How to Sponsor an Employee on a 482 Visa: The Employer's Steps

Sponsoring an employee on a 482 visa takes three approvals in a fixed order: the business becomes a standard business sponsor ($420), nominates the position ($330 plus the Skilling Australians Fund levy), and the worker then applies for the visa. Before it nominates, the employer must advertise the job at least 2 times in the 4 months before lodging and set a salary at or above both the market rate and the Core Skills Income Threshold of $79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026. The first step is the standard business sponsorship application in ImmiAccount, which can be lodged at the same time as the nomination, although the sponsorship must be approved before the nomination can be (Department of Home Affairs, Core Skills stream page).

This page is general information about the process, not advice on any particular business’s situation.

Processing times are those Home Affairs published on 24 September 2026; they change over time.

Step 1: become an approved sponsor

A standard business sponsor is a business Home Affairs has approved to nominate workers for the 482 and the 494. The application costs $420 and approval lasts 5 years from the date it is granted. The business itself can be in or outside Australia under regulation 2.59(c) of the Migration Regulations 1994. Accredited status can be requested in the sponsorship or renewal application at no extra fee, according to the Home Affairs accredited sponsor page. The sponsorship application and the first nomination can be lodged together, and the full process is set out in the guide to becoming an approved 482 sponsor.

Who can be a sponsor?

Regulation 2.59 of the Migration Regulations 1994 sets three conditions:

1. The business is lawfully operating, in or outside Australia.
2. Home Affairs knows of no adverse information about the business or a person associated with it, or it is reasonable to disregard that information.
3. A business operating in Australia attests to a strong record of, or a demonstrated commitment to, employing local labour, and declares it will not recruit in a discriminatory way.

Step 2: nominate the position

The nomination is where most of the evidence sits. It proves the job exists, that Australians were given a chance at it, that it pays the market rate, and that the occupation is one the 482 allows.

Test the labour market first

Section 140GBA of the Migration Act 1958 and LIN 18/036 set out the advertising rules:

• at least 2 advertisements, in English, on national recruitment websites, national print media, national radio or, for an accredited sponsor, its own website;
• applications accepted for at least 4 weeks;
• all advertising inside the 4 months before the nomination is lodged;
• the salary shown in the ad if annual earnings are below $96,400.

Exemptions come from Australia’s international trade obligations under LIN 21/075, not from the occupation. The Home Affairs labour market testing page, updated 21 September 2026, says no instrument provides any other exemption. The ads, the evidence and the trade-obligation exemptions are covered under labour market testing for 482 visa nominations.

Set a salary that meets the market rate and the threshold

Guaranteed earnings, excluding non-monetary benefits, must be at least the annual market salary rate (what an Australian would earn for the same work in the same workplace) and at least $79,423 for the Core Skills stream or $146,576 for the Specialist Skills stream. Under regulation 2.73(6), a position in an eligible occupation group paid at or above $146,576 goes into the Specialist Skills stream; otherwise a CSOL occupation goes into Core Skills. The evidence Home Affairs accepts for the market rate is set out in the 482 visa salary requirements.

Check the occupation and the position

• Core Skills stream: the occupation is on the Core Skills Occupation List, 456 occupations in LIN 24/089 on the Federal Register of Legislation.
• Specialist Skills stream: any occupation in ANZSCO Major Group 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6, paid at or above $146,576.
• The position: genuine, full-time (38 hours a week, or 32 to 45 hours set by an award or agreement) and covered by a written employment contract.

Lodge the nomination and pay the levy

1. Log in to ImmiAccount and complete the nomination.
2. Pay $330 plus the levy for the whole period nominated.
3. Lodge before or together with the worker’s visa application.
4. Once approved, the nomination lasts 12 months.

Each part of the nomination, from the genuine position test to the family members listed, is explained in the guide to nominating a position.

Taking over a worker who already holds a 482

A 482 holder moving to a new employer does not usually need a new visa, but the new employer needs its own approved sponsorship and an approved nomination before the worker starts. A new visa is needed only if the visa is about to expire, the occupation changes or the worker moves from a labour agreement employer to a standard sponsor (Home Affairs, change in situation page). The worker’s side of the move is covered under change employer on 482 visa.

What does sponsoring cost?

The employer must not pass sponsorship, nomination, levy, recruitment or professional adviser costs to the worker, under regulation 2.87 of the Migration Regulations 1994 and the Home Affairs cost of sponsoring page. The levy tiers and the few refund cases are set out on the Skilling Australians Fund levy page, and worked totals for one to four years are in the cost of sponsoring 482 visa guide.

What must you do after approval?

The obligations start on approval and are listed on the Home Affairs sponsor obligations page:

1. Pay at least the earnings in the approved nomination.
2. Keep the worker in the nominated occupation.
3. Tell Home Affairs of listed events, such as the job ending, within 28 days.
4. Pay reasonable return travel for the worker and family within 30 days of a written request.
5. Keep records until 2 years after sponsorship ends and no sponsored worker remains.
6. Do not recover sponsorship costs from the worker.
7. Cooperate with inspectors; monitoring continues for up to 5 years after sponsorship ends.

A breach can lead to a bar on sponsoring, cancellation of the sponsorship, an infringement notice or a civil penalty under section 140K of the Migration Act 1958. Each duty is explained in the guide to sponsorship obligations.

When the standard rules do not fit (labour agreements, DAMA)

Standard business sponsorship does not cover three situations:

1. The occupation is not on the CSOL and is not in an eligible Specialist Skills group.
2. The business needs a concession on English, salary, age or experience.
3. The business supplies workers to other businesses; on-hire is not allowed under standard business sponsorship.

A labour agreement handles these. There are three kinds: company-specific agreements, industry labour agreements, and designated area migration agreements, of which the Home Affairs DAMA page listed 13 on 24 September 2026. There is no charge to request a labour agreement. The types and the current industry agreements are in the labour agreement list.

Can you sponsor yourself?

A person does not sponsor themselves, but a business they own can be the sponsor. The nomination must then pass the genuine position test and the written employment contract rule in regulation 2.72(10) and (11), and Home Affairs looks closely at whether the business needs the role. The self sponsor visa page sets out how that test applies.

Common mistakes employers make

1. Advertising outside the window or too few times. Ads must run at least 4 weeks inside the 4 months before lodging, at least 2 of them, in English, with the salary if earnings are below $96,400 (LIN 18/036, sections 6 and 8).
2. Relying on a generic salary survey. The Home Affairs salary requirements page says a nomination backed only by generic market data or surveys may be refused.
3. A position that does not fit the business. Home Affairs weighs whether the duties match ANZSCO, whether the role fits the scope and scale of the business, and whether it was created to help the nominee stay (regulation 2.72(10)).
4. Letting the sponsorship lapse. If it ends before a renewal is lodged, a new application is needed and unfinalised nominations are refused (Home Affairs standard business sponsor page).
5. Recovering costs from the worker. Sponsorship, nomination, levy, recruitment and professional adviser costs cannot be transferred (regulation 2.87), and asking for a benefit in return for sponsorship is an offence under section 245AR of the Migration Act 1958.
6. Letting a transferring worker start early. A 482 holder cannot start with a new employer until that employer’s nomination is approved.
7. Missing a notification. Listed events must be reported within 28 days.

An immigration lawyer makes approval more likely here because the sponsorship, the nomination and the visa must tell one consistent story: the occupation, duties and salary in the nomination have to match the ads, the contract and the worker’s evidence, and a mismatch found at the nomination stage costs the levy, which Home Affairs does not refund when a nomination is refused. No adviser can promise an approval.

Supplementary: the worker’s side of the match

The worker’s own application is separate from the employer’s, and it succeeds only if the worker meets five criteria:

1. At least 1 year of full-time experience in the occupation or a related field, within the last 5 years.
2. English: IELTS 5.0 in each component or an equivalent test score, unless exempt.
3. A skills assessment where IMMI 18/039 requires one for the occupation and passport.
4. Health requirements for the worker and each family member who applies, and character requirements for each applicant aged 16 or over.
5. The $4,015 visa application charge for the main applicant.

The full list is in the 482 visa requirements, and workers still looking for a sponsor can read how to find an employer to sponsor you.