Processing Tips - Make your Nominee a Priority!

Make your nominee a priority!

As we are all aware, Australia is now open for business and visas are being processed as per pre-COVID mechanisms. This includes the 482 visa. However, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has recognised that there is somewhat of a backlog of pending 482 applications from the COVID era which they are currently also seeking to manage.

As such, the DHA has introduced processing groupings, which will determine the level of priority a 482 application receives in terms of processing. This means that while there certainly may be some 482 applications that take much longer than usual to be processed, others are being processed very quickly (within 1-2 months). In order to receive this priority processing, nominees need to fall into one of the below priority processing categories (stated briefly below):

·         Priority 1: Where the person is nominated in respect of a PMSOL occupation.

·         Priority 2: Where the person is nominated in respect of an occupation in a critical sector.

·         Priority 3: Where the person is nominated by a regional employer, with accredited sponsorship.

·         Priority 4. Where the person is nominated by an employer with accredited sponsorship.

Lodging an application under one of the above priority processing categories allows companies to proceed with confidence that their 482 application will be processed quickly, assisting those companies in making strategic and agile recruitment decisions.

Please continue reading below for information concerning critical sectors, and how your business could benefit from accredited sponsorship.

Critical Sectors

Critical sectors (for the purposes of Priority 2) are currently defined as:

• Critical or specialist medical services sectors

• Sectors essential to maintaining the supply of essential goods and services, including

  • Medical technology

  • Critical infrastructure

  • Telecommunications

  • Engineering

  • Mining

  • Supply chain logistics

  • Aged care

  • Agriculture

  • Primary industry

  • Food production, and

  • The maritime industry.

• Sectors critical to Australia’s economic recovery, such as

  • Financial technology

  • Large scale manufacturing

  • Film, media and television production, and

  • Emerging technology.

• Religious or theology sectors

• A nominee whose entry would otherwise be in Australia’s national interest, supported by the Australian Government or a state or territory government authority.​​

Accredited Sponsorship

Current business sponsors (and in some cases, even start-up companies who have never held a business sponsorship) can apply for accredited sponsorship.

 The benefits of holding accredited sponsorship are as follows:

1.       Sponsorship is valid for six years (instead of the standard 5 years);

2.       Sponsors will receive priority processing of all 482 and 494 nomination and visa applications (per Priorities 3 and 4 above);

3.       Sponsors can use job postings on their company website as one of the three required Labour Market Testing recruitment websites;

4.       Sponsors receive streamlined processing of certain low-risk nominations (generally within 5 days) – with certain nomination provisions able to be satisfied on the basis of certification on the nomination form, in conjunction with additional documentation and information collected “up front” as part of the sponsorship application/accreditation approval process; and

5.       Applicants who are nominated by an Accredited Sponsor are not required to obtain police certificates from countries (other than Australia) provided they attach a written reference from their Accredited Sponsor confirming that they are of good character and have not been convicted of any criminal offenses.

To be eligible for accredited sponsorship, sponsors must meet the key requirements of either Category A or Category B (amongst other specific criteria):

Accredited sponsorship applications are generally processed within 2-8 weeks of lodgement.

Please contact us should you wish to discuss the suitability of your business for Accredited Sponsorship. In addition, we would be happy to discuss all options in having your 482 applications assessed as a priority.