482 Nomination Guide: How Australian Employers Sponsor a Skilled Worker

How the Three-Stage Process Works

The 482 visa framework sits between the employer and the worker, with the Department of Home Affairs overseeing each stage.

**Stage 1 — Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS):** The business applies to become an approved sponsor. This approval sits with the company, not with any individual worker, and remains valid for five years. Once approved, the business can nominate as many positions as it needs, provided each nomination is separately approved.

**Stage 2 — Nomination:** The business nominates the specific role it wants filled. This is where the occupation, the salary, the employment terms and the labour market testing evidence are assessed. Each nominated position incurs its own government fee and SAF levy. Nomination approval is linked to a single employer-worker combination — if the worker changes employer, a new nomination is required.

**Stage 3 — Visa application:** Once the nomination is approved (or lodged, depending on processing arrangements), the overseas worker submits their own visa application and pays the visa application charge. The visa is usually granted for the period nominated, up to four years for the Core Skills stream.

Stages 1 and 2 can sometimes be lodged at the same time if the business is not already an approved sponsor. Stage 3 is always the worker's responsibility and cannot be lodged until the nomination is in place.

Step 1: Becoming a Standard Business Sponsor

Any legally operating business in Australia — a company, partnership, sole trader, not-for-profit or government entity — can apply for Standard Business Sponsorship. There is no minimum turnover requirement to qualify, though the business must demonstrate it is actively trading and financially viable.

**What the application requires:**
- Evidence the business is lawfully established and operating (ABN, ASIC registration or equivalent)
- A genuine, active presence in Australia — businesses that have not yet commenced operations generally cannot be approved
- A good compliance history with Australian workplace and immigration laws
- Agreement to meet the ongoing obligations that come with being a sponsor

**Government fee:** $420 (non-refundable).

**Validity:** SBS approval lasts five years from the date of grant. It can be renewed before it expires, and the business can nominate an unlimited number of positions during that period.

**Accredited sponsor status:** Businesses with a strong compliance history and sustained sponsorship activity may qualify for accredited sponsor status. Accredited sponsors receive priority processing for all 482 nominations and visa applications — in practice, this can reduce processing from several months to a matter of days. Eligibility criteria are set by the Department of Home Affairs and are assessed on application.

Step 2: Nominating the Position

Once the SBS is in place, the business nominates the specific role. This is the most detailed part of the employer's process and carries most of the government's scrutiny.

**Occupation on the CSOL:** For the Core Skills stream — the most commonly used pathway — the nominated occupation must appear on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). The CSOL is the Department of Home Affairs' current list of occupations that have been assessed as meeting a genuine skills need in Australia. If the role falls outside the CSOL, the Labour Agreement stream may be an alternative but requires a separate agreement with the government.

**Genuine position:** The role must be a real, full-time position that exists for genuine business reasons — not created primarily to facilitate a visa outcome. The department assesses the business's organisational structure, staffing levels and operational needs when evaluating this.

**Labour market testing (LMT):** Before nominating, the employer must demonstrate that no suitably qualified Australian citizen or permanent resident was available to fill the role. This requires genuine recruitment activity — typically advertising the position on at least two online platforms over a period of at least four weeks — within four months before lodging the nomination. Records of applications received, interviews conducted and the reasons applicants were not offered the role must be retained and may be requested by the department.

Some exemptions from LMT apply, including where an international trade obligation is engaged.

**Nomination fee:** $330 per nomination (non-refundable).

**SAF levy:** See the dedicated section below.

Salary Requirements: CSIT and Market Rate

Meeting the salary requirements is mandatory — a nomination will not be approved if either condition is not satisfied.

**Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT):** The nominated salary must be at least equal to the CSIT, which is the minimum annual earnings floor for the Core Skills stream. The CSIT for the 2025-26 financial year is **$79,423**. From 1 July 2026, it rises to **$79,423** following annual indexation against Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE) data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Nominations lodged on or after 1 July in a given year are assessed against the indexed threshold for that year.

**Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR):** Where the proposed salary is below $250,000, the employer must also demonstrate that the sponsored worker will be paid no less than the equivalent Australian worker performing the same duties in the same workplace. This prevents the 482 visa from being used to undercut local wages. The market salary evidence typically includes pay data from industry surveys, enterprise agreements, or comparable employment contracts.

**No less favourable terms:** Beyond base salary, the sponsored worker's overall terms and conditions — including leave entitlements, allowances and other benefits — must be no less favourable than those of an Australian employee in the same role.

The CSIT and the AMSR apply independently. The employer must satisfy both, and the higher of the two becomes the effective floor.

The Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) Levy

The SAF levy is a mandatory government charge that employers pay at the nomination stage to support the training and upskilling of Australian workers. It is calculated based on the business's annual turnover and the length of the nomination period.

**Small businesses (annual turnover under $10 million):**
- $1,200 per year of the nominated period
- Example: a four-year nomination = $4,800

**Large businesses (annual turnover $10 million or more):**
- $1,800 per year of the nominated period
- Example: a four-year nomination = $7,200

The levy is paid in full at the time the nomination is lodged, not spread over the visa period. It is not refunded if the visa is refused, the worker leaves before the visa expires, or the sponsorship arrangement ends early.

**Employers cannot recover the SAF levy from the worker.** Under Migration Regulations, sponsors are legally prohibited from transferring, recovering or seeking reimbursement of the SAF levy — or any other mandatory sponsorship or nomination cost — from the sponsored worker, either directly or indirectly. This prohibition covers the SBS fee, the nomination fee and the SAF levy. Breaching this rule is a serious compliance risk that can result in sanctions, including cancellation of sponsorship approval.

For a Core Skills stream nomination at the four-year maximum, the combined employer cost before agent fees is:
- Small business: $420 (SBS, if not already approved) + $330 (nomination) + $4,800 (SAF levy) = **$5,550**
- Large business: $420 + $330 + $7,200 = **$7,950**

Evidence Package for the Nomination

A well-prepared nomination reduces the risk of a request for further information and supports faster processing. The typical evidence package includes:

**Business legitimacy:**
- ABN confirmation and ASIC extract
- Recent financial statements or tax returns demonstrating active operations
- Organisational chart showing where the nominated role sits

**Genuineness of the position:**
- Position description (duties, qualifications required, reporting lines)
- Evidence of existing staff and operations in the relevant area
- For new roles, a business case explaining why the position was created

**Labour market testing:**
- Copies of job advertisements (at least two platforms, date-stamped)
- Records of all applications received and why they were not successful
- Confirmation that advertising ran for at least four weeks within the four months before lodgement

**Salary compliance:**
- Written employment contract confirming the offered salary
- Market salary rate evidence (industry award rates, enterprise agreements or comparable salary surveys)
- Confirmation that the offered salary meets or exceeds the CSIT

**Nominee's experience:** Although the worker's qualifications are assessed at the visa stage, having a summary of their relevant experience available at nomination can assist processing.

Sponsor Obligations After the Visa is Granted

Approval of the nomination and grant of the visa does not end the employer's responsibilities. Sponsors carry ongoing obligations for the life of the sponsorship arrangement.

**Notify the department of changes:** Sponsors must notify the Department of Home Affairs within 28 days of certain changes, including changes to the worker's duties, changes to the business's ownership or structure, or if the worker ceases employment.

**Keep records:** Sponsors must retain certain records for at least two years and produce them to compliance officers if requested. This includes records of the worker's employment terms, pay slips and evidence of any changes to the role.

**Maintain employment terms:** The worker must remain employed in the nominated occupation on the agreed terms. Changing the worker's role without a new nomination is a compliance breach.

**Cover certain costs:** If the worker's visa is cancelled or the employment ends early through no fault of the worker, the sponsor may be required to pay reasonable travel costs for the worker and their family to leave Australia.

**Australian workplace laws apply in full:** Sponsored workers have the same minimum conditions as Australian workers under the Fair Work Act and the National Employment Standards. The visa does not reduce the employer's obligations under industrial law.

The Australian Border Force conducts monitoring and compliance visits. Sanctions for non-compliance range from formal warnings through to cancellation of sponsorship approval and civil penalties.

After the Nomination: the Worker's Visa Application

Once the nomination is approved, the overseas worker can lodge a subclass 482 visa application. A few points employers commonly ask about:

**Who pays the visa application charge:** The visa application charge is the worker's cost, not the employer's, and is paid by the worker directly to the Department of Home Affairs at the time of lodgement. The primary applicant charge for the Core Skills stream is separate from the fees covered above.

**Family members:** The worker's partner and dependent children can be included in the visa application as secondary applicants. They are not tied to the employer and can study or work freely in Australia.

**Visa duration:** Core Skills stream visas are typically granted for up to four years. The exact period depends on the length of the nomination.

**Pathway to permanent residency:** Workers on the Core Skills stream may be eligible to apply for an Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa after three years in the nominated role, subject to meeting the relevant criteria at that time. The 186 is a permanent visa and requires a separate application.

**If the nomination is still processing:** Some visa applications can be lodged while the nomination is pending ('concurrent lodgement'). Processing timelines vary. Employers with accredited sponsor status receive priority processing across both stages, which can significantly reduce the overall timeline.