Skills in Demand Visa (SID) – (Subclass 482)

What is the process?

In order to be eligible for this visa, the applicant must have an offer of employment from an Australian employer who is prepared to sponsor you and provided you meet the criteria under the stream you will be applying under.

The process for applying for the SID visa follows the same general three-stage structure as the previous TSS visa:

The Sc 482 visa is a three-stage process

• Stage 1 – a sponsorship application submitted by the employer – it provides the details of the business seeking to employ an overseas worker
• Stage 2 – a nomination application submitted by the employer – it provides the details of the position to be filled as well as identifies the overseas worker and any secondary applicants covered by the nomination
• Stage 3 – a visa application submitted by the employee – it provides the details of how the overseas worker is skilled for the nominated occupation as well as personal details of the principal applicant and any secondary applicant/s included in the application.

All three applications can be submitted at the same time, i.e the employer does not have to wait for the Sponsorship application to be approved before submitting a Nomination application; similarly the employee does not have to wait for the Sponsorship and/or Nomination application to be approved before submitting a visa application.

What do I need to be eligible for a Sc 482 visa?

General criteria for employees

• Sponsor – your Australian employer must be an approved Standard Business Sponsor and their nomination application must also be approved before you can be granted a visa.
• Eligible occupation – your nominated occupation must be included in the Medium- and Long-Term Strategic Skills List or Short-Term Skilled Occupations List or Regional Occupations List;
• Employee’s skills – the principal applicant must have the skills required to work in the role offered.
• Relevant work experience – principal applicant must have at least 2 years of work experience in the nominated occupation or closely related occupation gained within last 5 years before application submission.
• Skills assessment – certain occupations, mostly trades, require a mandatory skill assessment.
• English competency – principal applicant must meet the minimum standard of English unless exempt.
• Health and Character – principal applicants and their family members included in the visa application must meet the health and character requirements
• Health Insurance – principal applicants and their family members included in the visa application must arrange and maintain adequate health insurance for the duration of the visa, unless their country of citizenship has a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia

Online assessment

General criteria for employers

• Be an approved a Standard Business Sponsor or have a labour agreement with the Department of Home Affairs, to employ overseas workers on Sc 482 visa

For the Standard Business Sponsorship to be approved, the employer must demonstrate that they are a legally established and actively operating business. This is evidenced by business registration details (ABN), Business Activity Statements (BAS), company’s financial statements, tax returns, etc. Additionally, the sponsoring employer must testify to being compliant with Australian laws and be committed to employ Australian citizens and permanent residents.

• Have a nomination application approved. This is when the sponsoring employer nominates a position within their business that will be filled by an overseas worker. For the nomination application to be approved, the following criteria must be met:
  • Remuneration – the overseas worker must be paid a market related salary for the nominated occupation but the salary offered must not be less than the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) which is currently AUD73,150 per annum plus superannuation.
    Some occupations are subject to caveats requiring a higher remuneration level than TSMIT.
  • Labour Market test – the sponsoring employer must demonstrate that they advertised for the nominated position locally and were unable to find a suitable Australian worker.
  • Training Levy – the employer must pay Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy where the amount depends on the turnover of the business:
    • If the business is small, with turnover less than $10 million – $1,200 per year of stay on Sc 482 visa
    • If the business is large, with turnover more than $10 million – $1,800 per year of stay on Sc 482 visa

Can I include my family in a Sc 482 application?

Principal applicants for Subclass 482 visa may include the following family members in their application

• Spouse or De Facto Partner (can be same or opposite sex)
• Your and/or your partner’s dependent children

Spouse/De Facto Partner

For both spouse and de facto applicants, you must prove that you are in a genuine and ongoing relationship.

For De Facto applicants, you must additionally provide evidence that:

• you are not related by family
• you and your partner are mutually committed to a shared life to the exclusion of all others
• you live together, or do not live separately on a permanent basis.

Dependent Children

Children can be included in your Sc 482 visa application, provided they fall under of the below categories:

Category 1

They are under 18 years of age
They are your or your partner’s child from a current or a previous relationship
They are not married, engaged or in a de facto relationship;

Category 2

They are over 18 years of age but not yet turned 23
They are dependent on you or your partner
They are your or your partner’s child from a current or a previous relationship
They are not married, engaged or in a de facto relationship;

Category 3

They are over 23 years of age and unable to earn a living to support themselves due to *physical or cognitive limitations
They are dependent on you or your partner
They are your or your partner’s child from a current or a previous relationship
They are not married, engaged or in a de facto relationship
*Such child/ren will still need to meet Australia’s health requirements for the visa to be granted.

Note: The child must meet the dependency criteria at the time of application submission as well as at the time of decision-making.

Minimum English level

Secondary applicants of Sc 482 visa are not required to provide evidence of their English level.

Health and Character

All family members who are included in Sc 482 visa application must meet health and character requirements.
All applicants over 16 must provide police clearances from every country they lived in, Australia inclusive, for at least 12 months in the past 10 years.

Health Insurance

Family members included in the Sc 482 visa application must arrange and maintain adequate health insurance for the duration of the visa, unless their country of citizenship has a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia

How long does it take to get a Sc 482 visa for Australia?

The current processing times are 49 days-5 months under Short-Stream, 4-8 months under Medium stream and 5-12 months under Labour stream (from the date of visa application submission).

What are the fees?

Sc 482 visa application fees vary depending on the stream:

AUD$1,290 for the main applicant, AUD$1,290 for any secondary applicant aged 18 and above and AUD$325 for any secondary applicant under the age of 18 if applying under Short-Stream;

AUD$2,690 for the main applicant, AUD$2,690 for any secondary applicant aged 18 and above and AUD$675 for any secondary applicant under the age of 18 if applying under Medium-Stream;

AUD$2,690 for the main applicant, AUD$2,690 for any secondary applicant aged 18 and above and AUD$675 for any secondary applicant under the age of 18 if applying under Labour-Stream;

Australian Shores’ consultancy fees are quoted through our online assessment.

Our Visa Service includes

• Your personal adviser will manage everything required for the entire process, taking all the stress off your shoulders.
• We will review your supporting documents and make sure they meet the visa requirements
• We will apply for a skills assessment on your behalf if required for your occupation.
• We will prepare and submit the visa application for you and your family
• We will monitor the progress of your application and will provide timely updates
• We will liaise with the Department of Home Affairs and will be acting as your representative until the decision is made