A Working Holiday Visa (417) is the most common visa for people initially seeking work in the digital and advertising space in Australia. The 417 Visa has limitations, however, because staff are restricted to working for up to 6 months with one employer.
This poses a challenge when a temporary staff member brings unique skills that are hard to find locally. These skills might be specific software development expertise, or the staff may be a key member of a project team with a completion date longer than six months.
What are my options?
You can apply to transition your employee from a Work Holiday 417 Visa to a 457 Visa which allows them to work for you full-time. Fortunately, many occupations in the digital, media and advertising industries, are listed on the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s (DIBP’s) Consolidated Sponsored Occupations List (CSOL). CSOL listed occupations include:
- Developer programmer
- Software engineer
- Computer network and systems engineer
- Analyst programmer
- Sales and Marketing Manager
- Advertising Manager
- Public Relations Manager
- Video Producer
- Copywriter
- Advertising Specialist
- Market Research Analyst
- Marketing Specialist
- Graphic Designer
- Illustrator
- Multimedia Designer
- Multimedia Specialist
- Web Designer
- Web Developer
How do I sponsor a staff member for a 457 Visa?
There are three steps to transitioning a staff member on a Working Holiday Visa to a 457 Visa.
- Become a Standard Business Sponsor.
To achieve this your business must operate lawfully, have a clean business background and display a history of employing and training Australians. This process may seem daunting, but help is at hand. DMA Migration has proven experience and a streamlined process to meet the approval requirements. Once you are approved as a Standard Business Sponsor it remains valid for five years.
- Nominate your employee to fill a position.
As a Standard Business Sponsor you may nominate an employee to fill a position that is listed on the Consolidated Sponsored Occupations List. The position listing is comprehensive and covers the majority of positions that digital, media and advertising agencies are likely to fill.
- Your nominated employee needs to apply for a 457 Visa.
Once you have nominated an employee for a position, the employee needs to complete a 457 Visa application for the position they have been nominated for.
When should I start the process of transitioning to a 457 Visa?
If you are willing to sponsor a staff member for a 457 Visa, time is of the essence. You should begin the process as early as possible to ensure that it is complete well before the six-month employment period is up. If the process is not complete and the 457 Visa is not granted before the six-month period is up, your employee may have to stop working for you. This is of course disruptive and defeats the purpose of transitioning to a 457 Visa.
In addition, depending on the terms of your employee’s Working Holiday visa, they may be required to leave the country until the application process is complete. DMA Migration can help with this process and ensure there are no unnecessary delays.
Before granting the 457 Visa, the DIBP will investigate to make sure the employee has not violated any conditions of their Working Holiday 417 Visa. Employees can request permission to continue working for you for longer than six months after you and your employee have submitted a request to be considered for a 457 Visa.
How long does approval take to become a Standard Business Sponsor?
The process of becoming and approved standard business sponsor can take 6-8 weeks if managed by a migration agency like DMA Migration. Delays often occur when businesses try to manage the process themselves and then fill in the paperwork incorrectly. If you would like to learn more about the process, feel free to contact us on (02) 8038 1854 or email [email protected]
