Visa Australia have received further information this morning on the implementation of the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF). The associated Bills have been passed through Parliament and both are awaiting Royal Assent, which usually takes between 7 and 10 working days. When it comes into effect it will require employers to pay into the SAF for each individual nomination application that is submitted with the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA).

The associated costs are:

Businesses with turnover of less than $10 million per year will be required to:

• Make an upfront payment of $1,200 per visa per year for each employee on a Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa
• A one-off payment of $3,000 for each employee being sponsored for a permanent Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa or a permanent Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa.

Businesses with turnover of $10 million or more per year will be required to:

• Make an upfront payment of $1,800 per visa year for each employee on a Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa
• A one-off payment of $5,000 for each employee being sponsored for a permanent Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa or a permanent Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa.

Due to the complexity of the ongoing changes to the employer sponsored visa categories over the past 12 months, Visa Australia will be running a weekly blog update to outline the changes and what this means for your business. Stay up to date with our blog to ensure you don’t miss any of the important changes that may have an impact on your business.

If you have any questions regarding the Skilling Australians Fund or want to know more about employing an immigrant as a business owner, please contact our team today. Our team of Registered Migration Agents and Immigration Lawyers are ready to answer your questions or should you be ready to start your visa application, we will assist you through the Australian immigration process.