Work Visa
in Australia.

SALARY PAYMENT IN Australian Dollar (AUD $)

CONTRACT LANGUAGE English

PAYROLL TAX 15.85%

PAYROLL CYCLE Weekly or bi-weekly

TIME TO HIRE 12 hours

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Australia

Types of work visa in Australia

There are 8 categories of working visa when hiring international employees in Australia. Within these categories are 43 separate working visas that can be granted to foreign nationals to work in Australia. The categories are:

Temporary Skill Shortage Visa
Employer Nomination Scheme Visa
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa
Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA)
Working Holiday Visa
Training Visa
Temporary Activity Visa
Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) Visa

All nationalities except New Zealand citizens need to hold one of these visas to legally reside and work in Australia unless they have already attained Australian residency status. New Zealand citizens do not need a work visa in Australia, as New Zealanders gain an automatic Special Category Visa when travelling to Australia.

1. Temporary Skill Shortage Visa

The Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (TSS) is a temporary visa that can be valid between 1 and 4 years. This visa is for employers to be able to fill skill gaps unable to source in Australia. There are three steams that employers can sponsor foreign employees under including:

The Short-term Stream
Medium Term Stream
Labour Agreement

There are dedicated occupation lists that outline the current skill shortages present in Australian immigration website. For foreign workers looking for sponsorship, there are other eligibility requirements that must be met apart from sponsorship to attain a TSS visa.

2. Employer Nomination Scheme Visa

For employers looking to nominate and sponsor a highly skills foreign individual on a permanent basis, then there are three visa streams under this visa class. These are:

Temporary Residence Transition scheme
Direct Entry scheme
Agreement scheme

Whether or not an employee can fit one of these schemes to will depend on how long they have been employed with their current Australian employer, if they are looking to transition from a TSS visa, if they have substantial skills for a nominated position or there is an existing labour or regional migration agreement in place. Apart from these factors, foreign employees must fit strict eligibility requirements to be granted this visa class.

3. Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa

This visa is for employers that are looking for skilled workers to fill positions outside the major cities and to reside and work in designated regional areas of Australia. Similar eligibility requirements to the Employer Nomination Scheme apply.

4. Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA)

The DAMA visa class allows employers residing in specific regional areas to hire skilled or semi-skilled workers. There are twelve DAMA agreements in place, with designated regions where sponsorship of a foreign worker can take place.

5. Working Holiday Visa

This visa is for foreign nationals of certain countries between the ages of 18 to 30/35 (depending on nationality) to live and work in Australia for up to 3 years.

6. Training Visa

This visa type is for foreigners looking to come to Australia on a temporary basis to undertake some form of training or professional development.

7. Temporary Activity Visa

This visa is for those with specialised skills that pertain to a specific activity or event that is carried out in Australia. This could be for Australian government endorsed events, religious activity, research, sporting or entertainment activities, air or maritime crew or senior executive work.

8. Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) Visa

This Visa is for foreign nationals who need to undertake short-term, highly specialised work in Australia. This visa if granted is only for anywhere between 3-6 months and is on an non ongoing basis.

There are also several different investment, graduate and business visas that are available.

Required documents for a work visa in Australia

The documents required for a work visa vary between the types of working visas. For a sponsored or nominated position, an employer must hold an approved sponsor status and the employee must provide the following documents:

A filled out visa application form (online or physical)
Proof of the requisite level of English language
Documentation that proves their skills, previous work experience and/or relevant qualifications for the designated role
Evidence of age, health and character requirements
Any other documentation specific to that visa class

Visa applications can be conducted online or via physical mail (this type of application can take much longer).

Process to get a work visa in Australia

Processing time to get a work visa in Australia

As like the requirements, processing times will vary between visa types and depending on if an application is submitted inside or from outside Australia. However, for any of the temporary classed visas, processing timeframes can range from 1 day to 5 months. To hire a permanent skilled foreign worker, 50% of all applications are processed within 5 months.

Application procedure to get a work visa in Australia

To apply for a working visa in Australia, applicants must open a ImmiAccount through the Australian immigration website. You can apply for a working visa through this portal inside or from outside Australia. Once you have a registered account, you will need to follow these steps (these will vary per visa type):

For a skilled worker visas, submit and Expression of Interest of why you want to apply for a Visa
Provide documentation that match your EOI and prove your skills, qualifications and/or past working experience
Wait for an invitation to apply for the Visa which comes after your EOI is read and accepted. You have 60 days from this invitation to apply.
Wait for notification of your received visa application
Wait for your Visa outcome, You can be inside or outside of Australia when this notification comes in.

Applicants that are applying from outside Australia will need to bring approved Visa application with supporting documentation when entering Australia.

Special notes about work visas in Australia

There are several special notes about Work Visas in Australia:

New Zealand citizens do not need to apply for any type of work visa to live and work in Australia as on arrival they will be granted a Special Category Visa. New Zealand residents that are not citizens or permanent residents will still need to apply for a working visa to work and live in Australia legally.
The average yearly salary for a director-level positions in Australia is $142,845 AUD per year.
For professional level roles, the salary range can be anywhere between $79,000 to $137,000 AUD with a median salary of $99,000 AUD annually.
Foreign nationals holding a valid working visa type are protected by Australia’s strict employment law. This includes statutory minimum wage requirements, workplace, health and safety regulation and anti-discrimination laws.

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FAQs

Can Australia work visa holders bring their family members?

It is possible for immediate family members to join a foreign employee who holds a valid Australian workers visa. This is subject to the terms, type and conditions of the visa subclass that a foreign worker is residing in Australia on. In most cases, family members will need to apply for another visa subclass at the same time or at a later date.

How long can I stay in Australia on a work visa?

The most common visa length is five years. After three years the individual can apply for permanent residency.

How long can I stay in Australia on a work visa?

Temporary visa type holders can be granted anywhere from 3 months to 5 years depending on subclass and employment type. Permanent visa types have similar stay allowances.

Can a global employer of record provide a work visa in Australia?

Generally, an Australian Employer of Record (EOR) would support a company through the visa application process, but may not always be able to sponsor the visa itself.

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Client Testimonials

"As a seed-stage, London-based startup, we were initially hesitant to expand internationally due to the administrative workload involved. Horizons took the headache out of the process, allowing us to hire a team of software engineers in Germany."

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Work Visa
in Australia.