural exchange program between Australia and a number of other countries, allowing eligible passport holders of those countries to visit Australia for up to 12 months.

417 visa holders will be able to travel around Australia and study, and/or work in any position, for any employer and without needing sponsorship. While the visa is valid, study or training cannot exceed 4 months and visa holders must not exceed 6 months working for any one employer (extensions to the work provision may be granted).

417 visas may be extended for further 12 months periods, up to 2 more times, providing the applicants have completed the minimum period of work in certain regional areas of Australia.

Work and Holiday 462

The 462 visa is almost identical to the 417 visa. For the 462 visa, there are different countries eligible for the 462 visa, quotas are applied to many of those countries and visa extensions are on the basis of having completed work in specific industries.

Regional Employer Sponsored (Provisional) 494 Visa

The 494 visa is a temporary (provisional) visa which requires the applicants to live and work for a business sponsor in a designated region of Australia.

The 494 visa can provide a pathway to Australian permanent residence providing applicants have lived and worked in the designated region for 3 years while holding the 494 visa.

The 494 visa came into effect on 16 November 2019 and while this is a temporary visa, it replaces the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) 187 visa which is no longer available to applicants in the Direct Entry stream.

General Skilled Migration (GSM)

The General Skilled Migration (GSM) program actively seeks professionals with skills in high demand, to live and work permanently in Australia. There are a number of GSM visas and applicants need to:

  • Nominate an occupation on the relevant skills list set by the Department of Home Affairs (if seeking the 190 visa, the occupation must also be on the nominated state or territory’s list),

  • Obtain a positive skills assessment in that occupation,

  • Meet the English language requirements, and

  • Score high enough in the points test to be considered by the Australian government for the relevant GSM

The visas within the GSM program include:

  • Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) 491 Visa: This is a temporary visa that is points-tested. It allows for applicants with suitable skills to work in a designated regional area of Australia and within an occupation on the relevant occupation list. Nomination is required by either an eligible family member living in a designated region, or by a state government for the chosen region.

  • Skilled Nomination 190 visa: This is a permanent residence visa. Applicants must have the support of their nominated state or territory government

  • Skilled Independent Subclass 189 Visa (points tested): This is a permanent residence visa. Suitable applicants are not required to be sponsored by a family member, employer, designated region nor state or territory and can apply simply on the basis of their skillset

  • Skilled Independent Subclass 189 Visa (NZ stream): This is a permanent residence visa and does not require a points test because it is specifically designed for New Zealand Special Category 444 visa holders who started living in Australia on or before 19 February 2016 and have been living here for at least 5 years, earning the taxable income requirements

  • Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) Subclass 191 Visa: This also does not require a points test because it is the pathway Australian permanent residence for eligible temporary Skilled Work Regional 491 visa and Regional Employer Sponsored 494 visa holders. Applicants will need to have been living and working in the designated regional area for at least 3 years and earning at least $53900 in each of those years, before they can qualify.

  • Skilled Regional Subclass 887: This is the permanent residence pathway for those holding the subclass 489 visa

Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) 186 Visa

The Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) 186 visa program provides Australian business with the opportunity to hire overseas skilled workers to permanently live and work in Australia. This gives employers a chance to fill their skill shortage with relevantly qualified and experienced employees that can’t be found locally, while the visa applicant will find that securing Australian permanent residence (PR) gives them added comfort and a sense of belonging.

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) 187 Visa

Similar to the ENS program, the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) 187 visa allows businesses operating in regional Australia to obtain highly skilled individuals where they have struggled to hire locally. If successful, the 187 visa also provides the employee and visa applicant with Australian permanent residence.