Significant changes to the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Subclass 482 visa in Australia are exptectd, aimed at increasing access for skilled workers and addressing labor shortages. Key updates include:
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- Reduced Work Experience Requirement: Applicants would need only one year of relevant post-qualification work experience, down from two years. This benefits recent graduates and early-career professionals.
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- No Time Restriction on Experience: Work experience would no longer need to have been gained within the last five years, allowing applicants to count older experience.
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- Inclusion of Part-Time and Casual Work: Non-full-time work would count towards the work experience criteria, increasing flexibility for visa applicants and recruiting employers.
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- Non-Continuous Experience: Work experience would not need to be continuous, enabling applicants to include periods from various roles or career breaks.
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- Faster Pathway to Permanent Residency: Eligible 482 visa holders can transition to permanent residency through the Subclass 186 visa after two years of work with the sponsoring employer, creating a potentially faster overall path to PR.
These changes aim to simplify access to the visa while broadening the pool of eligible skilled workers. The English language requirements and other sponsorship and visa criteria such as Labour Market Testing (LMT) , Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR) and genuine positions would remain unchanged.
The changes were exptected to start in late in November 2024 but has not yet been implemented. This may be due to the introduction of the Skills in Demand (SID) visa in the very near future, which will replace the TSS visa and is expected to have all those changes incorprated as well.
If you would like further information on the changes to TSS or the new SID visa please contact us and one of our experts will get in touch with you promptly. For non immigration legal advice please visit our associates at CK Lawyers.
