BzMark Consulting

Update on 457 visa program

SKILLED MIGRATION TALK

Below presented are 457 program statistics extracted from the DIBP site.  According to these statistics, during the last financial year, there were about 18,000 sponsorships lodged, and out of these approximately 15,000 were approved and around 2,000 refused.

In 2015/16, sponsoring businesses lodged closed to 70,000 457 nominations, out of which around 52,500 were approved and around 5,000 were refused.

The refusal rate of sponsorships is broadly estimated at 10% and of nominations at around 7%. (Above figures are estimates only)

In addition to the Genuine Position Criteria, the size and the financial capacity of a business play a critical role in both sponsorship and nomination approvals. The key to success is to provide a well-evidenced application that demonstrates the scale of the business, including the number of staff the business employs and the revenue that is sufficient and sustainable to self service its ongoing expenses.

The old days where an unprofitable business could qualify for sponsorship and nomination are well and truly gone as each business is required to provide concrete evidence of their financial strength and ability to service their expenses on an ongoing basis.

The risk of DIBP refusal is also greater if relevant supporting documents are not provided within the 10 days of initial lodgement. In this regard, an appropriate level of client education must be undertaken by migration professionals to increase efficiencies and deliver expected final outcomes. It also seems that provision of documents and evidence from the client’s point of view has never been slower and more exhausting process than now.