457 Visa Processing Time Benefits for Business
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen recently announced significant changes to 457 sponsorship. In acknowledgement of the many Australian businesses which have a history of good dealings with the Department of Immigration & Citizenship (DIAC) there is now a new category of business sponsorship: Accredited Status business sponsorship.
To be eligible to apply for Accredited Status, an Australian business must either be an existing sponsor (who applies for a variation of a current sponsorship agreement) or a new sponsor applicant who applies for the Accredited Status at the time of sponsorship approval.
The benefits of Accredited Status are priority processing for both nomination and visa applications and a six year sponsorship, double the current three year period. To be eligible for Accredited Status, an Australian business must meet all of the following requirements:
• Be a government agency, a publicly-listed company or a private company with a
minimum of $4 million turnover per year for the past three years; and
• Have been an active sponsor over the past three years; and
• Have sponsored at least 30 457 visa holders in the past 12 months; and
• Have a good history or compliance with Australian laws, including immigration
laws; and
• Have previously lodged a high-level of “decision ready” applications over the
previous 24 months; and
• Have an application refusal rate of less than three percent in the previous three
years; and
• Have at least 75 percent Australian workers making up their workforce with a
commitment to maintaining this level.
Accredited Status will be a useful addition for big business dealing with labour
shortages.
See also: 457 visa processing times 
Image: africa