Employer Sponsored Visas Comparison for Registered Nurses

This information is intended to assist Registered Nurses in the decision as to what visa to apply for and provide an overview of the various criteria of each employer sponsored visa type. Registered Nurses are defined by the ANZSCO Group 2544 as those that provide nursing care to patients in hospitals, aged care, and other health care facilities, in the community. Registered Nurses are currently on the Medium Term List for the TSS Visa.

Subclass 482 TSS Visa

Subclass 482 Visa is a temporary skill shortage visa that enables employers to fulfil labour market shortages with skilled migrant workers where they are unable to find an appropriately skilled Australian worker.

Snapshot of Subclass 482 TSS Visa
Fees and Costs

There are various costs and fees associated with the visa application. These costs are different for the Employer Sponsor and the Visa Applicant.

Employer Sponsor Fees

The cost to a Sponsor Employer to nominate a visa applicant for the TSS 482 Visa is $330.00.

It should be noted that it is prohibited for a visa applicant to pay the Employer Sponsor to sponsor them for their visa. This includes the following situations:

  • Person pays the employer
  • Deduction is made from salary
  • Person provides any other benefit to employer

Visa Applicant Fees

The cost to the Visa Applicant to apply for a TSS 482 Visa consists of the following:

  • $2,690.00 for the Main Applicant
  • $2,690.00 for each dependent over 18 years old
  • $675.00 for each dependent under 18 years old

There may be other costs associated with the visa application including English Language Tests, health checks, police certificates and biometrics. This will depend on the requirements of the visa application.

Labour Market Testing

Labour Marketing Testing is a requirement for Employer Sponsors for some visa types. It requires employers to demonstrate to the Department of Home Affairs that they have attempted to find a suitable Australian worker prior to nominating an overseas worker. This involves advertising the position in Australia first. There are specific requirements relating to the type of advertisement and time frame dependent on the visa type.

Labour market testing is mandatory for TSS 482 Visa unless international trade obligations apply.

Subclass 494 Visa

Subclass 494 Visa is a regional employer sponsored visa that works to address labour shortages within a specific regional area. This visa type has 10,000 places allocated per year. Subclass 494 visa requires sponsorship from a regional employer and the position must be likely to exist for 5 years. There are age requirements and English language requirements that the visa applicant must meet.

 Snapshot of Subclass 494 Visa
Fees and Costs

There are various costs and fees associated with the visa application. These costs are different for the Employer Sponsor and the Visa Applicant.

Employer Sponsor Fees

There is no cost to a Sponsor Employer to nominate a visa applicant for the 494 Visa. However, the Skilling Australians Fund levy applies to this visa type and is dependent on the size of the business.

  • Small Business Size (Annual Turnover of less than $10m) = $3,000.00
  • Other Business Size (Annual Turnover of more than $10m) = $5,000.00

It should be noted that it is prohibited for a visa applicant to pay the Employer Sponsor to sponsor them for their visa. This includes the following situations:

  • Person pays the employer
  • Deduction is made from salary
  • Person provides any other benefit to employer

Visa Applicant Fees

The cost to the Visa Applicant to apply for a 494 Visa consists of the following:

  • $4,115.00 for the Main Applicant
  • $2,060.00 for each dependent over 18 years old
  • $1,030.00 for each dependent under 18 years old

There may be other costs associated with the visa application including English Language Tests, health checks, police certificates and biometrics. This will depend on the requirements of the visa application.

Labour Market Testing

Labour Marketing Testing is a requirement for Employer Sponsors for some visa types. It requires employers to demonstrate to the Department of Home Affairs that they have attempted to find a suitable Australian worker prior to nominating an overseas worker. This involves advertising the position in Australia first. There are specific requirements relating to the type of advertisement and time frame dependent on the visa type.

Labour market testing is mandatory for the 494 Visa.

Subclass 186 Visa

Subclass 186 Visa is an employer nomination visa that provides applicants who are sponsored by a nominated employer with a permanent residency visa. The Subclass 186 Visa is available to Registered Nurses if they meet the English language requirements, age requirements and other criteria dependent on the stream of Subclass 186 Visa.

Snapshot of Subclass 186 Visa
Fees and Costs

There are various costs and fees associated with the visa application. These costs are different for the Employer Sponsor and the Visa Applicant.

Employer Sponsor Fees

The cost to a Sponsor Employer to nominate a visa applicant for the 186 Visa is $540.00.

It should be noted that it is prohibited for a visa applicant to pay the Employer Sponsor to sponsor them for their visa. This includes the following situations:

  • Person pays the employer
  • Deduction is made from salary
  • Person provides any other benefit to employer

Visa Applicant Fees

The cost to the Visa Applicant to apply for a 186 Visa consists of the following:

  • $4,115.00 for the Main Applicant
  • $2,060.00 for each dependent over 18 years old
  • $1,030.00 for each dependent under 18 years old
  • $4,890.00 charged as a second instalment for any family member aged 18 years or older who applies for the visa AND has less than functional English

There may be other costs associated with the visa application including health checks, police certificates and biometrics. This will depend on the requirements of the visa application.

Labour Market Testing

Labour Marketing Testing is a requirement for Employer Sponsors for some visa types. It requires employers to demonstrate to the Department of Home Affairs that they have attempted to find a suitable Australian worker prior to nominating an overseas worker. This involves advertising the position in Australia first. There are specific requirements relating to the type of advertisement and time frame dependent on the visa type.

Labour market testing is recommended for the 186 Visa.

TSS 482 visa assessment 494 visa assessment 186 visa assessment

Jamie Lim

Jamie is an Australian Regulated Migration Advisor (RMA 1799460).  Jamie has extensive immigration services experience across multiple visa subclasses and specialises in employer sponsored visas. He has a wide range of experience in corporate migration, including employer-sponsored visas and immigration compliance, and has managed small to large multinational corporate clients. Jamie also has specific experience with medical professionals, skills assessments, state sponsorships as well as partner visas. Book a time with Jamie here.

Jamie holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Monash University. Jamie speaks Mandarin Chinese as a second language.

His specialities include but not limited to:

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