Visa about to expire? You might be able to transition directly to PR or provisional PR! This group of people actually has the “means” to consider migrating and staying on!

The Subclass 482 Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) employer-sponsored

visa is for skilled workers heading to Australia for work,and this visa is valid for up to four years, with applicants required to obtain employer nomination and company sponsorship. Eligible visa holders who have worked in Australia for 3 years can apply for permanent residency (i.e. a green card).

The TSS visa is divided into three streams:

— Short-Term Stream: if the applicant’s occupation is on this list, they can apply for a TSS visa of up to two years, renewable once for a further two years, though this visa alone does not lead to permanent migration.

— Medium-Term Stream: if the applicant’s occupation is on this list, they can apply for a visa of up to four years, and after three years can transition to a permanent visa to achieve migration.

— Labour Agreement Stream:this stream matches workers with large Australian production enterprises — we won’t go into detail here.

Age requirement:

the 482 itself has no age requirement, but if you plan to apply for the follow-on 186/494 green card, you must be under 45

English requirement:

Occupation and work experience requirement:

applicants need to provide the qualifications/certificates matching the sponsored position;

applicants are required to show at least 2 years of relevant professional work experience accumulated over the past 5 years, with the following types of experience counted:

— Full-time work (Full-time Job)

— Formal internships/apprenticeships completed during study

— Part-time work equivalent to full-time hours (Equivalent Part-time work)

— Casual work does not count (Casual Employment)

Subclass 186 Employer-Sponsored Permanent Residence visa

Applying for this visa is a two-step process — first you need to obtain nomination from an Australian employer, then apply under the nominated stream. The 186 visa is part of Australia’s permanent employer-sponsored visa program and is a permanent residency visa. Applicants can apply from either inside or outside Australia.

There are generally two application pathways for the 186:

–Temporary Residence Transition(TRT) Stream: conversion from a TSS visa, once the TSS visa conditions have been met.

— Direct Entry (DE) Stream:applicants who meet the higher requirements can choose to apply directly for the green card in one step.

— Labour Agreement Stream:this stream matches workers with large Australian production enterprises — we won’t go into detail here.

Age requirement:

under 45

English requirement:

Occupation and work experience requirement:

applicants need to provide the qualifications/certificates matching the sponsored position;

the occupation needs a skills assessment to prove the applicant’s knowledge and skills are recognised by the Australian government, and applicants must complete the relevant skills assessment before lodging the visa application.

TRT (converting from a TSS visa):requires the applicant to have worked in the position sponsored by the TSS visa for 3 years within the preceding 4 years, and to have met all TSS visa requirements while holding the TSS visa.

DE (applying directly for the green card):requires the applicant to showat least 3 years of cumulative relevant professional full-time work experience in the past.

Subclass 494 Regional Employer-Sponsored Migration

The 494 is a regional employer-sponsored visa,effectively a provisional green card / PR — you can access Medicare and work full-time during this period.Although it doesn’t grant PR status outright,once applicants meet the residence and work-duration requirements as well as the salary threshold, they can transition to the Subclass 191 permanent visa,thereby gaining Australian PR status.

Within Australia, apart from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, every other area is classified as regional,including the Gold Coast, Perth and Canberra, all of which qualify for the 494 regional employer sponsorship.

Age requirement:

under 45

English requirement:

Occupation and work experience requirement

applicants need to provide a skills assessment matching the nominated occupation, along with at least three years of relevant full-time work experience.

Working holiday visa holders generally spend a lot of their time — and work — in regional areas, so there are plenty of regional employer sponsorship opportunities. As long as you confirm the employer meets the sponsorship eligibility requirements and your own circumstances meet the application requirements, the 494 visa is a solid option.