Benefit from changes to the Accredited Sponsorship Status

How your business can benefit from changes to the Accredited Sponsorship Status?
Does your business sponsor employees from overseas? If you are looking for a way to make employee sponsorship a more viable option for your organisation, then the newly updated Accredited Sponsorship status is worth considering.
An Accredited Sponsor is a standard business sponsor who has been assessed as meeting additional criteria* enabling benefits that help bring in international talent more readily.
Changes affecting the Accredited Sponsorship Status
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has recently released an update on the Accredited Sponsorship Status, which took effect on July 1, 2016. These changes have made the attainment of this status more attractive to businesses due to the lowering of certain benchmarks.
Previous to this status update, businesses wishing to obtain Accredited Sponsorship Status were required to have sponsored a minimum of thirty primary 457 visa holders in the year prior to applying for accreditation. This requirement has now been reduced significantly to just ten sponsorships in the two years prior to application for accreditation. This has made accredited status more accessible and a more realistic option for businesses that regularly sponsor employees.
*For a full list of requirements, see table 1.1 below.
How will you benefit from the accreditation:
Priority processing for visa applications
Applications from companies holding this accreditation will be prioritised and if the nominated base salary of the applicant is $136,700 or higher and the role meets certain ANZSCO skill level requirements, you may be eligible for further priority processing.
Additionally, if an applicant is set to earn $75,000 per year and the occupation meets particular skill level requirements (ANZSCO level 1 and 2 occupations should meet the criteria), they may also be eligible for priority processing.
Businesses with accredited status can use the faster application processing times to their advantage, as they are able to get sponsored staff on-boarded and working sooner than businesses without this capability. It’s a great competitive advantage to have, particularly considering the fierce competition for talent.
A 6 year Accredited Sponsorship Agreement
The accreditation will now be valid for 6 years, as opposed to the 5 year limit that had previously been in place. This will give businesses an extra year on an agreement without needing to go through the application process again and pay for any associated fees, saving you time and reducing related costs.
Do you need assistance with gaining Accredited Sponsorship status?
Is your business interested in applying for Accredited Sponsorship status? Entity Solutions can assess your current position and advise you on the options available to you and benefits of your business qualifying for this status.
If you would like to find out more about the amendments to the Accredited Sponsorship Status, feel free to get in touch with our expert Migration Team at Entity Solutions.
Table 1.1
 
 
Sources:
 
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection Website
http://www.mia.org.au/documents/item/934