Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482)

The Temporary Skill Shortage visa, or 482 visa, is a temporary visa that permits the holder to live in Australia, while working full-time for the sponsoring employer, in a nominated occupation which is listed on the Short Skilled List or Medium Long Term Skilled List. This visa is valid for either one to four years, depending on your nominated occupation, the visa stream and your circumstances. If eligible, you can apply for a permanent residence visa.

About the Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482)

The Temporary Skill Shortage visa is for skilled workers who want to work in Australia temporarily. TSS 482 visa holders can work in Australia in their nominated occupation for their approved sponsor under one of three streams: The Short-Term stream, The Medium-Term stream, and The Labour Agreement stream.

Short-term stream

This stream is available if your employer wishes to sponsor you (as an overseas skilled worker) on a temporary basis only in occupations listed on the Short-term Skilled Occupation list (STSOL) for a TSS visa – see lists of eligible skilled occupations. It can be used to fill positions for a maximum of: two years or four years if an International Trade Obligation (ITO) applies.

Medium-term stream

This stream is available if your employer wishes to sponsor you (as an overseas skilled worker) for periods of up to four years in occupations listed on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or the Regional Occupation List (ROL) for a TSS visa – see lists of eligible  skilled occupations.

General Eligibility (All Streams)

You might be able to get this visa, as an overseas worker, if you:

• have been nominated for a position by an approved sponsor and that nomination has been approved - see Approved sponsor
• meet any required skills and qualifications requirements including completing any skills assessments required
• meet English language requirements
• if in Australia, hold a substantive visa, a subclass 010 (Bridging A) visa, a subclass 020 (Bridging B) visa or a Subclass 030 (Bridging C) visa
• have substantially complied with any conditions that apply or applied to your last visa
• meet health and character requirements
• meet the requirements of the stream in which you apply.

How do I get a Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482)?

Before you can apply for a TSS visa, your proposed employer will need to submit a nomination application for you. They will only be able to do this if they are an approved sponsor or have at least submitted an application to become a Standard business sponsor. You will need the Transaction Reference Number (TRN) for the nomination application that your employer has lodged on your behalf when you submit your TSS visa application online at step 3. You can request this information from your employer if you do not have this number.

One of the main questions I get is who can sponsor, who’s eligible to being sponsored. And my response is usually, most companies in Australia from large corporations to potentially small startups, maybe eligible to sponsor a nominated applicant. Part of the main requirements are that the company must be operating lawfully in Australia. So becoming a standard business sponsor, generally speaking, is the easy part. The much harder part and where these are always refused is in the nomination stage.

If you are the primary visa applicant, you must demonstrate that you have the skills and experience necessary to perform the nominated occupation. If it is not mandatory for you to undertake a skills assessment, you are still required to provide other evidence to demonstrate that you meet these requirement. Check if you need to get a skills assessment for your occupation.

You must have at least 2 years relevant work experience in the nominated occupation or a related field. Such work experience must be completed while working in the nominated occupation or performing tasks at the same skill level in a related field. Generally, you should have gained your experience on a full-time basis within the last 5 years. The period does not need to be continuous. They might consider equivalent part-time work and do not consider casual work.

When applying for the Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482), primary visa applicants are required to demonstrate that they meet certain minimum standards of English language proficiency by taking and achieving a specific result in an English language test, unless exemptions apply.

For the Short term stream, the English language tests you can take and the required results are as follows:

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Overall band score of at least 5.0 with a score of at least 4.5 in each of the test components.
• Occupational English Test (OET): Score of at least ‘B’ in each of the four components
• Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT): iBT total score of at least 35 with a score of at least 3 for each of the test components of listening and reading, and a score of at least 12 for each of the test components of speaking and writing
• Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic): Academic overall test score of at least 36 with a score of at least 30 in each of the test components
• Cambridge C1 Advanced test: Overall test score of at least 154 with a score of at least 147 in each of the test components

For the Medium term stream, the English language tests you can take and the required results are as follows:

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Overall band score of at least 5.0 with a score of at least 5 in each of the test components.
• Occupational English Test (OET): Score of at least ‘B’ in each of the four components
• Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT): iBT total score of at least 35 with a score of at least 4 for each of the test components of listening and reading, and a score of at least 14 for each of the test components of speaking and writing
• Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic): Academic overall test score of at least 36 with a score of at least 36 in each of the test components
• Cambridge C1 Advanced test: Overall test score of at least 154 with a score of at least 154 in each of the test components

Can a 482 visa lead to permanent residency?

If your job is on the medium to long-term list, the MLTSSL, yes, you potentially could get permanent residency in the future. If your job is only on the STSOL, the short-term list, it maybe very difficult to get it. Previously on the 457 visa, if you worked for two years in your occupation, you could then turn that into PR through the temporary resident transition stream, but that’s not the case anymore. Other option which may lead to PR is 494 visa. Alternatively you could consider doing the studying a course, which will skill you in an occupation, which is on the medium to long-term lists.