We get this question every day, from HR leads, founders, temporary visa holders (especially 408/417) and overseas hires who’ve just had an offer. That includes overseas skilled professionals, HR and Talent Acquisition teams, and business owners:
How do we sponsor an existing employee or bring in a skilled worker from overseas?
The step-by-step guide below outlines the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) sponsorship process in clear, practical terms.
What we’ll cover
- The steps to sponsor an employee (SBS → Nomination → Visa)
- What it costs (employer vs. applicant)
- How long it takes (and why it varies)
- How Visa Lounge can help
The 482 is now the “Skills in Demand” visa (three streams)
As of December 2024, the old Short-term/Medium-term labels are gone. The Skills in Demand (SID) 482 has three streams: Core Skills, Specialist Skills, and Labour Agreement. These streams determine occupation eligibility, salary thresholds and processing priority.
SID 482 Visa Requirements and Process
Step 1 — Become (or be) an approved sponsor: SBS
The first step of the process is the STANDARD BUSINESS SPONSORSHIP application by the business.
This application is lodged with the Department of Home Affairs and upon approval, the business becomes an approved standard business sponsor. Once approved (usually valid 5 years), you can nominate roles under the 482. This status enables Australian employers to address labour shortages and allows them to sponsor overseas skilled workers for various positions within their businesses.
Some of supporting documents and information required for this type of application include:
- financial statements
- letter of support from accountant
- workforce profile
- organisational
- ABN, ACN registration documents
- ASIC historical extract
- Trust Deed if the business operates as a trust
The standard business application can become very complex if the business operates as a trust, partnership or is part of a group of companies. There are situations where the business is a large organisation with thousands of employees operating from different locations and in this case it is important to establish the correct sponsoring entity, otherwise compliance issues may arise post-lodgement or post-approval.
If your structure is a trust/partnership or you operate across multiple entities, get advice before you lodge, fixing the entity after submission can be a painful process.
Step 2 — Nominate the role
The second step of the process is the BUSINESS NOMINATION APPLICATION.
This application provides the Department of Home Affairs with critical information about the position to be filled and it can be one of the most complex applications in the whole sponsorship process.
I have seen many situations when the nomination application was refused due to very small or innocent mistakes made by employers who chose to do the application themselves without having knowledge of the SID 482 business nomination requirements. If the nomination is refused, you will not receive your money back and the cost is quite significant.
Your nomination explains the position, salary and why you couldn’t fill it locally. Some of the supporting documents and information required for this type of application include:
- Labour Market Testing (LMT) meaning proof that the position was advertised for minimum 28 days, unless an exemption applies
- Employment contract signed by both parties
- Organisational chart
- Benchmark salary data to demonstrate that the proposed salary is in line with the market rate, taking into account the location of employment, the skill set of the applicant
- Justification for the application also called ‘genuineness of the position’
Hiring through a related entity? It can still work, just make sure to document the association clearly:
- If the applicant is offered a position with an associated entity of the business sponsor and the associated entity will also pay the salary, it is still possible to sponsor an employee under these circumstances as long as the ‘association’ can be established.
- The employment contract MUST BE SIGNED after the completion of the job advertising otherwise the nomination application will be refused.
Step 3 — Lodge the visa (your nominee)
The 3rd and final step of the process is the VISA APPLICATION by the nominated employee.
At this stage, the nominated employee must demonstrate that they have the required skill set to perform the role.
Your employee (and any dependants) lodges the SID 482 application with proof of skills and character. Some of the supporting documents and information required for this type of application include:
- formal qualification
- employment statement / reference letter
- evidence of paid employment such as payslips, tax records
- copies of personal identity documents
- police checks
- English language test (unless exempt)
- Any licence/registration needed for the role
Costs — who pays what?
In order to estimate the financial implications of sponsoring a foreign employee, it is important to be aware of the lodgement fees associated with each step of the process. The process to sponsor an employee is very complex and there is no room for error.
By law the cost associated with the business obtaining the sponsor licence must be covered by the business and when we say cost, we refer to the lodgement fee and the professional fee charged by the migration agent or lawyer. Same requirement applies to the business nomination application. When it comes to the visa application, the cost can be covered by either the business or the visa applicant.
Employer side (paid at, or before, nomination):
- SBS application: AUD $420 (once, usually 5-year approval).
- Nomination charge: AUD $330 per role.
- Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy: $1,200 per visa year (turnover < $10m) or $1,800 per year (≥ $10m).
- The employer must pay this and it can’t be passed to the worker.
Visa application charges (VACs) — 1 July 2025
- Amounts change each 1 July. Check the current pricing table or estimator before you lodge.
- If lodging in Australia and the person has previously applied onshore for certain temporary visas, a $700 Subsequent Temporary Application Charge (STAC) can apply per applicant. Offshore lodgements don’t pay STAC.
Want the full dollar breakdown (including the 2025 VACs)? See our 482 fee guide or ask us for a quick costed scenario.
Processing time — how long will it take?
The processing time varies a lot depending on the visa stream type (medium, short, labour agreement), nominated occupation, nationality of the foreign worker, size of the business however the average processing times for all visas can be checked on the Department of Home Affairs website using their visa processing times guide and tool.
Currently, 50% of the 482 visas lodged under the Core Skills and Labour Agreement streams are processed in 79 days, with 90% being processed within 4 months. For Specialist Skills, the processing time is a bit shorter, with 50% processed in 29 days and 90% processed within 65 days.
Business nominations can sometimes be processed a bit quicker, average of 25 days and the business sponsorship applications can take up to 59 days to process.
With the significant variations in processing times it is very important to plan in advance for the lodgement of an employer sponsored visa applications. This makes sure that the applications get processed without delays and the sponsored employee can start work as soon as possible.
*Actual times vary with volume, occupation and completeness. Always check the processing time tool for the most up to date estimates.
Is it possible to lodge all three applications at the same time? Is there any risk?
Yes, the standard business sponsorship application for the sponsoring entity, the business nomination application and the visa application can be lodged at the same time.
This is recommended if the nominee’s visa is about to expire, if the business requires the nominee to travel to Australia urgently, if there is a change in the legislation that would impact the eligibility of the sponsor or visa applicant and let’s not forget a very important fact, if there is no major risk associated with any of the applications.
If for any reason, the sponsorship application is refused, the nomination and visa applications can not be successful. Same thing, if the sponsorship application is approved but the nomination application is refused, the visa application will not be successful. This is one of the big risks associated with lodging all three applications at the same time.
Where we can help
We are EMPLOYER SPONSORED VISA EXPERTS!
- SBS setup: eligibility, entity mapping, documents, submission.
- Nomination: LMT plan, salary checks (AMSR + stream thresholds), contracts and justification.
- Visa file: evidence strategy, English/licensing, decision-ready lodgement and response management.
Book a quick pre-assessment and we’ll confirm the right stream (Core, Specialist or Labour Agreement), costs, and a realistic timeline for your hire. We can also assist overseas companies setting up in Australia who need to transfer senior executives or key staff.
Corporate migration is our speciality and we can support you through the process, which encompasses all employment and skilled visas, including:
- Inbound management and delivery of corporate visa programs (including temporary residence and permanent residence) under subclasses 482 / 400 / 494 and subclasses 186 / 191
- Sponsorship applications including transitioning to Accredited status
- Labour Agreements – industry specific, company specific
- Business traveller management including business visitor visas and electronic variants
- Visa Population Audit and Compliance with Sponsorship Obligations (full details of sponsorship obligations you can read in our article ‘Sponsorship Obligations – 482 and 494 Business Sponsors‘)
Contact us today if you require the services of a trusted immigration business partner, we can guide the business through the process to design and deliver the most efficient and cost effective immigration strategy for your needs.