Employer Sponsored
Employer Sponsored Visas for Australia: A Guide for Employers
As an employer in Australia, you may find that you need to sponsor an international worker to fill a skilled position within your company. Employer sponsored visas allow you to sponsor skilled workers for a temporary or permanent visa to work in Australia.
There are several types of employer sponsored visas available, each with different eligibility requirements and conditions.
Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 482)
The Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 482) allows you as an employer to sponsor skilled workers to work in Australia on a temporary basis. To be eligible to sponsor a worker for this visa, you must:
Be a business operating in Australia
Show that the job being offered is a skilled position, and that the skills are not available in the local labour market
Meet the training and workforce requirements
Have a valid Standard Business Sponsorship and a nomination for the position
Meet the sponsorship obligations
This visa is valid for up to four years and allows the worker to work in Australia for your company. It also allows the worker to bring their eligible family members with them to Australia.
Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186)
The Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) allows you as an employer to sponsor skilled workers for permanent residence in Australia. To be eligible to sponsor a worker for this visa, you must:
Be a business operating in Australia
Show that the job being offered is a skilled position, and that the skills are not available in the local labour market
Meet the training and workforce requirements
Have a valid Standard Business Sponsorship and a nomination for the position
Meet the sponsorship obligations
This visa allows the worker to work in Australia permanently for your company. It also allows the worker to bring their eligible family members with them to Australia.
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494)
The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494) allows you as an employer, who is located in regional or low population growth areas of Australia, to sponsor skilled workers in Australia. To be eligible to sponsor a worker for this visa, you must:
Be a business operating in a regional or low population growth area of Australia
Show that the job being offered is a skilled position, and that the skills are not available in the local labour market
Meet the training and workforce requirements
Have a valid Standard Business Sponsorship and a nomination for the position
Meet the sponsorship obligations
This visa allows the worker to work in Australia for up to 5-years with your company. It also allows the worker to bring their eligible family members with them to Australia. 494 visa holders may be eligible to apply for permanent residency after 3-years.
Application Process
The employer sponsored visa application process typically involves the following steps:
You, as the employer, lodge a nomination application and sponsorship application
The worker submits a visa application and pays the visa application fee
The worker attends a visa interview, if required
Wait for a decision: Processing times for employer sponsored visa applications vary depending on the visa category and the worker's country of origin. You will be notified by email when a decision has been made on the worker's application.
The worker receives the visa grant letter and travels to Australia