Subclass 457 Sponsorship Accreditation – from 7 November 2011

Minister Bowen has announced that DIAC will introduce a Sponsorship Accreditation system from Monday 7 November 2011.

Employers can apply for Accredited Sponsor status to qualify for priority processing for Subclass 457 visa nominations and visa applications.

Accredited Sponsor status is valid for six years, unless it is revoked because the employer no longer meets the required criteria.

Accreditation status is for employers with have a long and positive history of dealing with the Department and an excellent record of compliance with workplace and migration laws.

Applications for Accredited Sponsor status are made in the same way as applications for approval as a Standard Business Sponsorship applications, online or using Form 1196S.

A company must meet all the following criteria to gain Accredited Sponsor status:

• be a government agency, a publicly listed company, or a private company, with a minimum of $4 million turnover per year over the last three years;
• have been an active Subclass 457 visa sponsor for the past three years (with a break of no more than six months, which was not due to any sanction);
• have no adverse information known of it based on DIAC and DEEWR monitoring, including formal warnings and sanctions;
• have had at least 30 primary Subclass 457 visa applications granted in the previous 12 months;
• have lodged a high level of Decision Ready applications over the previous two years;
• have a non-approval rate of less than three percent during the previous three years; and
• have Australian workers comprising at least 75 percent of its workforce in Australia, and have made a commitment to maintain this level.

Source: MIA