The Australian government has introduced a new Permanent Residency (“PR”) pathway for Subclass 482 visa holders on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List who did not previously have access to PR. If you:
- held a 457 visa or were an applicant for a 457 visa on 18 April 2017 that was subsequently granted (“Specified 457 Holder”) OR
- were in Australia for at least 12 months between 1 February 2020 and 14 December 2021 and at the time of your 186 application are employed by a lawful business in Australia,
you will be eligible to apply for PR under the Subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream after 1 July 2022.
Please note that if you are a Specified 457 Holder, you must have worked for at least 2 years in the 3 years immediately before the application is made holding a Subclass 457 or 482 visa. Otherwise, you must have worked for at least 3 years in the 4 years immediately before the application is made holding a Subclass 482 visa (you may need to hold 2 x 482 visas to meet this requirement).
In addition, you are also required to meet other general eligibly criteria for Subclass 186 visa such as Age, Competent English, Character and Health. If you wish to discuss your PR eligibility in detail, please contact Elmtree Migration Lawyers.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS NEW LEGISLATIVE INSTRUMENT IS STILL IN ITS EARLY STAGES. THE MIGRATION INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA HAS SOUGHT FURTHER CLARIFICATIONS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS REGARDING ITS IMPLEMENTATION. ACCORDINGLY, PLEASE CONSIDER THE ABOVE INFORMATION AS A GUIDE ONLY.