The 457 Visa or Temporary Business (Long Stay) – Standard Business Sponsorship (Subclass 457) is the most commonly used program for employers to sponsor foreign workers to Australia on a temporary basis.
It allows employers to employ overseas workers (from 3 months to 4 years) to fill nominated skilled positions in Australia that aren’t able to be filled by local workers.
457 visa holders are permitted to work in Australia for the duration of the visa period (3 months to 4 years) and bring eligible dependents with them (dependents are permitted to work and study in Australia). On this visa, the visa holder is unrestricted in the number of times they enter or leave the country.
There are strict eligibility criteria for both employers and employees to meet before a visa is issued.
For the worker, they must:
- have an eligible employer who is willing to sponsored them.
- have recognised skills, qualifications and work experience that meets the requirements of the sponsored position.
- possess adequate English language ability to meet the requirements of the positions, qualification or immigration requirement.
- have obtained the required licences or registration as required by legislation in order to perform their duties in the nominated position.
- meet the minimum salary level as set out at the time of your visa assessment.
- meet the health requirement criteria
- meet all character requirements
