You have found your worker. Here is what happens next
Once you have identified the specific person you want to sponsor, the work still runs through three separate approvals: your business as sponsor, the position as a nomination, and the person as a visa applicant. Which pathway carries those approvals depends on the role.
Subclass 482 SID Visa Skills in Demand, up to four years, across the Specialist Skills, Core Skills and Labour Agreement streams. → Subclass 186 ENS Visa Employer Nomination Scheme, a permanent visa reached via Direct Entry, Temporary Residence Transition or a labour agreement. → Subclass 494 SESR Visa Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional, five years in regional Australia, then Subclass 191. →If your business is not yet an approved sponsor, that step comes first — see our page on employer-sponsored visas. This page assumes a worker has already been identified and addresses what follows from there: the nomination, the visa application, the timeline and the cost.
Ready to sponsor your worker?
Tell us about the position and the person, and we will map out the pathway, the process and the likely fee position for your matter.
From the person you have found to a lodged application
- 1 Confirm the pathway and the occupation We match the position to the occupation list for the pathway you are using, and confirm the occupation carries the same duties your business actually needs performed.
- 2 Labour market testing, where it applies For most 482 streams, the position must be advertised before the nomination is lodged. If your business has already found its candidate, advertising can still be required — it tests the position, not whether a candidate exists.
- 3 Check the worker's skills assessment position Depending on the occupation and the worker's passport, a mandatory skills assessment may apply and should be started early — it runs on its own timetable, separate from the nomination.
- 4 Prepare and lodge the nomination The nomination is lodged against the position, evidencing the genuine and ongoing need for the role and the salary offered.
- 5 Lodge the visa application The worker's visa application is lodged against the approved nomination, addressing the applicant's own criteria — genuine intention to perform the occupation, relevant experience and the English requirement for the pathway.
- 6 Decision An approved nomination does not itself guarantee the visa will be granted — the two are decided separately, against separate criteria.
Processing timeframes for the nomination and the visa are set and published by the Department of Home Affairs and change without notice. We do not quote a processing time on this page — ask us for the current published range at consultation.
What sponsoring a worker costs
The cost of sponsoring an employee has several distinct components, paid to different parties at different stages, and the amount depends on the pathway and on the size of the sponsoring business. The Departmental charges below are current as published by the Department of Home Affairs, but they are indexed and can change, particularly around 1 July each year — always confirm the figure at the time you lodge, and ask us to reconfirm it for your matter at consultation.
| Cost component | Current amount (AUD) | Paid to | Who bears it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard business sponsorship approval SID 482 program | $420 | Department of Home Affairs | The sponsoring business |
| Nomination fee SID 482 | $330 | Department of Home Affairs | The sponsoring business |
| Nomination fee ENS 186 | $540 subject to stream and location | Department of Home Affairs | The sponsoring business |
| Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy SID 482, per year of nomination | Small business*: $1,200/yr or part thereof Other business: $1,800/yr or part thereof | Department of Home Affairs | The sponsoring business — may not be passed to the worker |
| Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy ENS 186 / SESR 494, one-off | Small business*: $3,000 Other business: $5,000 | Department of Home Affairs | The sponsoring business — may not be passed to the worker |
| Visa application charge primary applicant, base rate | 482: from $4,015 186: from $6,140 494: from $6,140 | Department of Home Affairs | Ordinarily the visa applicant, by agreement |
| Skills assessment fee (where required) | Varies by occupation and assessing authority | The relevant assessing authority | By agreement between the parties |
| Professional fees | [INSERT FEE SCHEDULE] | Australian Migration Co | The engaging party, set out in a written scope and fee disclosure before work begins |
*Small business: annual turnover of less than AUD10 million. Other business: annual turnover of AUD10 million or more. The visa application charge shown is the base component only and does not include the second instalment, any partner or dependent child applicant, or other costs — use the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator for a figure specific to your matter.
The obligation this table exists to flag
The nomination fee and the SAF levy are obligations of the sponsoring business under Division 2.19 of the Migration Regulations 1994, and cannot be recovered from, or passed on to, the sponsored worker. Agreeing that the worker will reimburse either amount, directly or through a reduced salary, is a breach of a sponsorship obligation, not a private arrangement between the parties.
Source: Department of Home Affairs, "Cost of sponsoring" (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsoring-workers/learn-about-sponsoring/cost-of-sponsoring), page last updated 21 September 2026, accessed 22 September 2026; and the Department's overview pages for the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) Core Skills stream, the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa, and the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (subclass 494) visa, each accessed 22 September 2026, for the visa application charge base rates. Sponsorship-obligation basis: Migration Regulations 1994, Division 2.19, regulations 2.77 to 2.87C (in particular regulation 2.87, cost recovery), compilation F2026C00667, compilation date 1 July 2026, Compilation No. 288. Fees and the SAF levy are indexed and change, most often on 1 July — verify against the Department's current fee schedule before quoting any figure to a client at a later date.
What we would ask for at the outset
- Whether your business is already an approved sponsor, or this will be your first sponsorship
- The position and occupation you are sponsoring, and the salary you intend to offer
- Whether the position has already been advertised, and if so, where and for how long
- The worker's current visa status and location, if already known to you
- Which passport the worker holds, which affects whether a skills assessment is required
The answers to those five questions determine the pathway, the sequence of steps, and the realistic fee position for your matter. There is no charge for that discussion.
Frequently asked questions
Employer What does it cost to sponsor an employee?
The cost has several components paid to different parties: a nomination fee and a Skilling Australians Fund levy to the Department of Home Affairs, a visa application charge, a possible skills assessment fee, and professional fees. We do not quote dollar figures on this page because the Departmental charges are indexed and change — current figures are confirmed at consultation and set out in a written fee disclosure before any work begins.
Employer Can we ask the worker to pay the nomination fee or the SAF levy?
No. Both are obligations of the sponsoring business under Division 2.19 of the Migration Regulations 1994, and cannot be recovered from, or passed on to, the sponsored worker, whether directly or through a reduced salary.
Source: Migration Regulations 1994, Division 2.19, regulation 2.87, compilation F2026C00667, 1 July 2026.
Employer We already have a specific person in mind. Do we still need to advertise the position?
For the Specialist Skills and Core Skills streams of subclass 482, the position ordinarily must be advertised before the nomination is lodged, regardless of whether a candidate has already been identified — the requirement tests the position, not the existence of a candidate. Certain occupations and positions are exempt; whether an exemption applies should be established before assuming it does.
Source: Migration (LIN 18/036: Period, manner and evidence of labour market testing) Instrument 2018, sections 6 to 9, Compilation No. 5, compilation date 7 December 2024, F2024C01268.
Both Does an approved nomination guarantee the visa will be granted?
No. The nomination and the visa are decided at separate stages against separate criteria. An approved nomination establishes that the position meets the nomination criteria; the visa application is then assessed against its own requirements for the individual applicant, including genuine intention to perform the occupation, relevant work experience and English language ability.
Source: Migration Act 1958, section 140GB; Migration Regulations 1994, Division 2.17, compilation F2026C00667, 1 July 2026.
Found your worker? Let us map out the cost and the timeline
Australian Migration Co is a migration practice based in Perth. Adam Kocoglu is a Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2418576, and acts in employer sponsorship matters throughout Western Australia. We cannot tell you what a decision will be, and no registered agent will do so. We can set out the fee components, the process, and where the risk lies, before you commit any expenditure.
Book a consultation Not yet an approved sponsor?Written by Adam Kocoglu, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2418576. Adam Kocoglu is the principal of Australian Migration Co, a registered migration agent in Perth, and acts for Western Australian employers in sponsorship, nomination and visa matters. Further information about Adam Kocoglu, migration agent Perth.
Information current at 22 September 2026. Migration law changes, and the fees, charges and figures referred to on this page are amended and indexed from time to time. This page is general information, not immigration assistance for your matter, and does not constitute or imply a guarantee of any outcome.