How to Get PR in Australia: 408 Visa to PR with Sponsorship

Pathway to PR – 408 Visa with Potential Sponsorship

You might be wondering how to get PR in Australia these days, while many changes will happen in July 2023.

So this article will explain a pathway to get PR in Australia, specifically for the 408 Visa holders.

408 Visa is a temporary activity visa with various activities as their streams that relates to the applicant’s proposed jobs in Australia.

408 Visa as your temporary visa would possibly be your pathway to permanent residency in Australia; these have been mentioned in our previous article here

But, in this article, ONE derland Consulting will give you a full insight on the PR pathway for 408 Visa holders who have a potential sponsorship from an Australian employer.

How will a 408 Visa be my pathway to Permanent Resident?

Unlike the 189 or 190 Visa that brings you to a permanent residency directly, or 482 Visa that has 186 Visa or 187 Visa as the PR pathway, 408 Visa most likely requires you to move to another temporary working visa first, before getting to the Permanent Resident.

Still, this visa provides many pathways to apply for permanent residence.

As stated above, this article will guide you to get the Permanent Residency with a scenario that you have a potential sponsorship either from your current employer or other company.

From 408 Visa to Australian PR with a Potential Sponsorship

Let’s dive in to the PR pathway with potential sponsorship. Be noted that we will discuss 2 different pathways here, which are:

PR pathway if you receive a potential sponsorship from an Employer in Non-regional Area
PR pathway if you receive a potential sponsorship from an Employer in Regional Area

PR pathway if you receive a potential sponsorship from an Employer in Non-regional Area

If the potential employer is in a non-regional area, you may consider the Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa. The 482 Visa is a temporary working visa with a sponsorship from an Australian employer which is located in a non-regional area.

The 482 Visa has 3 different streams, which are Short-term stream, Medium-term stream and Labour agreement stream.

Your occupation will determine which stream will suit you. You can check the occupation list here.

If you were granted a 482 Visa, and if you have met the eligibility, you can continue your application to 186 Visa – Temporary Residence Transition stream.

Generally speaking, the process for this pathway may take up to 6 years with specification as below:

You must work in your nominated occupation and hold the 408 visa for at least 2 years. This is to meet the eligibility criteria for the 482 Visa.
You must continue working for your employer and in your nominated occupation under 482 visa for at least 3 or 4 years. This is to meet the eligibility criteria for 186 visa

Additional note, the processing above might change if your circumstances change.

PR pathway if you receive a potential sponsorship from an Employer in Regional Area

If your employer or prospective employer is in a Regional Area, the visa subclass will be different. You may consider Visa 494 for your pathway.

Visa 494 is a temporary working visa specifically for those who wish or receive a sponsorship offer from an employer in a Regional Area. The 494 Visa has two streams which are Employer-sponsored and Labour agreement streams.

Your work agreement or work contract would determine which stream suits you.

Suppose you were granted the 494 Visa, you can continue your pathway to Permanent Residency through 187 Visa – Temporary Residence Transition stream.

The steps are similar to the above mentioned steps. The difference only lies on the location where your prospective employer is.

Are there other pathways?

As discussed above, you will face two different possible pathways to PR in Australia with different eligibility criteria. If you are unsure which visa or streams suits you, don’t risk your chance of getting the Permanent Residency status. Always get yourself legal advice and insight.