Business Long Stay Visa

This visa can be applied for in Australia or overseas. The visa allows an Australian or overseas business to sponsor skilled individuals to fill a specific full-time skilled position for up to 4 years. The visa allows the employee (and their immediate family) to live and work in Australia and to travel as required.

Main Criteria

There are 3 main stages to applying for a Business Long Stay 457 visa;

The employer has to obtain approval to be a standard business sponsor. The employer will be able to nominate positions under the sponsorship approval for up to 3 years.

To be eligible to apply the company must be able to show that it:

• is a lawful and actively operating business;
• has a strong commitment to employing local labour;
• has non-discriminatory work practices;
• meets training benchmarks.

Note: Regional Company Concessions are no longer available .

As the employer, once you have the sponsorship approval you can then nominate the position you want to sponsor for approval. You must provide information on;

• the position (the occupation must be on the list of specified 457 occupations)
• terms and conditions of employment
• skills and experience required for the position
• market salary rate, and the salary rate to be paid to the prospective overseas employee
• name of the prospective overseas employee.

As the prospective employee you can then apply for your visa. To lodge a visa application the sponsorship and nomination must have been lodged with or prior to the visa application.

You must show that you;

• are sponsored by an employer for a nominated position;
• have the appropriate level of skills, qualifications and experience required for the position (NB. certain Trades are required to hold a skills assessment prior to application);
• meet the English language requirements;
• are to be paid at market salary rates;
• would be able to obtain any relevant licences or registration required for the nominated position;
• meet health & character requirements;
• hold health insurance cover or have arranged reciprocal health care (RHCA).