Relaxed conditions for employer sponsored visas commencing 1 July 2024
From 1 July 2024, the Department of Home Affairs will introduce changes to the conditions for temporary visa holders, who are affected by changes to their working circumstances including changing their employer.
Improvements to the visa conditions 8107, 8607 and 8608 are being made in response to the Australian Government’s Migration Strategy, aimed at supporting the skilled migrant labour market by relaxing some of the timeframes and work conditions if workers stop working for their sponsoring employer.
Key changes for workers on Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457), Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482), and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 494) include the extension of Time for job transition by Visa holders who stop working with their sponsoring employer:
- workers have up to 180 days at a time , or
- a maximum of 365 days in total across the visa grant period to find a new sponsor, apply for a different visa, or arrange to depart Australia.
Note that employer obligations remain, and employers must notify the Department within 28 days of any change to the sponsored worker’s situation, including ceasing the sponsorship or the worker resigning.
The changes commence 1 July 2024 and apply to those existing visa holders and new visa applications. Any periods a visa holder stopped working for their sponsor before 1 July 2024 will not count towards the new time periods outlined above. Employers and temporary visa holders are encouraged to regularly check specific visa conditions.
HOW RUPPERT LEGAL CAN HELP
If your business would like to find out how sponsorship could work for you or you are a visa holder seeking clarification on your rights and responsibilities, please contact our office to speak to an expert. We would love to discuss, in detail, how we can assist you to apply and comply with your sponsorship and / or visa obligations. At Ruppert Legal, you will feel the peace of being in safe hands at every step of the way.
This publication does not deal with every important topic or change in law and is not intended to be relied upon as a substitute for legal or other advice that may be relevant to the reader's specific circumstances. If you have found this publication of interest and would like to know more or wish to obtain legal advice relevant to your circumstances, please contact us at info@Ruppertlegal.com.au.