Since the 12 August 2018, businesses seeking to nominate a candidate under the Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) 482 Visa, they are required to pay the mandatory Skilling Australian Fund (SAF) levy, in addition to the standard visa application fees. The amount the business needs to pay, depends on the type of visa and the annual turnover. The following fees are outlined below, in relation to a TSS Visa.
- $1,200 per year if the annual turnover of the business is less than $10 million
- $1,800 per year if the annual turnover is higher than $10 million
Example: for a four-year TSS visa, a business with an annual turnover over $10 million, would need to pay an additional $7,200 in fees.
The SAF was introduced to address falling apprenticeship numbers across the country, however the underlying questions remains – have governments done enough to assist with the situation to date?
According to the Department of Employment’s website, the government has provided over $330 million to state and territory governments, which is aimed at supporting approximately 80,000 additional apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities. The National Partnership agreement which governs the allocation of funds, states the following industries will benefit from the program:
- Tourism & Hospitality
- Health, Ageing, Community and Social Services
- Engineering
- Manufacturing
- Building & Construction
- Agriculture
- Digital Technologies
In terms of the delivery of the projects, priority will be provided to:
- Trade apprenticeships
- Rural and regional communities
- Industries experiencing structural adjustments
Whilst there have been positive steps with the program, critics have voiced their concerns over the transparency of funds allocations, and timing of the overall program being signed with relevant states, considering 12 months has since lapsed since the implementation date.
Will there be changes to the program? According to clause E23 of the National Partnership agreement, an independent review will be completed approximately 12 months prior to its expiry, to assess whether changes will need to be implemented. If you or your business is interested with the results of the independent review, our team at Oz Migration will be able to produce findings, to assist businesses understand the actual real funding costs versus projections for various allocations & industries.
To download the agreement, you are able to refer to the following weblink:
http://www.federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/content/npa/skills/national-partnership/Skilling_Australians_Fund_NP.pdf
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Written by Robert Lu.
Robert is the Immigration Manager at Oz Migration Solutions. He has been working in the industry for the last 12 years, passionate about immigration and a believer in “Big Australia”.
MARN: 0848586
