Ministerial Direction confirms accredited sponsor applications will be top priority

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? The Australian Government recently published a new Ministerial Direction reconfirming that Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa applications lodged by accredited sponsors will continue to be processed significantly faster than other TSS visa applications.

What does the change mean? TSS visa processing times are expected to range between one and two weeks for accredited sponsors and to be about eight weeks for non-accredited sponsors. Non-accredited sponsors may wish to consider applying for accredited sponsorship if they have not already done so.

• Implementation time frame: Ongoing.
• Visas/permits affected: Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa applications.
• Who is affected: Employers and foreign nationals applying for TSS visas.
• Impact on processing times: Ministerial Direction No. 77 said officials will prioritise TSS visa applications as follows: applications lodged by accredited sponsors, applications lodged for positions that are located in Regional Australia, applications lodged under the Labour Agreement stream, all other applications.
• Business impact: Companies should consider how the Department of Home Affairs will prioritise applications when developing time lines and planning employee start dates.

Background: Accredited sponsorship carries a number of advantages, including faster processing times. Sponsors can qualify for accredited status in one of four categories: government agencies, Australian Trusted Traders, companies with a low number of TSS visa holders and a high percentage of Australian workers, or companies with a high number of TSS visa holders and a medium percentage of Australian workers. The required characteristics for accredited sponsorship vary depending on the category in which it is sought. The Government recently reconfirmed that accredited sponsors would continue to receive top priority in visa processing. It also announced that it would stop accepting requests for priority processing and prioritise visa applications as outlined in the Ministerial Direction in all cases.

Analysis & Comments: While accredited sponsorship has been a good option for high-volume visa sponsors in the past, it may be an especially attractive option now that the Department of Home Affairs said it would stop accepting priority processing requests and has reconfirmed that accredited sponsors would continue to receive top priority in visa processing.

MARN: 0101248

Source: Deloitte LLP. Deloitte LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC303675 and its registered office at 1 New Street Square, London EC4A 3HQ, United Kingdom.