Accredited Sponsorship
Becoming an Accredited Sponsor and receiving Accredited Sponsorship Status
Accredited Sponsorship status are afforded priority processing of all Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) (subclass 482) nomination and visa applications.
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Most applications are processed in under five days.
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Applying for Accredited Sponsorship is a worthwhile exercise for any businesses that utilise the TSS visa programme on a regular basis and also provides certain exemptions to the standard Labour Market Testing requirements.
Benefits Of Accredited Sponsorship
Priority Processing
An accredited sponsor receives priority when the Department of Home Affairs processes Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) (TSS) nomination and visa applications.
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Labour Market Testing Benefit
The labour market testing requirements are more relaxed for accredited sponsors, with these businesses permitted to utilise advertisements placed on their own website, rather than through national recruitment websites.
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Police Clearance Exemptions for Applicant
Applicants for TSS 482 visas being sponsored by an accredited sponsor do not need to provide overseas police clearances for every country they have resided in, if the sponsor can attest to their good character. This significantly reduces processing times.
The Requirements For Sponsorship Accreditation:
01
Commonwealth, state and territory government agencies
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Have Australian workers comprising at least 75% of their workforce in Australia.
02
Australian Trusted Traders
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Have Australian workers comprising at least 75% of their workforce in Australia
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Engage all TSS and/or subclass 457 visa holders as employees under a written contract of employment that includes at least the minimum employment entitlements as required under the National Employment Standards (NES) (unless their occupation is exempt from this requirement)*
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Have all Australian employees paid in accordance with an Enterprise Agreement or an internal salary table that reflects the current market salary rates for all occupations in their business*
*Additional evidence must be provided against these characteristics
03
Low volume usage and high percentage of Australian workers (at least 85%)
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Have Australian workers comprise at least 85% of their workforce in Australia
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Are not a sole trader or a partnership**
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Have an annual turnover of at least AUD4M for the last two years***
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Have been a standard business sponsor for at least one year***
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Have nominations approved for at least one primary TSS or subclass 457 visa holder in the last year***
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Have a nomination non-approval rate of less than 3% for the last year
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Have no adverse monitoring outcomes
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Have all Australian employees paid in accordance with an Enterprise Agreement or an internal salary table that reflects the current market salary rates*
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Engage all TSS and/or subclass 457 visa holders as employees under a written contract that meets NES where they apply*
*Additional evidence must be provided against these characteristics
** The Department may approve accreditation for large partnerships where it is a common business structure and where the employer meets all other criteria on a case by case basis.
*** The Department may approve accreditation for start-up businesses who wish to apply for accreditation but do not meet these requirements where special circumstances apply. These will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
04
High volume usage and medium percentage of Australian workers
(at least 75%)
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Have Australian workers comprise at least 75% of their workforce in Australia
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Are not a sole trader or a partnership**
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Have an annual turnover of at least AUD4M for the last two years
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Have been a standard business sponsor for at least two years
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Have nominations approved for at least 10 TSS and/or subclass 457 visa holders in the last two years
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Have a nomination non-approval rate of less than 3% for the last two years
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Have no adverse monitoring outcomes
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Have all Australian employees paid in accordance with an Enterprise Agreement or an internal salary table that reflects the current market salary rates*
-
Engage all TSS and/or subclass 457 visa holders as employees under a written contract that meets NES where they apply*
*Additional evidence must be provided against these characteristics
** The Department may approve accreditation for large partnerships where it is a common business structure and where the employer meets all other criteria on a case by case basis.
Accredited Sponsorship Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of receiving an Accredited Sponsorship Status? Becoming an Accredited Sponsor and receiving Accredited Sponsorship Status means you will receive priority processing for Temporary Skill Shortage visa nominations and applications, relaxed labour market testing and exemptions for police clearances for your applicants if you can attest to their good character.
Is my business eligible for the Accredited Sponsorship Scheme? There are different requirements for the Accredited Sponsorship Scheme depending on what category your business may fall into. You should discuss your businesses characteristics and particulars with your immigration lawyer or registered migration agent to assess your specific requirements to be eligible.
Can accredited sponsorship be lost? Accredited Sponsorship can be revoked by the Department of Home Affairs if you stop meeting the required characteristics for accreditation or if you gave a reference for one of your sponsored employee’s or their family members stating an incorrect criminal record.