TSS Visa (subclass 482)

Recently, The Migration Legislation Amendment Regulations 2018 repeals the 457 visa and replaces it with the new subclass 482 (TSS-Temporary Skill Shortage) visa which comes into effect on Sunday, 18th March 2018.

TSS visa’s applicants must work for at least 2 years in nominated occupations or related fields. The salary should not be lower than the average industry level in Australia for the nominated position;Employers nominating the position are required to satisfy the requirement of Labor Marketing Testing.

TSS Short term stream visa: Applicants in the short-term occupation list STSOL can obtain a work visa of up to 2 years (except for holders of international trade agreement passports).

English: The required test scores remain unchanged from the 457 visa requirements, apart from a drop of one point in the TOEFL overall band requirement from 36 to 35.

TSS Medium term stream visa: Applicants in the medium and long-term occupation list MLTSSL can obtain a work visa of up to 4 years, after 3 years, they can apply for permanent residence.

English: the required test scores have been increased for each English language test to:

IELTS at least 5.0 in each test componentOET at least B for each test component

TOEFL at least 35 overall and at least 4 in each test component

PTE at least 36 in each test component

CAE at least 154 in each test component

However, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) left a gap in the occupation transition 186 (PR) on the Short-term list. If the applicant meets the requirements of the Minister of Immigration in the regulations, it can also be transferred.

For the 482 applicants on the short-term occupation list, the Department of Home Affairs has officially introduced a GTE similar to the student visa. The DHA will have great power to consider the applicant’s visa history and personal background.

The Direct Entry Stream of the Employer Nomination Scheme – subclass 186 – visa and the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme – subclass 187 – visa for regional areas requires a change. The nominated occupation must be on the medium and long-term occupation list MLTSSL, and 187 adds a similar 186 three-year work experience requirement.

See the Migration (IMMI 18/048: Specification of Occupations— Subclass 482 Visa) Instrument 2018.