VJ Consulting and Education has guided numerous Australian businesses through the complexities of overseas worker sponsorship, from initial accreditation through to visa grant.
How to sponsor an overseas worker in Australia?
Sponsoring an overseas worker requires completing three sequential stages, each of which must be approved before the next can proceed: business sponsorship approval, position nomination, and the worker's visa application itself.
The first stage is applying for Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) through ImmiAccount. To be approved, a business must demonstrate it is actively operating in Australia and lawfully established — this typically means providing Australian Business Number (ABN) registration, recent financial records, and evidence of trading activity. Newly established businesses can apply, but Home Affairs scrutinises them more closely. SBS approval generally lasts 5 yearsAs of current · homeaffairs.gov.au for most businesses.
The second stage is nominating the specific position. This is where many applications encounter difficulty. The nominated occupation must appear on an eligible skilled occupation list, the proposed salary must meet the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) of AUD $73,150As of July 2024 · homeaffairs.gov.au, and the employer must demonstrate that the position genuinely exists. Labour Market Testing (LMT) is required for most nominations — meaning the employer must advertise the role in Australia for a minimum of 4 weeksAs of current · homeaffairs.gov.au before lodging the nomination, unless an exemption applies (such as an international trade obligation).
The third stage belongs to the overseas worker: lodging the visa application with supporting documents including skills assessment evidence, English language results, and health and character checks. The employer's obligations do not end at this point. Sponsors must comply with ongoing sponsorship obligations including paying equivalent terms and conditions to Australian workers in the same role, notifying Home Affairs of certain events (such as changes to the worker's duties or cessation of employment), and keeping records for 5 yearsAs of current · homeaffairs.gov.au. Non-compliance can result in civil penalties or deregistration as a sponsor.
Who can sponsor a 482 visa?
Not every business that wants to sponsor a In applications handled by VJCE, businesses that proactively address labour market testing records and demonstrate genuine operating history tend to present significantly stronger sponsorship cases.482 visa worker is eligible to do so — the approval criteria exist on a spectrum, and the size, history, and structure of the business all affect the outcome.
The short answer is: any lawfully operating Australian business can apply for Standard Business Sponsorship, but approval is not automatic and certain business types face higher scrutiny. Sole traders can technically apply, though demonstrating a genuine need for an overseas worker as a sole trader is inherently more difficult. Businesses with a history of adverse findings — including underpayment of wages, workplace health and safety breaches, or previous immigration non-compliance — may be refused or have conditions imposed on their approval.
The 482 visa operates across three streams, and which stream is available depends on the sponsoring entity's structure and relationship with the worker. The Short-term stream covers occupations on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) and is available to standard businesses. The Medium-term stream covers occupations on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and provides a longer visa grant of 4 yearsAs of current · homeaffairs.gov.au. The Labour Agreement stream requires a formally negotiated agreement between the employer and the Australian Government — this is not available to most small businesses without industry association facilitation.
In practice, this often becomes a problem for start-ups or businesses with thin financial records. Home Affairs may request additional evidence such as business activity statements, client contracts, or a business plan demonstrating the genuine need for the role. A business that cannot show it has sufficient revenue to sustain the nominated salary at or above AUD $73,150As of July 2024 · homeaffairs.gov.au will struggle to secure nomination approval regardless of SBS status.
How much does it cost an employer to sponsor a work visa?
The total cost of sponsoring a worker is substantially higher than most employers anticipate, and it is one of the most commonly underestimated aspects of the process. Applying a total-cost framework — government fees + mandatory levies + professional fees + indirect compliance costs — gives a more accurate picture. VJ Consulting advisors generally recommend that employers account for the full cumulative cost early in their planning, as the combined visa and levy obligations are often notably higher than initially expected.
Government fees for the nomination stage of the 482 visa are AUD $330As of current · homeaffairs.gov.au per nomination. The visa application fees paid by the worker (often reimbursed or covered by the employer as part of the employment arrangement) are AUD $3,115As of current · homeaffairs.gov.au for the primary applicant, with additional charges for accompanying family members.
The most significant and non-negotiable employer cost is the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy. This levy is paid by the sponsoring employer at the nomination stage and cannot be passed on to the worker — doing so is a breach of sponsorship obligations. For small businesses with an annual turnover of less than AUD $10 millionAs of current · homeaffairs.gov.au, the SAF levy is AUD $1,200As of current · homeaffairs.gov.au per year of the visa. For medium and large businesses, it is AUD $1,800As of current · homeaffairs.gov.au per year. For a four-year medium-term visa, that amounts to AUD $7,200As of current · homeaffairs.gov.au for a large employer.
Professional fees for a registered migration agent or immigration lawyer to manage the SBS, nomination, and visa application typically range between AUD $3,000 and AUD $8,000As of current · homeaffairs.gov.au depending on complexity. Add skills assessment costs, English test fees, police and medical checks for the worker, and the realistic all-in cost for a single four-year sponsorship with one family member can exceed AUD $20,000As of current · homeaffairs.gov.au. Employers should also factor in the obligation to pay reasonable costs of departure if the sponsorship ends and the worker has no other basis to remain in Australia.
How to apply for a 407 training visa?
The 407 training visa sits in a different category from the From cases processed at VJCE, applicants pursuing the 407 training visa typically benefit from having a clearly documented training plan that aligns with the sponsor organisation's recognised training activities before lodgement.482 entirely — it is not designed for productive employment but for structured, occupation-specific training or professional development. It is the right instrument when a business wants to support an overseas worker's skills development, not fill a labour shortage.
To sponsor a 407 visa, the sponsoring organisation must first become an approved training sponsor — a separate sponsorship category from the Standard Business Sponsor status used for the 482. An organisation seeking 407 sponsorship must demonstrate it has the capability to deliver genuine structured training, which typically means having a formal training plan, qualified supervisors, and an established operational environment relevant to the training activity.
The visa covers three distinct training activity types: workplace-based occupational training to improve skills in an area of work, occupational training required for registration or membership of a professional body, and English language training for persons already employed overseas by an Australian business. The applicant must demonstrate their proposed training is directly relevant to their nominated occupation and that training of a comparable standard is not readily available in their home country — this last criterion is scrutinised carefully by Home Affairs.
The 407 visa application fee is AUD $365As of current · homeaffairs.gov.au per applicant, making it significantly cheaper than the 482. However, the visa does not lead directly to permanent residence, and it does not permit the visa holder to work productively outside their approved training program. Misuse of the 407 visa — for example, using it as a de facto work visa for a role that should be nominated under the 482 — is treated as a serious compliance breach. Training plans submitted with 407 applications should be detailed, time-bound, and demonstrably tied to the nominated occupation's competency framework.
Next Step
Sponsoring an overseas worker involves a chain of decisions — sponsorship type, occupation list eligibility, levy calculations, and ongoing compliance obligations — where a misstep at any stage can delay the process by months or result in refusal. Applicants and employers who are unsure whether their situation fits the standard SBS and 482 pathway, or who are considering the 407 training visa or a labour agreement arrangement, would benefit from a structured assessment of their options before lodging any application. VJ Consulting's registered migration agents can map your specific circumstances against current requirements and help you avoid the most common compliance pitfalls.
This article is intended as general guidance only and does not constitute legal or migration advice. Visa requirements, fees, and processing times change regularly — always verify details on the relevant authority's official website before making decisions. For advice specific to your circumstances, consider consulting a MARA-registered migration agent.
References
- Department of Home Affairs — Sponsoring workers overview: homeaffairs.gov.au/Trav/Work/Empl
- Department of Home Affairs — Skilling Australians Fund levy: homeaffairs.gov.au/Trav/Work/Empl/Skilling-Australians-Fund
- Department of Home Affairs — Subclass 482 visa fees and charges: homeaffairs.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/482-
- Department of Home Affairs — Subclass 407 training visa: homeaffairs.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/407-
- Department of Home Affairs — Standard Business Sponsorship: homeaffairs.gov.au/Trav/Work/Empl/Stand-busi-spon
- Fair Work Ombudsman — Employer obligations for sponsored workers: fairwork.gov.au
Related reading
For a complete overview of this stage, visit the How to Apply? stage; if you are also exploring skilled migration pathways, State Nomination in Australia: How to Apply, Requirements and Best States walks through nomination requirements and compares your best state options.
