Month: March 2014

Abolishment of Nomination Ceilings for Subclass 457 Sponsorships

The Federal Government has now abolished the ceiling placed on businesses applying to nominate workers on Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) visas in the process of applying to become standard business sponsors.

Following the host of changes to the subclass 457 visa program introduced on 1 July 2013, it became necessary for businesses to elect a ceiling on the amount of overseas workers they could nominate for the term of the sponsorship. This was a problematic process as it was difficult for a business to predict into the future exactly how many overseas workers the business may require.

Prior to the abolishment of the provision, should a business reach the nomination ceiling, they would be required to apply to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) to vary the terms of the sponsorship arrangement.

Following the abolishment of the nomination ceiling, businesses applying for subclass 457 sponsorship approval processed after 14 February 2014 will still be required to state how many overseas workers they intend to nominate, however further nominations can still be lodged after this number has been reached. This provides businesses with more flexibility in sponsoring overseas workers on subclass 457 visas.

Please contact us for further information regarding the new labour market testing provisions.

Disclaimer:

The information on this website is intended only to provide a summary and general overview on relevant matters. It is not intended to be comprehensive nor does it constitute legal advice. You are advised to seek legal or other professional advice before acting or relying on any of the content contained in this website.