Australia 457 Visa Changes

4 min | News

In March 2018, the Australian government replaced the former subclass 457 visa with a new Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) 482 visa.

Migration Stamp in Passport

So what does this mean for you?

If Wavelength is recruiting for you, you can rest assured we’ll manage all the regulatory and migration paperwork quickly and efficiently.

Alternatively, if you have found the perfect candidate yourself, but you need help with migration or regulatory details, our team can help with that as well.

Key changes to the 457 visa are:

  • New skilled occupation lists have come into effect with the removal of 216 occupations and the addition of caveats to another 59. Currently doctors are on the new skilled occupations lists, enabling access to the temporary & permanent residency programs.
  • The English language and character requirements will be increased.
  • The Department of Immigration will commence the collection of Australian Tax Office’s records to monitor that employer sponsored visa holders are being paid their nominated salary.
  • The new TSS visa will replace the current 457 visa. All applicants must have at least two years’ prior work experience in the nominated occupation. The TSS visa will have two streams: Short-Term & Medium-Term.
  • TSS visa Short-Term stream - Visas will be granted for up to two years, with the capacity for one renewal. There will be an assessment of the "genuine temporary entrant" requirement.
  • TSS visa Medium-Term stream - Visas will be granted for up to four years, with no limit on renewal. A higher standard of English proficiency will be required. Pathway to permanent residency will be after 3 years of employment.

Permanent Residency/Citizenship changes:

There has been a change to the age requirement for employer-sponsored permanent residency applications, with the eligible age dropping from 50 to 45 years, commencing from 1st July 2017.

Citizenship requirements have also changed, requiring applicants to have lived in Australia for 4 years as a permanent resident, completing an English test, and evidencing that they have integrated into the Australian community. Whilst the new requirements are open to comment, the Minister for Immigration has advised that changes will be applied to all new applications.

 

Wavelength’s in-house Migration team is available to help doctors interested in Australian work visas, as well as employers looking to hire overseas doctors.

For personalised migration advice, contact us and our team will be happy to help.

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