Temporary Skill Shortage Visa

The TSS visa is a temporary visa and the holder can stay in Australia with his/her family unit for the period specified in the visa grant notification.

There are three streams available in TSS visa program:

• Short-term stream: this stream is for employers to employ skilled overseas workers to fill short-term positions for a maximum of two years (or four years if an international trade obligation applies) for the occupations listed on the Short-term Skilled Occupation list;
• Medium-term stream: this stream is for employers to employ overseas workers to fill medium-term positions for up to four years for the occupations listed on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or the Regional Occupation List (ROL) . There is a transitional pathway available to the employees to gain permanent residency after three years.
• Labour Agreement stream : this stream for an employer upon reaching to a labour agreement with the Department of Home Affairs ( DOHA) to employ skilled overseas workers.

Temporary Skill Shortage Visa Process

If you are an employer and wish to sponsor an overseas worker under the TSS visa program, you are required to take the following steps:

• First Step; Sponsorship: The employer is required to apply to The Department of Home Affairs for approval as a standard business sponsor.
• Second Step; Nomination: The employer is required to nominate an occupation for a prospective visa applicant or an existing visa holder.
• Third Step; Visa application: The prospective employee who is nominated to work in the nominated occupation by the employer is required to apply for a TSS visa.

Visa Applicants

All applicants for a TSS visa (primary applicant and family members) can be in or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance . However, if the application is for a short-term stream visa, the primary visa applicant must be offshore if:

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

Members of the primary applicant’s family unit can lodge their application together with an application by the TSS visa primary applicant, but if a member of the primary applicant’s family unit subsequently wishes to apply for a TSS visa they must lodge a separate visa application

It is important to note that some primary visa applicants, in all three visa streams, are required to establish that they have started the skill assessment process, or provide a positive skill assessment from the relevant skill assessment authority for the nominated occupation.

All primary TSS visa applicants need to demonstrate that they have two years' work experience in the nominated occupation or a related field.

All applicants must make adequate arrangements for health insurance during the period of their intended stay in Australia.

English language Requirment

Applicants must satisfy any language test requirements. The following test are accepted by the Department for the purpose of TSS visa and the test should have been taken before applying for the visa and the result should be provided with the visa application:

• IELTS: Overall test score of at least 5.0 with a score of minimum 4.5 in each of the four test components;
• OET: score of minimum “B” in each of the four components;
• TOEFL iBT: total score of minimum 35 with a score of minimum 3 for each of the test components of listening and reading, and a score of minimum 12 for each of the test components of writing and speaking;
• PTE Academic: overall test score minimum 36 with a score of minimum 30 in each of the four test components;
• CAE: overall test score of minimum 154 with a score of minimum 147 in each of the four test components

The test must have been completed within 3 years of the valid visa application lodgement date, however there are some exemptions existed for meeting English language criteria.

Visa Applicantion Fee

The cost of the TSS visa payable to the Department of Home Affairs is :

• Sponsorship Stage: $ 420 for 5 years from the date of Approval
• Nomination Stage: $ 330 for 12 months from the date of Approval
• Vis application fee for the main applicant : Short Term Stream: $ 1175 Medium Term Stream $ 2455

If you plan to apply for a TSS visa and you need assistance in lodging your applicationm, do not hesitate to contact us through the contact us button