457 Visa Blog

View Australia’s leading blog for all 457 visa information, news and updates.

All blog’s are written by the 457 visa compared team who have years of Australian Private Health Insurance experience and online marketing know-how. Adir Shiffman was the creator of Australia’s second leading health insurance website (www.helpmechoose.com.au which was later sold to Mortgage Choice).

Please feel free to contact us if you would like to contribute or have suggestions of different sections that you would like us to explore and discuss. You can also check out twitter, Google+ and Facebook page which are also updated frequently.

From time to time there will be information on other visa types such as the subclass 485 visa and general overseas visitor health insurance. This is due to a small proportion of users on this site having these other professional visa’s and their changes can also impact future 457 visa policy and 457 visa health insurance.

Australian Job Growth In 2013

Accountants, registered nurses and IT mobile specialists are set to be among the most in-demand workers in 2013, new analysis shows according to hays report. Hays has tipped the healthcare, energy and finance industries to experience skills shortages in the first quarter of the year, with demand from employers exceeding the number of qualified job candidates helping raise the prospect of 457 visa approvals across these areas. Hays report showed that Australian firms hiring plans for the coming quarter shows ... read more »

457 Visa Fee Increase From 1st Jan

The Department of Immigration & Citizenship has announced increases to visa application lodgement fees for a number of visa categories from 1 January 2013. The visa application lodgement fee for a Temporary Work (Skilled) subclass 457 visa will increase from $350 to $455. The visa application lodgment fee for a General Skilled Migration subclass 485 visa will increase from $315 to $1,250. Visa application lodgement fees for Partner visas, Prospective Marriage and Working Holiday visas will also be increased from ... read more »

457 Visa Arrivals (July to October 2012)

Key Points: - There are more 457 visa holders in Australia has increased by 13.5% year on year. - Onshore visa lodgements has increased by 32.5% but recently has been increasing at a slower rate. - 457 Visa visa holders at Oct 31 2012 was 101,970 an increase of 26.6% compared with the same period last year. - UK is the top country for 457 visa holders (21%), followed by India (20%), Ireland (9%) and Philippines (7%) - 51% of Visa grants ... read more »

457 Visa 2012 Checklist

In 2012 its critical to ensure you have the full 457 visa checklist. Key aspects to consider include: Have you been awarded a job that is eligible to be sponsored Do you have health insurance Do you have a clean criminal history Do you have adequate english skills (not necessary for english speaking countries such as the USA) Its aspects like these and others which you can see at DIBP's website which will determine if your can get a working 457 visa in ... read more »

Latest Australian Visa Changes

Ruling Made Against 457 visa sponsor (and Australia first) Department of Immigration and Border Protection today won a case against a Victorian employed who was underpaid a visa holder under the salary threshold rules. In total the employee was underpaid by $10,000. To show the seriousness of the matter the penalty for the company was $46,000(AUD) plus costs. Its the first time a court action went under the Migration Legislation Amendment (Worker Protection) Act 2008 with two issues: 1)The obligation ... read more »

September Australian Employment Figures

September unemployment figures showed that Australia was not immune to overseas trends with the rate increasing by 0.3% to 5.4% overall for the month. Official reports from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the while employment overall increase by 14,500 (32,000 people full time but a decrease of 17,700 part time) more people were looking for work leading to the higher rate. Overall, the increase in full time work is encouraging for those looking for work in Australia ... read more »

Migration Figures (July Quarter)

The quarterly report for the period ending June 30th was released. The report gives an insight for 457 visa applicants or the overall migration of Australia and trends that exists including: Business visitor visa applications such as the 457 visa increased in 2011–12 by 4.9 per cent compared to 2010–11. The USA was the saw the largest increase in application holders compared to the previous period. Tourism visitor visa applications remained steady in 2011–12. The UK remained the largest source country for tourists ... read more »