A regional hospitality group with four venues sponsored eleven chefs over three years. Nobody outside the business and the Department knew. Under the sponsor register proposed in the Migration Amendment (Combatting Migrant Exploitation) Bill 2025, that would change. The group’s name, ABN, postcode, the number of nominations and the occupations nominated would all sit on a public list. Competitors, unions, journalists and prospective employees could read it.
The register is a transparency measure aimed at exploitation. For a compliant sponsor, it is also a public statement of how the business uses the program. This guide explains what the register would publish and why it was proposed. It also sets out the housekeeping a Standard Business Sponsor should do now, before the list goes live.
Short answer: The proposed Approved Work Sponsor Register would publish each nominating sponsor’s name, ABN, postcode, nomination count and nominated occupations. Worker names would not appear. Sponsors should audit labour market testing, contracts and payroll now, before their record becomes public.
What the register would show
The Bill proposes a public register of approved work sponsors. It is designed to publish high-level information rather than individual case details. Five items were proposed.
| Published | Not published |
|---|---|
| Business name | Names of sponsored workers |
| ABN | Salaries of sponsored workers |
| Business postcode | Visa outcomes for individual nominations |
| Number of skilled nominations | Compliance history or monitoring results |
| Occupations of nominated workers, by ANZSCO description | Contact details of individual staff |
The register would cover Standard Business Sponsors and accredited sponsors who lodge nominations under the subclass 482 visa and related employer pathways. Small businesses are not exempt. A sponsor with one nomination would appear beside a sponsor with a hundred.
Why the government proposed it
The Department already runs monitoring, site visits and sanctions against sponsors. The register adds a different kind of pressure. Once a sponsor’s nomination pattern is public, unusual concentrations become visible to people outside the Department. A business nominating far more workers than its size suggests invites questions from unions, competitors and the media. So does one nominating the same occupation repeatedly in a low-wage sector.
For workers, the purpose is practical. A prospective employee could check whether an employer actually holds sponsorship approval and what it has nominated before. That reduces the space for fake job offers and for intermediaries selling sponsorship that does not exist.
When it would start
The register only operates once the Bill passes and commences. The Bill provided for commencement on a day fixed by proclamation, or six months after Royal Assent if no earlier day is fixed. Check the current status of the Bill on the Parliament of Australia website before relying on any date. Timing can move as the Bill progresses.
- NowAudit the sponsorship file while there is time to fix gaps quietly.
- Royal AssentThe six-month clock starts unless an earlier proclamation date is set.
- CommencementThe register goes live and existing sponsors with nominations appear on it.
- After launchEach new nomination updates the public record for the sponsor.
The audit a sponsor should run now
The register does not publish compliance results. However, it draws attention, and attention leads to scrutiny. The sensible response is to make sure the file behind each nomination would survive a monitoring visit. Tick each item as you confirm it, and your browser will remember your progress.
Figures verified against Home Affairs visa pricing and the current income threshold instrument as at 1 July 2026.
Four practical steps for employers
First, run the audit above and fix anything it exposes. A missing advertisement copy or an unreported resignation is far easier to address before the register than during a monitoring visit prompted by it.
Second, consider accredited sponsor status. Accreditation signals a strong compliance record, brings priority processing and allows labour market testing on the sponsor’s own website. On a public register, an accredited sponsor reads differently from a standard one.
Third, train the people who touch recruitment. Many breaches are not deliberate. A manager who moves a sponsored worker to a different role, or agrees to an informal repayment of costs, creates a breach. The business may not discover it until an inspector does.
Fourth, decide how the business will talk about its sponsorship. Once the nomination count is public, staff and customers may ask about it. A short, accurate explanation of why the business sponsors and how it recruits locally first is worth preparing in advance. Our employer page explains the compliance framework these steps sit within.
What the register means for skilled workers
How can a worker use the register?
Before accepting a job offer that depends on sponsorship, a worker could check that the employer appears on the register as an approved sponsor. The occupations listed against the employer would show whether it has nominated similar roles before. An employer that claims to sponsor but does not appear would warrant careful questions. The register would not show whether a particular nomination succeeded, so it is a starting point rather than a full picture. The 482 visa page sets out what a worker should confirm before lodging.
The register would not publish any personal information about sponsored workers. Names, salaries and visa outcomes stay private. A worker’s only exposure is indirect, through the occupation description listed against the employer.
Where this fits with other compliance measures
The register is one part of a broader push against migrant exploitation. Sponsor sanctions, the prohibited employer framework and the Department’s monitoring powers already exist. The register adds public visibility to that enforcement architecture. For sponsors that recruit locally first, pay properly and keep records, the register changes very little in practice. For sponsors that have been careless, it removes the cover of obscurity.
We run sponsor compliance reviews for businesses at any stage, from a first nomination to a portfolio of sponsored staff. We also discuss the register and related reforms at our employer briefings, which are listed on the events page. To arrange a review, use our contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Will a sponsor with no current nominations appear on the register?
Under the Bill as proposed, the register covers approved sponsors who submit nominations. A sponsor approved but not yet nominating may not appear until its first nomination is lodged. Check the final legislation, because the scope can change before commencement.
Can a sponsor ask to be left off the register?
The Bill did not propose an opt-out for sponsors. Publication is intended to be automatic for every sponsor within scope. A business that does not want its sponsorship activity public should factor that into its decision to sponsor.
Would refused nominations be counted?
The proposed data is the number of skilled nominations, and the Bill did not specify whether refused or withdrawn nominations are included. The detail sits in the regulations and administrative arrangements that follow the Bill, so watch for those.
Does the register replace sponsor monitoring?
No. Monitoring, site visits and sanctions continue as before. The register sits alongside them and is likely to increase the number of complaints and referrals that lead to monitoring, rather than reduce them.
How would a business correct wrong information on the register?
The Bill leaves correction processes to the Department’s administrative arrangements. In practice, a sponsor that notices an error should raise it in writing promptly, with evidence, and keep a record of the request.
This article is general information about Australian migration law as at 2 September 2026. It is not legal advice. The register depends on legislation that may change before commencement, so check the current status and obtain advice before acting.