A business or organisation must be an approved Sponsor in order to nominate someone for a TSS visa.

There are a few different kinds of Sponsorship, but the primary one is a Standard Business Sponsorship (which is often shortened to SBS). We are going to go into the SBS in a lot of detail, and then briefly mention the other options at the end of this page.

General TSS Standard Business Sponsorship Requirements 

For a business or entity to be approved as a TSS Standard Business Sponsor, it needs to provide the following:

A Lawfully Operating Business

The business must provide evidence that it is legally and actively operating. You would think this is obvious, right? But Immigration really needs to be sure!

There is no one set of documents that is required by all businesses in all circumstances, as every business is different. However, a great place to start is our TSS Standard Business Sponsor Checklist.

General information about business structure

You should try and really paint a picture for Immigration to show them what you business does. This can include promotional material and structure documents like a corporate or organisation chart

Again, the TSS Standard Business Sponsor Checklist gives some examples.

Okay, I Want to Sponsor Someone. What is the TSS Lodgment Process?

Once the form is complete, the online system will ask you to attach all relevant documents to the Sponsorship application. A couple of points on this:

Congratulations! Your Sponsorship Application is Lodged

Make Sure You Attach All Your Documents!

Bear in mind, Immigration has the right to make a decision on an application without requesting any further information – and if you haven’t provided everything, that decision is not going to be favourable! This being the case, wherever possible, applications should be lodged complete and ready for a decision. Moreover, we have had feedback from Immigration that they will refuse TSS applications if, after 2 days, no documents have been attached.

Lodging an application “decision-ready” (that is, with all necessary evidence attached) can also have a positive impact on processing times. If Immigration has to request further information this typically delays processing.

Of course, sometimes you have to lodge to a deadline without all documents, for instance when a visa is expiring. It is important in these cases to attach the missing documents to the lodged application as soon as you possibly can. If any documents are missing at the time of application, upload a note to Immigration explaining why, and when they can expect to receive it.

What’s Next?

The Sponsorship is Approved! Hooray! What Now?

Once approved, the Sponsorship will be in place for the following period:

You can nominate any number of TSS visa holders while the Sponsorship is valid.

If you have lodged any associated Nomination or Visa applications under the Sponsorship, these can now be assessed by Immigration. You may receive a decision on these quite quickly if they were lodged very quickly after the Sponsorship, or you may have to wait longer (depending on when the application was lodged and standard TSS processing times).

The Sponsorship Obligations - Know Your Responsibilities 

Once a business becomes an approved Sponsor, it is subject to a number of Sponsorship Obligations. We have prepared a summary of the TSS Sponsorship Obligations for you.

Sponsors should pay particular attention to their obligation to notify Immigration when certain events occur – particularly the obligation to notify Immigration within 28 days if a 457 or TSS visa holder ceases employment.

What if the Business Structure Changes After the TSS Sponsorship Approval?

Businesses sometimes change their structure and this can have implications on your Sponsorship and also your sponsored Visa holders.

If the change of structure results in a new legal entity being created (for example, a sole trader commences operating as a company) then the new entity will need to apply to become a Sponsor and new Nominations will be required for each of your Visa holders.

If you do not do this, you could be breaching your Sponsorship obligations and your workers will not be complying with their visa conditions, which might result in Visas being cancelled.

What Are Those Other Types of TSS Sponsorship?

We have given some basic information on each of them below.

Accredited Sponsorship

Businesses that meet additional criteria can also become ‘Accredited Sponsors’. These businesses generally meet the following profile (this list is not exhaustive):

The primary benefit of Accredited Sponsorship, among others, is priority processing arrangements – applications lodged for accredited Sponsors can generally be processed in less than 4 weeks. Applicants being nominated by an Accredited Sponsor can also avoid the requirement for police clearances if certain requirements are met.

Overseas Business Sponsors

Businesses based outside of Australia must be seeking to employ a skilled worker to either:

Labour Agreements

Approved Sponsors may be able to negotiate a specific and tailored Labour Agreement directly with Immigration, if they have requirements that are not met by the current program.

This is difficult to advise on in detail in a document like this, as every business is different and the elements that can be negotiated are vast. However, Sponsors may be able to negotiate things like:

The Labour Agreement application process is arduous and can be complicated. It also involves extensive stakeholder consultation with unions etc.

As you can see, the process is not for the fainthearted! But if a business has a really strong need for skilled workers and this cannot be met by the current program, it can be a great option.