Employer - Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457)

The Employer-sponsored visa category provides the opportunity for Australian and overseas employers to sponsor and employ skilled and suitably qualified foreigners who have skills and/or experience in particular occupations which are required in Australia.

This newly-renamed visa (formerly the Long Stay – Standard Business Sponsorship visa) is for skilled foreigners who have been sponsored and hence nominated by a business to work in Australia on a temporary basis for up to 4 years.

There is no upper age limit for this visa and your family may accompany you. A business can sponsor you if they cannot find an appropriately-skilled Australian citizen or permanent resident to fill a skilled position listed in the Consolidated Sponsored Occupations List.

To be eligible to apply for this visa:

You must be sponsored by an approved employer to fill a nominated skilled position
You must work in a skilled occupation that has been approved by the Australian Government
You must demonstrate that you have the skills, qualifications and experience necessary to perform the nominated occupation
You must be eligible for any relevant licences or registration required for the nominated position
You must demonstrate your English language ability
You must have adequate health insurance for yourself and any dependants

Employers are expected to meet the following requirements (for businesses based in Australia):

They must apply to be a standard business sponsor
They must be a lawfully operating business
They must demonstrate a record of employing local labour and non-discriminatory work practices
They must meet the Australian government’s training requirements
They must pay the market salary rate for the position

There are three stages to progressing an application for this visa, namely:

1) the employer applying to be a sponsor,
2) the employer nominating a position, and
3) the employee applying for the visa.