Sponsor the worker you already trust, without a refusal on the record.
Sponsorship, nomination, labour market testing and the levy, prepared as a legal submission rather than a form. We act for the business and the worker in one matter, and we keep you compliant after the grant.
What the business pays
- Standard business sponsorshiponce, valid five years$420
- 482 nominationper position$330
- 186 nominationper position$540
- SAF levy, 482, per year of visaturnover under or over $10m$1,200 or $1,800
- SAF levy, 186, onceturnover under or over $10m$3,000 or $5,000
As at 1 July 2026. By law none of these can be recovered from the worker. The worker pays their own visa application charge.
Four steps, in an order that cannot be skipped.
Each step has its own test. A weak step two sinks step three, so we prepare them together and lodge them in sequence.
Become an approved sponsor
A lawfully operating business with no adverse information can be approved as a standard business sponsor for five years. We prepare the application with financials, structure and training evidence that answer the Department's questions before they are asked.
Nominate the position
The role must be genuine, full-time, correctly matched to an ANZSCO occupation and paid at market rate above the threshold. This is where most refusals happen. We write it as a submission with the business case attached.
The worker applies
Identity, skills, English, health and character, lodged with the nomination wherever possible so the two halves are decided together.
Stay compliant
Sponsor obligations run for the life of the visa: records, notifications, equivalent terms and no cost recovery. We set up a simple compliance file so an audit is a formality.
The 28 days that decide the nomination.
Labour market testing applies to both the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams. Advertising that misses one element is treated as if it never happened.
482 visa in full| Requirement | What satisfies it |
|---|---|
| Where | At least two national recruitment platforms or websites with national reach. Workforce Australia advertising stopped being mandatory in December 2023. |
| How long | Each advertisement runs for at least 28 days. |
| When | Within the four months before the nomination is lodged. |
| What it says | Title or description of the position, the skills or experience required, the name of the business or the recruiter, and the salary if it is under $96,400. |
| Exemptions | International trade obligations for certain nationals and intra-corporate transferees. Occupation-based exemptions were abolished. |
| Evidence kept | Copies of each advertisement, dates, platforms, applications received and the reasons Australians were not suitable. |
When the standard 482 does not fit.
Salary, age, English or occupation can put a good candidate outside the standard rules. These are the routes we compare before telling you it cannot be done.
- DAMA
Designated area migration agreements
Regional employers in a DAMA area can access occupations and concessions the standard program does not offer, including an age concession to under 55 in most agreements and salary and English concessions. Requires endorsement by the regional body first.
- LA
Labour agreements
A tailored agreement between a single business and the Department for occupations or terms the standard program cannot supply. Slow to negotiate, powerful once in place.
- 494 · 191
Regional sponsored to permanent
The subclass 494 for regional employers, leading to the permanent subclass 191 after three years on a qualifying income. A different list and different conditions from the 482 and 186.
- 186 DE
186 Direct Entry
Permanent from the start for a candidate with a skills assessment and three years of experience in an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List. No 482 stage needed.
Sponsorship, answered plainly.
Does my business qualify to sponsor?
Most lawfully operating Australian businesses can be approved as a standard business sponsor, provided there is no adverse information about the business or its officers. We assess this before you commit to a candidate.
Can the worker pay the sponsorship costs?
No. Sponsorship, nomination and Skilling Australians Fund charges must be paid by the business, and recovering them from the worker, directly or through salary, is a breach of sponsor obligations with serious consequences.
How long does approval take?
Sponsorship, nomination and visa processing each have their own times that change monthly. Decision-ready applications with no Department requests are consistently decided faster. Specialist Skills nominations are prioritised.
What if the nomination is refused?
Most nomination refusals can be reviewed at the Administrative Review Tribunal within 21 days, or a new nomination can be lodged with the deficiency fixed. The right choice depends on the reason for refusal and the worker's visa position, which is why we read the decision the day it arrives.
Do we have to keep the worker for a set period?
For the 482 there is no minimum period, but a worker who leaves has 180 days to find a new sponsor. For the 186 the role must be intended to last at least two years, and the Department can revisit a nomination if the arrangement ends unusually early.
Need a role filled without a refusal on the record?
One consultation covers the stream, the salary floor, labour market testing and the levy. Fixed fee quoted in writing afterwards, for the business and the worker together.