The Australian Government introduced additional exemptions for Project Managers requiring skills assessments through VETASSESS when applying for a Temporary Work (Skilled)(subclass 457) visa.
Until 1 July 2013, it was much more straightforward to apply for a subclass 457 visa for a Project Manager. Previously the position of Project Manager could be nominated across a range of industries, from childcare centres to retail establishments.
However following a Discussion Paper by what was then the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) entitled ‘Strengthening the Integrity of the Subclass 457 Visa’ it was suggested that the occupations of ‘Program or Project Administrators’ as well as ‘Specialist Managers (Not Elsewhere Classified)’ were too broadly defined and applied, and therefore open to exploitation.
The Department of Immigration therefore decided to introduce skills assessments for applicants applying as Project Managers for subclass 457 visas to limit the situations where the occupation of ‘Program or Project Administrators’ or ‘Specialist Managers (Not Elsewhere Classified)’ could be selected.
Skills Assessments for Project Managers
Mandatory skills assessments for subclass 457 visa applicants applying for the nominated occupations of ‘Program or Project Administrators’ and ‘Specialist Managers (Not Elsewhere Classified)’ were introduced on 1 July 2013. Skills assessments for these occupations need to be applied for through the skills assessment authority of VETASESS.
The extra hurdle for Australian businesses needing to sponsor a Project Manager for a subclass 457 visa has led to increased delays. VETASSESS assessments can take up to three months to process, delaying and adding extra costs to applying for a subclass 457 visa for Project Managers.
Recent Amendments to the Australian 457 Visa
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has taken into consideration the inconvenience of requiring mandatory skills assessments for Project Managers. On 23 March 2016, the DIBP advised that exemptions will now be implemented for ‘Program or Project Administrators’ and ‘Specialist Managers (Not Elsewhere Classified)’ applying for subclass 457 visas.
Exemptions may now apply in the following additional situations:
- where applicants are applying for a repeat 457 application and completed a VETASSESS skills assessment for their previous visa for the same occupation; or
- where applicants are nominated as intra-company transfers and employed in a similar occupation for the same company overseas.
The exemption of requiring a skills assessment for a subclass 457 visa applicant nominating the occupation of ‘Program or Project Administrators’ or ‘Specialist Managers (Not Elsewhere Classified)’ may also be applied at the discretion of a case officer where the visa applicant has significant qualifications and/or extensive work experience and:
- the salary level is $180,000 or more; or
- the sponsor is accredited.
If an exemption may apply, submissions will need to be made to the DIBP at the time of lodgement of the subclass 457 visa application.
For more information on applying for subclass 457 visas, please feel free to contact the author by email at rebecca@hartmanlawyers.com.au or by telephone on +61 3 9021 0986 or +61 (0)423 701 747.