We get asked this question a lot by our corporate clients who were previously sponsoring workers, but now don't know how to proceed. Read below to know more...
Current Immigration Landscape
Due to the travel ban, employers willing to sponsor foreign workers who are currently offshore should put the applications on hold while the travel ban is in place unless one of the travel ban exemption applies:
foreign nationals travelling to assist in the COVID-19 response;
critical medical services;
people with critical skills;
diplomats; and
partners/children of Australian citizens or PR
on a case-by-case basis, for those carrying out humanitarian relief (VERY HARD TO GET THROUGH).
Onshore applicants
However, the Department is still processing onshore applications for all employer-related visa such as 482, 186, 400, 407 etc.
Timeframes for Onshore Applications
The official timeframes can be found out here: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-processing-times/global-visa-processing-times
In general terms, we are experiencing processing delays for applications in non-critical sectors (such as agriculture, food processing, health care, aged care, disability care or child care)medical).
However, this does not mean that your business cannot sponsor a foreign worker.
In fact, we have recently had applications approved in the Marketing, Infrastructure and Construction sectors (which are NOT considered critical sectors) therefore there is scope for getting visas approved in non-critical sectors as well.
Is there any COVID-Related Additional Requirement for Onshore Applications?
There is no additional requirement as such, but we strongly recommend our clients to provide a detailed Recruitment Summary as part of the Labour Market Testing requirement. The Recruitment Summary can be an Excel or other format and should specify:
Source (eg. Seek, Indeed, etc)
Required qualification & experience (YES/NO)
Reason for not hiring (if unsuccessful) eg: Not enough experience; Not adequate technical knowledge; Lack of communication skills; Not available full time; etc.
Hired (YES/NO/Hired for a different position)
Recruitment Summary Example*
The aim is to show that the business has made a genuine effort to give priority to local workers
Contact FastVisa
Contact us for more information about the Recruitment Summary or any other info you require.
*DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this document is of a general nature and should not be relied on by anyone as immigration assistance or legal advice. Alberto Fascetti. MARN 1383837