Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa
There are various types of visas that a person can apply for in Australia. However, it is important to learn which visa suits you best, and this article will help you to understand the TSS Visa application process.
You can apply for a Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa if you are an experienced professional and are sponsored by an eligible Australian business.
To be eligible for a TSS visa application, you must:
- Be aged 18 years or over;
- Have the relevant skills, qualifications and experience to perform work of a skilled nature in Australia;
- Have been assessed as having these skills by the relevant assessing authority in your home country; and
- Be nominated for a position with an eligible employer who has been approved to sponsor overseas workers.
What are the special laws on a TSS or ENS visa?
Hiring an employee on a TSS or ENS visa is no different from a non-visa employee. You must pay them at or above the market rate and offer them the same benefits as other employees (such as superannuation).
In addition to these requirements, employers are required to provide health checks for all employees at least once every 12 months. If you employ someone on a TSS visa for more than six months, you must also provide training in occupational health and safety issues related to the work they do under their contract of employment.
Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) Levy
The Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) Levy is a tax for businesses that are sponsoring a temporary foreign worker under the TSS visa. The levy amounts to $3,000 per sponsored person, and it applies to different occupations within the Tourism and Hospitality industry, Mining industry and Construction industry.
The amount of SAF levy to be paid depends on how long the sponsorship lasts:
- If your sponsorship lasts less than three years, you’ll pay $1,800 (the minimum amount).
- If your sponsorship lasts between three and four years, you’ll pay $2,650 (the maximum amount).
The SAF levy applies only when an employer sponsors someone under the TSS visa; if an employee sponsors themselves or another worker with their own money, then they won’t have to pay this fee because it’s not linked with their employer’s business activities.
Visa Subclass 482 (Sponsored visas)
You can apply for the subclass 482 visa if you are sponsored by an employer in Australia who is registered with the Department of Home Affairs. You must have a skilled occupation, and you must be under 45 years of age. You must also be able to speak English at the required level or have undertaken tests that show that your ability to communicate in English is equivalent to someone with a score of 6 in each of the four different categories (reading, writing, listening and speaking).
You need to satisfy other requirements as well:
To apply for this visa, you need to lodge an Expression of Interest and then be invited by SkillSelect to apply.
To be invited, you will have to have an employer sponsor you and have a valid offer of employment that meets certain criteria. You also need to have the skills, qualifications and experience that are required for the job. If this is not the case, it’s unlikely that your application will be successful.
You’ll also need to prove that you can speak English at a level that is acceptable for the job – so if English isn’t your first language or if your accent makes it difficult for people to understand what you’re saying in an interview situation (or workplace), then we recommend doing some extra work on improving your communication skills before applying.
