482 Visa (TSS Visa)

What does the 482 Visa offer?

A 482 Visa (sometimes called a TSS Visa or TSS 482 Visa) enables employers to address labour shortages by hiring skilled workers where they cannot find an appropriately skilled Australian. It facilitates employment of foreign workers to address temporary skill shortages, while ensuring that Australian workers get priority. 482 TSS visa holders can work in Australia in their nominated occupation and may have a pathway to permanent residency.

A business can sponsor someone for this visa if they cannot find an Australian citizen or permanent resident to do the skilled work. The business must be a Standard Business Sponsor (SBS) or an Overseas Business Sponsor (OBS) to sponsor you under the 482 TSS visa.

The visa applicant can be in or outside Australia​ when they lodge their application (or hold a BVA, BVB, BVC) for a 482 visa.

The TSS 482 visa is comprised of a Short-Term stream,  Medium-Term stream and Labour agreement stream. The TSS 482 visa was replaced by the Skills In Demand (SIV) visa on 7 December 2024.

482 Visa — A three-step process:

Step 1: a sponsorship application by the employer (the employer needs to be a lawfull, active, operating business and meet local labour and employment practices).

Step 2: The second part of the application process is the nomination application. This is regarding the position to be filled, salary details, efforts to hire Australian workers and the ‘genuineness’ of the position. The business must also be viable to sponsor from overseas.

Step 3: a visa application by the nominated employee. The visa applicant must demonstrate that they meet the skills required for their occupation as well as health and character requirements.

482 Visa — work experience requirement reduced

The Government has reduced the work experience requirement for the TSS 482 Visa from two years to one year for all applicants from 23 November 2024 onwards.

Related: 

Effective from 7 December 2024, the Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (sometimes called a TSS Visa) has been replaced by the Skills in Demand Visa (subclass 482).

Applications for the TSS Visa which were lodged by 6 December 2024 will be considered according to the eligibility requirements in force at that time.

Existing TSS Visas will remain valid until their original expiry date.

For personal, comprehensive advice on the TSS Visa, Skills in Demand Visa and all your other Australian visa options, please don’t hesitate to book a consultation with one of our licensed migration agents.

Am I eligible for a TSS 482 visa?

Medium TSS 482 Visa vs Short TSS 482 Visa

Medium and Long Term 482 Visa (TSS visa)
Short-Term 482 Visa (TSS visa)
482 Visa (TSS Visa) – Regional (ROL)
Is my business eligible to sponsor under the TSS 482 visa program?

3 Streams

There are three streams available under the TSS 482 visa:

  • 482 Short-term stream – this is for employers to source genuine temporary overseas skilled workers in occupations included on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) for a maximum of two years each time (or up to four years if an international trade obligation applies)
  • 482 Medium-term stream – this is for employers to source highly skilled overseas workers to fill medium-term critical skills in occupations included on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or the Regional Occupations List (ROL) for up to four years (each time), with eligibility to apply for permanent residence after three years
  • 482 Labour Agreement stream – this is for employers to source overseas skilled workers in accordance with a labour agreement with the Commonwealth, on the basis of a demonstrated need that cannot be met in the Australian labour market and standard visa programs are not available, with the capacity to negotiate a permanent residence option.

At the time of lodging a 482 TSS nomination application, employers will need to select an employment period of up to:

  • 1 year or 2 years for the short-term stream (unless an international trade obligation applies-up to 4 years); and
  • 1 year, 2 years, 3 years or 4 years for the medium-term or labour agreements stream.
Am I eligible for a TSS 482 visa?

482 visa requirements for employees

Work experience

482 visa applicants are required to have worked in the nominated occupation, or a related field, for at least two years to be eligible for a 482 visa. This means if you have recently graduated with a relevant Bachelor’s degree from an Australian university you would generally not qualify for the 482 visa unless you have completed another qualification overseas and have 2 years of experience after that qualification. 482 visa applicants must also meet the ANZSCO Skill Level requirement of your occupation

Condition 8607

Condition 8607 applies to all primary 482 visa holders. It is similar to condition 8107, which was applied to subclass 457 visa holders. Condition 8607 requires 482 visa holders who wish to change occupation (as opposed to employer), to have a new nomination approved and a new visa granted before they start work in a new occupation.

Repeat 482 visa/TSS visas

In general, all applicants for a 482 visa (i.e. primary and secondary) can either be inside or outside Australia. If the application is for a Short-term (ST) stream visa, however, the primary visa applicant must be offshore if all of the below apply:

  • they have held more than one short term stream 482 visa
  • they were in Australia when the application for their most recent 482 visa was made and
  • this requirement would not be inconsistent with any international trade obligation (ITO).

Holders of two ST stream 482 visas in a row (where the second application was made in Australia) can apply for a further visa 482 Short Term stream visa offshore. They should, however, be aware that their immigration history may be relevant in terms of whether they are considered to have met the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement for this visa stream.

Related: TSS 482 visa Checklist for Employee

Employer Requirements – 482 visa

482 Visa SAF Levy

Employers sponsoring workers for a TSS 482 visa must pay a training contribution charge (known as the Skilling Australians Fund levy):

Businesses with turnover of less than $10 million per year will be required to make)
  • an upfront annual payment for each employee on a TSS 482 visa of $1,200
Businesses with turnover of $10 million or more per year will be required to make:
  • an upfront annual payment for each employee on a TSS 482 visa of $1,800

Labour Market Testing (LMT) for 482 visa

Employers must advertise the role on 2 national reaching mediums before offering the position to the overseas applicant (unless an international trade obligation applies). This is to ensure that employers try to find a suitably qualified Australians before they can seek to employ an overseas skilled worker on a TSS 482 visa.

Salary level for 482 visa

Sponsors seeking to employ an overseas worker will need to demonstrate that they are going to pay the market salary rate to ensure that overseas workers are protected and the local labour market is not undercut. In any case it must be above the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT). This threshold is set by the Department of Home Affairs each year and is $73,150 plus superannuation (from 1 July 2023).

Caveats

Some occupations are subject to caveats that set a minimum remuneration level that is above TSMIT.  For example the occupation of “Marketing Specialist” or “Conference and Event Managers” excludes positions which have nominated annual earnings of less than AUD65,000 or for example the occupation of “Corporate Services Manager” will require the business to have turned over at least AUD 1 Million in the 12 months prior to the nomination application.

Related: TSS 482 Visa Checklist for Employer

Is my business eligible to sponsor under the TSS 482 visa program?

Transition from subclass 457 to subclass 482 visa

  • The 457 visa was abolished and replaced with the 482 TSS visa. This has itself since been replaced with the Skills in Demand visa.
  • The Department of Home Affairs has set 25 November 2023 for implementing changes to the employer-sponsored permanent residency program. Once the ENS reforms have been implemented, short-term Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) 482 visa holders will gain access to permanent residency under the 186 Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream of the ENS visa program.
  • Employers who are already approved standard business sponsors for subclass 457 will be able to sponsor skilled overseas workers under the 482 TSS visa program.
  • Secondary visa applicants (of 457 visa holders) are able to lodge a subsequent dependent TSS application and if they meet requirements, will be granted a TSS 482 visa linked to their family’s subclass 457 visa/nomination application. The validity period of the 482 visa will match the expiry date of the subclass 457 primary visa holder. Spouses/partners and children included in the 482 TSS visa application will have unrestricted work and study rights.
  • Subclass 457 visa holders whose visa is not expiring but wish to change employer do not need to apply for a new 482 TSS visa, but need their new employer to lodge a TSS 482 nomination application and link it to your 457 visa. You will need to apply for a new 482 visa before your 457 visa expires to continue working.
  • Subclass 457 visa holders who wish to change occupation or need a new visa (for example: with longer validity) will need to lodge a new 482 TSS visa application referencing a new TSS nomination application.
  • If you are granted a 457 visa after 18 April 2017 off the MLTSSL list, it can be granted for 4 years. You will be able to be apply for a permanent 186/187 visa after 3 years on a 457 visa if that company decides to nominate you.
  • If you already hold a 457 visa in a STSOL occupation, you can apply for a two year 482 TSS visa and a further two year 482 TSS visa onshore.
  • Can I apply for 186 Transition after applying being on a 2 year TSS 482 Visa? if you are not grandfathered you would need to be on the MLTSSL list and you would need a further one year 482 TSS visa to be eligible to apply for a permanent 186/187 RSMS visa under that occupation with the same company.
  • I am over 50 years of age, can I still apply for this visa? Yes, there is no age limit for the TSS 482 visa.
Some consequences of this:
  1. Occupations such as cook and restaurant manager are on the STSOL list. While you can still be sponsored for 2 years by a restaurant on the 457 visa and gain another 2 year extension, you can no longer apply for a permanent visa unless it is added to the MLTSSL list or being in a designated regional area and on the TSS ROL list.
  2. Retail manager is still available in regional areas for the 187 visa at the moment but it is not on the 482 visa Medium to Long Term list.
  3. Most student graduates will not be eligible for temporary or permanent company sponsorship as they require at least 2 years full-time work experience. Structured, formal training and work experience on a Student visa may count towards the 2 year work experience requirement.

Related:

482 visa FAQ

Medium Term list TSS visa holders have a path to PR through the 186 visa. Pathways to PR for existing skilled workers on short term stream. Australian visa Subclass 457 or 482 visa holders with Short-term Skilled occupation list may now be eligible for permanent residency regardless of the stream.

This temporary visa lets an employer sponsor a suitably skilled worker to fill a position they can’t find a suitably skilled Australian to fill.

482 Visa holders may be eligible to apply for permanent residency after three years with their employer, however, this will depend on the occupation. 482 and 457 Visa holders may be eligible to apply for permanent residency sooner than two or three years.

As of the end of 2023, all subclass 482 visa holders, including those in short-term occupations, will be eligible to apply for permanent residency.

The Subclass 482 Temporary Skill Shortage visa processing time depends on the stream. Generally it could take anytime between a few days to 6 months.

  • The 482 Visa holder must be working in an occupation that is on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) for 186 Applications.
  • Must have worked for the same employer for 3 years on the TSS 482 Visa
  • Must have worked in the same Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) occupation for 3 years on the 482 TSS Visa
  • Must have at least competent English
  • Must be under 45 tears of age at the time of applying for Permanent Residency
  • To be eligible for pathway to PR for STSOL occupations, you must work for your sponsor employer for a minimum of 3 years. The TSS 482 visa is only granted to STSOL occupations for 2 years.

Yes, it is possible to change your 482 visa to a 190 visa. Having worked in Australia, you will receive additional points towards your skill assessment. However, additional criteria may apply and a 190 visa is not available to all 482 visa holders.

Skilled In Demand Visa — Replacement of TSS 482 visa in 2024:

As part of Australia’s new migration strategy, a new three tiered system of visa pathways (Skilled In Demand Visa) to replace the TSS SC 482.

  • The specialist skills visa pathway will not have an occupational list and a processing turnaround of 7 days.  Trades occupations, machinery operators, drivers and labourers will be excluded from this visa class. There will be 3,000 places allocated per year. The ‘specialist skills’ visa for those earning over $135,000 per year.
  • The core skills visas pathway are expected to provide the majority of visa for the program.  trades workers will be required to apply under this visa based on a revised ‘skills in demand list‘ developed by Jobs and Skills Australia. The ‘core skills’ visa for the $70-135,000 cohort. Earnings to be at least TSMIT, currently set at $73,150, but to be indexed annually.
  • The details of the essential skills visa pathway are yet to be finally determined. This visa will involve union oversight, be capped and be restricted to specific sectors.  To date the aged care and disability sectors have been mentioned. The ‘essential skills’ visa is for those earning under $73,150. 

The visas will be granted for up to 4 years and visa holders will be able to change employers more easily and provide clear pathways to permanent residency.  The ‘TSMIT‘ will be indexed annually and a public register of employer sponsors to allow more ease with moving between employers.

Skilling Australians Fund

Consideration will be given to collecting the SAF in smaller increments over time in recognition of the greater freedom of visa holders to change employers.  A monthly or quarterly payment model will be explored.

Labour Market Testing

LMT is to be streamlined, although the only announcement so far is that the requirement to advertise on the Workforce Australia site will be abolished. The validity of advertising period will increase from 4 to 6 months.

LMT will be gradually phased out as Jobs and Skills Australia data on skills shortages improves and a Core Skilled Occupation List (CSOL) created as an alternative to LMT.

Book a meeting today for a commitment free briefing with our Registered Migration Agents in Melbourne to find more about your visa options.