(As of 18 March 2018 , this visa is now closed to applications and replaced by the subclass 482 TSS Visa )
TEMPORARY BUSINESS SPONSORSHIP
Australian or overseas employers regularly use the 457 temporary (long stay) work visa to sponsor employees to work in Australia. To sponsor employees, the business must apply for standard business sponsorship approval and once approved can then nominate employees to work in their business. Sponsorship approval is for 3 years in most cases but may be less, for example if you your business has traded for less than 12 months. This visa also allows you to bring your family to work or study in Australia and travel in and out of the country while still working for your sponsoring employer.
CRITERIA
Sponsorship – To be approved, your business must establish, among other things, that:
The Business is lawfully operating in (or out of) Australia
The Business is financially viable and can meet its sponsorship obligations
The business satisfies the training benchmarks, or if trading less than 12 months, has an auditable plan to meet the training benchmarks.