Updated: 24 April 2024
By November 2017, it’s expected that the hospitality industry will grow by 42,700 jobs.
That’s a lot of jobs.
But whilst more employment in cafes, restaurants and takeaways is a good thing, the hospitality industry is notorious for high turnover and skills shortages. This means that business owners often struggle to find the chefs, managers and floor staff needed to keep customers happy and the doors open.
The 457 visa helps to combat this. It allows Australian businesses to recruit international talent and sponsor foreign workers. In fact, hospitality-related roles such as cooks and chefs are in the Top 10 most popular professions under the 457 visa.
Eligible Hospitality Roles
You can recruit the best people for your hospitality business using the 457 visa. Some roles covered by the visa include:
- Cook
- Pastrycook
- Chef
- Café or restaurant manager
- Accommodation and Hospitality Managers
- Licensed Club Manager
But you’re not restricted to hospitality-specific roles. You can source talent in other roles under the 457 visa to help with the strategic and financial functions of your business, such as:
- HR managers
- Accountants
- Other business, strategy or marketing roles
The Process
Tapping into the foreign talent pool with the 457 is a three-step process:
- Sponsorship
- Nomination
- Application
Depending on circumstances, you may be able to complete all three steps simultaneously. Alternatively, you can apply for Sponsorship first, followed by the Nomination and Application, which can be lodged together.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship is a one-off process allowing you to sponsor foreign workers under both the 457 visa and other visas. After it’s been completed the first time, you’re able to sponsor multiple employees.
Standard business sponsorships will be approved for a specified time period:
- Sponsorships for start-ups (if you’ve been trading in Australia for less than 12 months): 18 months
- If your business becomes an accredited sponsor: 6 years
- All other standard business sponsorships: 5 years
As you can see, the time period for start-ups is much less. 457 applications for start-ups can be a little bit trickier than usual, as we explain here.
Certain business’ can apply to become an accredited sponsor if you have a long history of good dealings with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP). You have a lodge a number of high quality applications and have an unblemished record of compliance.
Accreditation means your sponsorship lasts one year longer than other standard business sponsorships, and also means you get priority processing. If you want to find out more about becoming an accredited sponsor, get in touch; we’re more than happy to go through it with you and find out if your business qualifies.
Nomination
The Nomination stage involves nominating the specific position you require to be filled by a foreign worker. The DIBP will assess the role you nominate, rather than the person.
What does Nomination Involve?
The DIBP asks the following questions as part of the Nomination process:
- Is the occupation relevant to the position to be filled?
- What are the skills and experience required for the position?
- What is the market salary rate for the position, and what is the salary rate to be paid to the nominated foreign employee?
- What is the name of the nominated foreign employee?
- Where will the foreign employee be working?
The types of occupations that can be nominated for an employer-sponsored 457 visa are found on Skilled Occupation List.
(Primary) Application
The primary Application involves the DIBP looking at the individual application. The worker must meet the specific requirements of the role you have nominated.
The Next Step
We’re experts in working with the hospitality industry, and know exactly how the 457 process works. Let’s have a chat about making it happen.
