How to Sponsor Overseas Workers in Australia: An Employer's Guide

To sponsor an overseas worker in Australia, your business generally needs approval as a standard business sponsor, a nomination for a genuine position on an eligible occupation list, and the worker's own visa application. The main temporary option is the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482). Each step has its own criteria, fees and obligations.

Which visa options can an Australian employer use?

The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage visa in December 2024. It has three streams. The Specialist Skills stream is for highly paid roles in most occupations, while the Core Skills stream covers occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List, which was developed with advice from Jobs and Skills Australia. The Labour Agreement stream applies where a business or industry has negotiated an agreement with the Australian Government. For permanent roles, employers may look at the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186), and businesses in designated regional areas may consider the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494). Each visa has different occupation lists, age limits, English requirements and work experience rules, and those settings change. Check the current criteria on the Department of Home Affairs website before you commit to a pathway, and ask a registered migration agent which option suits the role.

What are the three steps in employer sponsorship?

Sponsorship usually moves through three linked applications. First, the business applies to become an approved sponsor, most commonly a standard business sponsor. Home Affairs looks at whether the business is lawfully operating and whether there is any adverse information about it. Second, the business lodges a nomination for a specific position. The nomination sets out the occupation, the duties, the salary and the terms of employment, and it must show the position is genuine. Third, the worker lodges their visa application, which assesses their skills, English, health and character. The steps can sometimes be lodged close together, but a visa cannot be granted without an approved nomination, and a nomination needs an approved sponsor. Fees apply at the sponsorship and nomination stages, and the Skilling Australians Fund levy is generally payable with the nomination. Check the current amounts on the Home Affairs fee pages rather than relying on older figures.

How do salary thresholds and market rates work?

A sponsored worker must be paid at least the annual market salary rate, which is what an Australian citizen or permanent resident would earn doing the same work in the same location. Your nomination will usually need evidence of that rate, such as an enterprise agreement, your own pay records for comparable staff, or other market data. On top of this, the salary must meet the relevant income threshold. For the Core Skills stream, that is the Core Skills Income Threshold, and the Specialist Skills stream has a higher threshold of its own. Both are indexed, so check the current figures on the Home Affairs website when you prepare the nomination. The salary must also meet any minimum set by the applicable award or agreement. Use the Fair Work Ombudsman's pay tools to confirm which award applies and what the current minimum rates are.

Do you need to advertise the job in Australia first?

In most cases, yes. Labour market testing requires many employers to advertise a nominated position in Australia before lodging the nomination, so that local candidates have a fair chance at the role. The rules cover where the job must be advertised, for how long, and what the advertisement must include, and they also set a window within which the advertising must have occurred. Some nominations are exempt, for example because of an international trade obligation, but you should confirm whether an exemption applies rather than assuming. Keep copies of every advertisement, the dates it ran and a summary of applicants and outcomes, because you may need to provide this evidence. The current requirements are published on the Home Affairs website. If you use a recruiter to run the local search, ask for documentation you can keep on file for the nomination.

What obligations do sponsors have after the visa is granted?

Sponsorship carries ongoing obligations. You must pay the worker at least the nominated salary and give them terms and conditions no less favourable than an Australian worker in the same role would receive. You must keep records, cooperate with inspectors and notify Home Affairs of certain events within set timeframes, such as the worker resigning or their duties changing. Sponsors cannot recover certain costs from the visa holder, including sponsorship and nomination costs, and it is unlawful to ask for or accept payment in exchange for sponsorship. All workers in Australia have the same workplace rights regardless of visa status, which the Fair Work Ombudsman explains in its guidance for visa holders. Breaching sponsor obligations can lead to penalties or a bar on future sponsorship, so build these tasks into your payroll and HR processes from day one.

Should you hire someone already in Australia instead?

Before starting a sponsorship, check whether a suitable candidate is already in Australia with work rights. Many people onshore hold visas that allow them to work, including some temporary graduates, partners and existing sponsored workers looking to change employer. Hiring onshore can reduce relocation lead time, although some visa holders still need a new nomination before they can start with you. Always confirm a candidate's work rights through the Visa Entitlement Verification Online service, known as VEVO, before they begin work, and record the check. Our page for candidates already in Australia explains how we approach onshore candidates. Whatever route you choose, treat each candidate's visa position individually. Conditions vary between visa types and even between grants of the same visa, so a VEVO check is the only reliable way to see what applies today.

How can CrossNation help with sponsored hiring?

CrossNation Education Services Pty Ltd, trading as CrossNation, is a Victorian-based recruitment agency that recruits for employers across Australia. We are a recruitment agency, not a registered migration agent, so we do not give migration advice or lodge visa applications. As a recruitment agency, our role is sourcing and screening candidates and coordinating the hiring process with you, alongside the migration agent you choose. Our employer fee is 12% of the candidate's annual salary, and placements come with a 90-day placement guarantee. If you are hiring in health, aged care or allied health, see our healthcare recruitment services, browse current roles on our jobs page, or send us a hiring enquiry to talk through the position, the timing you need and what is realistic for your location.

This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.