Employer Sponsored Migration
Australian employers make look to employ skilled people from overseas where they are not able to fill the vacancies from within the Australian labour market. Employers are required to sponsor such applicants and give undertakings to the Commonwealth of Australia regarding how they will support such overseas workers. Some employer sponsored visa are temporary in nature and do not provide or lead to Australian permanent residence. The most common type of visa is known as a subclass 457 Business (long stay) visa. This visa will allow the holder to live and work in Australia for a maximum period of 4 years. The applicant may be granted subsequent visas providing the Australian Immigration Department is satisfied that the employer is unable to find the same skills from within the Australian labour market.
There are also employer sponsored visas that will provide permanent residence at visa grant, subject to the employer and the employee meeting specified criteria applicable to the subclass of visa requested. The main difference between gaining a temporary and permanent visa will be based around the existing and ongoing status of the holder. Holders of a temporary visa will not be eligible to:
- Access the Australian Medicare health care scheme for themselves and/or their families.
- State education costs. (Costs incurred will be at the overseas student rate).
- Normal community/welfare benefits.
All holders of temporary employment visas will be required to hold and maintain an adequate level of private health insurance for the duration of their stay in Australia. In the event that the main visa holder ceases to be employed by the sponsor, they will be required to gain a further sponsorship from another suitable employer or leave Australia, normally within 28 days. Visas available under the employer sponsored program are:
Find out more about these employer sponsored visas by clicking on the appropriate visa subclass above. For more information relating to these visa subclasses call 0845 644 5607
