Employers in major cities of Australia such as Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbanane will now be allowed to hire foreign workers on a Temporary Work (Short Stay Activity) visa (subclass 400) visa for up to 6 months at a time as of November 23rd, 2014 to eligible passport holders.
Currently the Work Visa Australia only allows up to 3 months stay, this will allow employers to have more flexibility when employing foreign workers.
The (subclass 400) visa is a short term temporary visa that allows highly specialized, non-ongoing work.
To be eligible for Short Term Work Visa Australia you will need to be invited and be required to have knowledge, specialist skills and experience that will benefit Australian Businesses or if you are required in Australia for exceptional circumstances of national importance, such as to assist in helping after a natural disaster. You must only do work activities that you have listed on your Australian visa application.
Generally the stay period allowed is up to 3 months but up to six months may be considered in limited circumstances if supported by a strong business case.
You must be outside of Australia when you apply for the visa and arrive in Australia within six months of the date your visa is granted.
You can include family members in the application, which may include:
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Your partner (married or de-facto)
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You or your partners dependent children
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Other dependent relatives
You may also be able to combine your work and holiday Australian Visa with this Visa if your holiday is of a short term duration, but you must state that you are wanting to work and holiday on your visa application.
Although, another option if you are wanting to holiday also is you can apply for the subclass 400 first outside of Australia and then once you get to Australia you could apply for a Visitor visa, which may give you a longer time to be able to enjoy a holiday in Australia after your work or during your work period.
The Department of Immigration and Border Protections costs are $165 AUD for the applicant, for additional dependents over 18 years of age $85 AUD and for additional dependents under the age of 18 the fee is $40 AUD.
These fees can differ dependent on the business purpose you are coming to Australia for.
To find further information on the Australian Temporary Work (Short Stay Activity) visa (subclass 400), please contact our office on: (+61) 08 94775831 or email: [email protected].
