In response to current working environments and the strong impact that COVID-19 has had on the Australian labour market, the Government has introduced new legislation that will allow certain temporary skilled visa holders to become eligible for permanent residence (PR) in Australia.

From 1 July 2022 applicants will have access to permanent residency under the TRT visa stream if they are:

• Existing subclass 482 (TSS) visa holders in the short-term stream who were in Australia for at least 12 months between 1 February 2020 and 14 December 2021 and are employed by a suitable Australian employer, will have access to permanent residence.
• Person who, on 18 April 2017, held or had applied for a subclass 457 visa that was subsequently granted.

This new legislation provides a pathway to permanent residency for Subclass 482 visa holders in the short-term stream, regardless of whether their nominated occupation is on the Medium & Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), the Short-Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) or the Regional Occupation L ist (ROL).