Visas for Tradies

Are you a tradie trying to be sponsored by our employer?

Have you heard about skilled visas but don’t know where to start?

If you have answered ‘Yes’ to at least one question you have come to the right place. I am a migration agent with primary focus on assisting skilled applicants in trade occupations to secure temporary and permanent visas.

So far, I have been able to help employers to go through both employers during sponsorship and/or nomination stages and tradesmen during visa application with success rate of over 95%.

There are four main employer-sponsored visa currently in Australia:

• Subclass 482 (Temporary Skill Shortage) visa – the most popular temporary working visa in Australia
• Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme) visa – permanent visa available to applicants located across Australia
• 494 (Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional) visa – provisional visa available to applicants located in ‘designated area’ of Australia
• Subclass 400 (Temporary Work- Short Stay Specialist) – short term visa for applicants with highly specialized skills

You might have also heard about training visa (subclass 407). Although the primary purpose of this visa is training and not working, in certain circumstances this visa can be very handy to obtain additional work experience. Once you have accumulated sufficient years of work experience you may then apply for one of employer-sponsored visas.

Subclass 482 visa (Temporary Skill Shortage):

• Employment may be located anywhere in Australia
• The role must be on the list of eligible occupations (MLTSSL, STSOL or ROL)
• Skills assessment required for certain occupations and passport holders
• English language competency – IELTS 5.0 (or equivalent)
• 2 years of work experience at skilled level required
• No age limit
• Pathway to permanent residency after 2 years by transitioning to 186 visa through Temporary Residence Transition stream

Subclass 186 visa (Employer Nomination Scheme – Direct Entry Stream):

• Employment may be located anywhere in Australia
• The role must be on the list of eligible occupations (MLTSSL)
• Skills assessment is required most of the time
• English language competency – IELTS 6.0 in each component (or equivalent)
• 3 years of work experience at skilled level required
• Age limit of 45 years

Subclass 494 visa (Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional):

• Employment must be located in a designated regional Australia (everywhere except Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane)
• The role must be on the list of eligible occupations (over 650 occupations)
• Position must be full time and likely be available for 5 years
• Skills assessment is required most of the time
• English language competency – IELTS 6.0 in each component (or equivalent)
• 3 years of work experience at skilled level required
• Age limit of 45 years
• Employer will need to obtain approval from the government agency – Regional Certifying Body (RCB)
• After 3 years of work for the employer you can apply for permanent residency (191 visa)

Subclass 400 visa (Temporary Work- Short Stay Specialist):

• Allows to perform short term, highly specialised work in Australia.
• Suitable for workers with specialised skills, knowledge or experience generally not available in Australia.
• Position only needs to be listed in Australia and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).
• Can be granted for 3-6 months
• Skills assessment is not required
• English test is not required
• Can only be applied for while outside Australia
• It has no age limit.
• It does not offer a pathway to permanent residency