Relocation for Melbourne Job
If you have a job that requires you to relocate to Australia, and your employer will sponsor you, you may be eligible for the following visa.
Temporary Business Long Stay Visa – Standard Business Sponsorship (subclass 457)
For detailed current information see http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/sbs/
Your employer must sponsor you for this visa, but they are not required to be an Australian company. This visa can be granted for a period between one day and 4 years, and is renewable from within the country. It allows you to bring family as secondary applicants (who will also be allowed to work or study), and enter or leave the country an unlimited number of times during the validity of the visa. If at any point during the course of this visa you wish to change employers, or discontinue your working relationship with the employer that sponsored you, you are required to inform the Department of Immigration and (if possible) apply for a new visa.
Applying for this visa can be a lengthy process, especially if your employer has never sponsored an employee to Australia in the past. Although there is a relatively complex process between application and grant of this visa, fortunately much of the responsibility falls to your employer.
Your Employer’s Application
To be eligible for this visa your employer must complete the following:
- Apply to be a Sponsor Business (allowed to recruit overseas workers)
- Upon successfully becoming a Sponsor Business, nominate the occupations (and employees) they wish to sponsor
- Agree to be a sponsor (responsible for the actions / costs of their employees while living in Australia) for the employees nominated
- Cooperate with the Immigration Department to fulfil employee monitoring requirements (which may include status reports)
- Agree to meet specific obligations (such as minimum compensation at market salary rates)
For detailed current information on the specifics of eligibility and conditions for this visa for businesses, see http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/sbs/eligibility-employer.htm
Your Application
Once your employer has successfully completed the applications, been recognized as a Sponsor Business, and satisfied the requirements and agreements above, you will be required to complete the following:
- Ensure that your education and qualifications meet the minimum requirements* for this visa
- Apply for this visa in full (including documentation below)
- Agree to terms and conditions of the visa upon grant
For detailed current information on the specifics of eligibility and conditions for this visa for you as an employee, see http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/sbs/eligibility-employee.htm
*For details on the minimum education / qualification requirements for you to apply, see http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/sbs/eligibility-nomination.htm
Supporting Documentation
Applying for this visa requires a bucket-load of documentation, so you should be organised and plan in advance to obtain some of it where possible to avoid delays in processing. Documentation required will include:
- Certified / Notarised copy of your Passport (photo page)
- 2 passport sized photographs
- Certified / Notarised copy of your Birth Certificate
- Certified / Notarised copy of your Driver’s License or National Identity Card
- Details / Proof of any previous changes to your legal name
- A Skills Assessment Result (depending on occupation)*
- Copies of your Qualification Certificate / Degree / Diploma
- Copies of your Registration or Licensing (depending on occupation)
- References of previous employers
- Copy of your CV / Resume
- Results of your IELTS English Equivalency exam (dependant upon occupation and country of residence)**
- A certificate or proof of Health Insurance Coverage
- A completed Health Assessment (conducted by an approved panel doctor)***
- Evidence of Character, including Penal Clearances / Police Checks for every country you have lived in for longer than a year****
- Military discharge papers (if applicable)
*As conducted by Trades Recognition Australia. For details on how to be assessed, seehttp://www.deewr.gov.au/Skills/Programs/SkillsAssess/TRA/Pages/default.aspx
**As conducted by IELTS. To determine if this applies to you, and for information on how to be assessed, see http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/changes-eng-req.htm
***General practice for obtaining a Health Assessment involves visiting a panel approved doctor in your country (or the country closest you with an approved doctor), and having them submit the completed results of a medical exam to the embassy at which you will be applying for this visa. Depending on your country, this process can be time consuming (if it requires travel) and costly. For detailed current information on Health Assessments, see http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/health-requirements/. For a list of approved panel doctors, see http://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/panel-doctors/
****This process can be time consuming, frustrating, and downright complicated for many expats who have lived in various countries over the years. While some countries you may have lived in will have national databases (such as Japan), it is possible that the Australian Department of Immigration will require several Police Checks from the same country (such as a federal FBI clearance AND a local state clearance, in the case of the USA). As this is the most common point of contention that can delay a visa, it is highly recommended you contact your local Australian Embassy for specific details on which Police Checks they require for each country you have lived in.
Secondary Applicants (Spouse / Partner / Children)
If you are intending to relocate with your spouse, partner, or family, they will be required to file their own, secondary applications that include all of the documentation listed above (where applicable), as well as the following:
- Spouse / Partner: Copy of your marriage certificate, or proof of cohabitation (such as shared bills, or joint ownership / lease of property)
- Children under 18: Custody papers / Court documents, Adoption records, or Letter-of-consent from a non-migrating parent
- Children over 18: Residential details (if not living with you), proof of financial independence (bank account details), details of enrolment in school / university
Where to Submit Applications
Once you’ve collected all of that information and documentation, it is time to apply. If the business sponsoring you is Australian, you can apply and submit your documentation online at http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/sbs/apply-online.htm
However, if your employer is a business based outside of Australia, you’ll have to post all of your documentation and your applications (in a very large envelope usually) to your nearest Australian Immigration office for processing, or take it in person (mind your back, lift with the legs). To find out where you should submit your application, check http://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/overseas/
If you satisfy all those requirements, track down and supply all that paperwork, and have the patience to wait 2-3 months (best-case scenario with perfect documentation), you deserve a medal! But don’t get discouraged if you don’t receive a medal, you’ll still probably get your visa.
