ImmiAccount for sponsors and employers

Individual accounts vs organisation accounts

ImmiAccount offers two distinct account types: individual and organisation. Choosing the correct type at registration determines which forms and functions are available in the portal.

Individual accounts are for people applying for their own visa, acting as an authorised recipient, or managing a small number of personal sponsorship obligations (such as sponsoring a family member for a partner visa). The dashboard centres on a single person's applications.

Organisation accounts are for businesses, labour hire companies, and other entities that sponsor workers or lodge applications on behalf of multiple people. When registering an organisation account, you provide the business's Australian Business Number (ABN) or Australian Company Number (ACN), along with the authorised representative's personal details.

Key differences at registration:

- Organisation accounts require an ABN or ACN.
- The person creating the account is registered as the "primary contact" for the organisation.
- Multiple users within the same organisation can be linked to the account, each with their own login credentials.
- Shared email addresses across accounts are prohibited under the ImmiAccount Terms of Use (sections 5.1 and 5.6). Each user must register with a unique email.

Choosing the wrong account type is not easily corrected — you cannot convert an individual account into an organisation account. If an employer registers as an individual by mistake, they typically need to create a new organisation account from scratch.

Registering as an approved sponsor

Before an employer can nominate a worker for a sponsored visa (such as subclass 482, 494, or 186), the business must first become an approved sponsor. This involves lodging a Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) application through ImmiAccount.

The registration steps within the portal are:

1. Log in to the organisation ImmiAccount.
2. Select "New application" from the dashboard.
3. Under the sponsorship category, choose "Standard Business Sponsorship."
4. Complete the business details section — this includes financial information, workforce size, training expenditure, and details about the position or positions you intend to sponsor.
5. Upload supporting documents (financial statements, training records, organisational charts).
6. Pay the sponsorship application charge.
7. Submit the application.

Once approved, the SBS is valid for a set period (typically five years for an accredited sponsor, or a shorter period for standard sponsorship). The approval status appears in the organisation account dashboard and must be current before any nominations can be lodged.

Standard Business Sponsorship applications

The SBS application form within ImmiAccount asks employers to demonstrate:

- Lawful and active operation: The business must be lawfully operating in Australia, evidenced by ABN/ACN registration, tax compliance, and business activity statements.
- Adverse information: Any history of workplace law breaches, insolvency, or sanctions is disclosed here.
- Training benchmark: Employers must show they meet one of two training benchmarks — either spending a percentage of payroll on training Australian workers, or contributing to an industry training fund.
- Position details: A description of the nominated occupation, including ANZSCO code, duties, salary, and location.

The portal validates mandatory fields before allowing submission. Incomplete sections trigger an error message identifying which fields need attention. The 5 MB per-file upload limit applies, and filenames must use only A–Z, 0–9, dashes, and underscores. Encrypted or form-fillable PDFs are rejected.

The nomination process through ImmiAccount

After an SBS is approved, the employer can lodge a nomination for a specific worker and position. The nomination is a separate transaction from both the sponsorship and the worker's visa application.

To lodge a nomination:

1. From the organisation dashboard, select "New application."
2. Choose the relevant nomination type (for example, "Nomination for a position — Subclass 482").
3. Enter the position details: occupation, ANZSCO code, employment terms, salary, and workplace address.
4. Provide the nominated worker's details: name, date of birth, and passport number.
5. Upload supporting documents for the position (employment contract, market salary evidence, labour market testing evidence if required).
6. Pay the nomination application charge.
7. Submit.

The nomination will appear in the dashboard with its own Transaction Reference Number (TRN). Its status progresses through the same stages as visa applications: Received, Initial assessment, Further assessment, and Finalised.

If the Department requests additional information, a notification appears in the ImmiAccount message centre. The employer can respond by uploading documents through the "Attach documents" function linked to the nomination's TRN.

Managing multiple nominations

Organisation accounts are designed to handle volume. Employers sponsoring multiple workers will see each nomination listed separately in the dashboard, identified by the nominated worker's name and the TRN.

Practical tips for managing a large nomination workload in ImmiAccount:

- Use the search and filter functions on the dashboard to locate specific nominations by TRN, worker name, or status.
- Track status changes through the message centre rather than checking each nomination individually. The portal sends notifications when a status changes or when the Department requests further information.
- Maintain consistent document naming: With the 60-document limit per application (and strict filename rules), adopting a naming convention across nominations — such as `contract-surname-TRN.pdf` — reduces confusion.
- Assign multiple users: Organisation accounts allow several staff members to access the account. Each user logs in with their own credentials (remember, shared emails are prohibited). You can assign different roles to control who can lodge, who can view, and who can attach documents.

MFA has been mandatory for all ImmiAccount logins since 18 June 2025, so every user linked to the organisation account must have MFA configured on their individual login.

Dashboard and functionality differences for business accounts

The organisation account dashboard differs from the individual dashboard in several ways:

Feature: Application types available; Individual account: Personal visa applications, some sponsorship forms; Organisation account: SBS, nominations, visa applications lodged on behalf of others
Feature: Dashboard view; Individual account: Single applicant's history; Organisation account: Multiple workers, nominations, and sponsorships
Feature: User management; Individual account: Single user; Organisation account: Multiple linked users with role-based access
Feature: Message centre; Individual account: Personal notifications; Organisation account: Notifications across all sponsorship and nomination activity
Feature: Reporting; Individual account: Basic application status; Organisation account: Status tracking across all active nominations and sponsorships

The organisation dashboard groups items by type — sponsorship approvals, active nominations, and associated visa applications — making it possible to see the overall status of your sponsored workforce at a glance.

When an SBS is nearing expiry, a notification appears in the message centre. Employers must lodge a renewal before the current sponsorship expires to maintain the ability to lodge new nominations.

Sponsorship obligations after approval

While the mechanics of managing obligations sit partly outside the portal, ImmiAccount is where the Department communicates about compliance. Sponsors must:

- Pay workers at least the guaranteed annual earnings specified in the nomination.
- Notify the Department of certain changes (such as the worker ceasing employment) — this is done by lodging a notification through ImmiAccount.
- Cooperate with monitoring activities, including workplace inspections.

The Department may send requests through the ImmiAccount message centre asking for evidence of compliance. Responding within the timeframes specified is critical, as failure to comply can result in sanctions, including cancellation of the sponsorship.