Subclass 482 Sponsorship | Application

Subclass 482 Sponsorship application to sponsor overseas worker for Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Class GK Subclass 482 visa

Before you can sponsor overseas workers to work for you, you must first apply for Subclass 482 Sponsorship. The Temporary Skill Shortage or TSS program allows you to employ suitably qualified overseas workers to work for you if you are unable to find similarly skilled Australian workers.

The process for employing overseas workers under the Subclass 482 program include:

1. apply to be an approved standard business sponsor or SBS (application fee is $420);
2. apply to nominate the skilled occupation and the person who will be working in that occupation (click here to learn more); and
3. overseas worker applies for TSS Subclass 482 visa (click here to learn more) however, (1) and (2) is approved for the visa to be granted.

If you are not already a Standard Business Sponsor, you must apply to become one before you can sponsor overseas workers to work for you. There are 2 types of SBS, that is, (i) Australian Business Sponsor (ABS) for a sponsor who is in Australia, or Overseas Business Sponsor (OBS) for those whose main business is outside of Australia.

You can apply for Subclass 482 Sponsorship under SBS if you are:

1. an individual;
2. a body politic;
3. a body corporate;
4. a partnership; or
5. an unincorporated association.

You can apply for Subclass 482 Sponsorship as the following entity:

1. sole trader;
2. partnership;
3. proprietary company;
4. public company;
5. government department;
6. statutory authority;
7. trust (approval will be under trustee’s name and not the trust)
8. not-for-profit organisation; and
9. educational institutions.

When applying for Subclass 482 Sponsorship, you must provide your entity’s identity, for example, ABN or ACN. You cannot use a business name to apply to be a SBS, it must be in the name of the entity that owns the business name.

If you are already an SBS, you must renew your Subclass 482 Sponsorship before it expired, or you will have to make a full application again. If you applied to renew your Subclass 482 Sponsorship, any unfinalised nomination application will be put on hold until the application is determined. If your application is refused, your unfinalised nomination or visa application will be refused.

Subclass 482 Sponsorship is valid for 5 years from the day the approval was granted. If you are an OBS, your sponsorship starts on the day of approval and ends 5 years later, or immediately after a new approval is granted.

You can apply to be an accredited sponsor if you continuous require sponsoring overseas workers. However, you cannot be a sole trader or in a partnership and at least 75% of your employees must be Australian. Your business turnover must be at least $4m for the last 2 years and being a SBS for at least 2 years. If the Department of Immigration (Department of Home Affairs) approved your application to become an accredited SBS, you will receive priority processing for all nomination and visa applications.

If you are an established business or a startup company engaged in the STEM or certain industry, you may also be able to become a sponsor under the Global Talent Employer Sponsored or the GTES program (click here to learn more).

If your sponsorship is approved, you must comply with numerous sponsorship obligations (click here to learn more).

Australian migration law is complex and difficult to understand, contact our immigration lawyer for a consultation (fee applies) to help you decide if you can apply for Subclass 482 Sponsorship (click here to find out how an immigration lawyer or registered migration agent can help you) or click here to learn more. You may also refer to our FAQs for answers regarding visa application or visa cancellation by clicking here.

This article is not intended to be or taken as migration legal advice. The author of this article disclaims any liability for any action or omission on the information provided or not provided in this article. You should always consult an immigration lawyer or a registered migration agent to form an informed opinion on your immigration matter.