482 Skills in Demand · ENS 186 · Labour Agreement
When an Australian employer needs your skills, the employer-sponsored pathway offers a direct route to work and permanent residency. CMG supports both employers and applicants through every stage.
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Overview
Australia's employer-sponsored program allows approved employers to sponsor skilled overseas workers when they cannot find suitable Australian staff. The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) (which replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa on 7 December 2024) provides a temporary work pathway of up to 4 years, while the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) offers direct permanent residency. Both require the employer to be an approved sponsor, the position to be a genuine full-time role, and the worker to meet skills, English and health requirements. Labour Market Testing (LMT) (advertising the position to local workers first) is mandatory for most 482 nominations.
Key Facts
Employer-sponsored visa guidance
Employer-sponsored migration works best when the business need, nominated occupation and applicant's experience tell the same story. The employer and the visa applicant each have responsibilities, and gaps in one part of the file can delay the whole pathway.
A sponsored work visa is not simply an employment offer uploaded to an online form. The business may need to meet sponsorship and nomination requirements, the role must fit the relevant occupation and salary framework, and the applicant must satisfy skill, experience, English, health and character criteria. The correct pathway depends on the proposed work, duration and route to permanent residence.
For employers, preparation includes checking the genuine position, labour-market or nomination evidence where applicable, organisational documents and compliance history. For applicants, it includes proving qualifications and duties through consistent references, contracts, payslips, registrations and identity records. The evidence should be prepared before a deadline creates pressure.
CMG can coordinate the employer and applicant workstreams, explain the difference between temporary and permanent options and identify risks before lodgement. Current occupation lists, salary thresholds, sponsorship rules, government charges and processing information should always be verified against the Department's current source.
It normally requires an eligible employer and role, a compliant nomination or sponsorship process, and an applicant who meets the visa-specific skill, experience, English, health and character requirements. The exact evidence depends on the subclass and should be confirmed before the business or applicant makes commitments.
Practical preparation
Describe the position, duties, location, reporting line and business need in language that matches the nominated occupation.
Organise sponsorship, business and nomination evidence early so the employer's obligations are clear and supportable.
Use detailed references and independent records to show the applicant performed the claimed duties at the required skill level.
Where permanent residence is a goal, compare temporary work conditions with the later nomination or permanent visa criteria.
Related search themes
This page answers the following closely related searches naturally within the guidance above:
Eligibility
Approved Employer Sponsor
RequiredThe employer must be approved by the Department of Home Affairs as a Standard Business Sponsor (SBS). New sponsors must demonstrate business legitimacy, financial viability and a commitment to training Australian workers.
Nominated Occupation
RequiredThe sponsored position must be in an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), which replaced the former MLTSSL and STSOL from December 2024. For the 186, the occupation must be on the relevant skilled list for the stream you are using.
Skills & Qualifications
RequiredYou must have qualifications and at least 2 years of recent work experience in the nominated occupation. A formal skills assessment may be required depending on the occupation.
English Proficiency
RequiredMinimum Competent English (IELTS 5.0 in each band) for 482. Proficient English (IELTS 6.0) is required for certain occupations and for the 186 ENS visa.
Salary at Market Rate
RequiredThe salary must meet the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT. Currently AUD $73,150 per year) and be equivalent to the Australian market salary rate for the position.
Labour Market Testing (LMT)
RequiredFor most 482 applications, the employer must demonstrate genuine attempts to recruit Australian workers first, typically through Seek and LinkedIn advertising within 4 months of lodgement.
Visa Subclasses
Employer-sponsored temporary work visa, formerly the TSS. Three streams: Core Skills (occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List), Specialist Skills (ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6, with a higher salary threshold), and Labour Agreement.
Permanent residency through employer sponsorship. Two streams: Direct Entry (DE) for overseas applicants, and Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) for 482 holders.
Regional employer-sponsored provisional visa. 5-year visa for regional areas with pathway to 191 PR after 3 years of living and working regionally.
Process
The sponsoring employer applies to become an Approved Standard Business Sponsor (SBS). This requires demonstrating a lawful and active business, financial capacity and a commitment to training Australian workers.
CMG confirms the position is on the relevant skilled list and that the offered salary meets or exceeds the TSMIT and the annual market salary rate for the role in the location.
The employer advertises the position on Australian job boards (Seek, Indeed, LinkedIn) for at least 28 days. Advertisements must be recent (within 4 months) and detail the position, employer and salary range.
The employer lodges a Nomination application with full LMT evidence, position description and market salary rate evidence. Processing takes 1–3 months.
Once nomination is approved (or concurrently for streamlined arrangements), the worker lodges the visa application including employment evidence, English test results, skills documentation and health clearances.
All applicants complete health examinations at an approved panel physician and provide police clearances from all relevant countries. Biometrics may also be collected.
Upon approval, the 482 visa is granted with conditions allowing the holder to work for the sponsor in the nominated occupation. The 186 grants permanent residency upon grant.
Fees
| Government Fees 2025–26 | Fee (AUD) |
|---|---|
| 482 primary applicant | AUD $4,015 |
| 482 secondary applicant (18+) | AUD $4,015 |
| 186 primary applicant | AUD $6,140 |
| 186 secondary applicant (18+) | AUD $3,070 |
| Employer nomination fee | AUD $540 |
| Skills assessment (if required) | AUD $500–$900 |
| English test (IELTS General) | AUD $385 |
| CMG professional service fee | POA |
| Estimated Total | AUD $6,000–$10,000 (primary applicant) |
Government fees are set by the Department of Home Affairs and subject to annual indexation. Shown are 2025–26 rates. Employer and applicant fees are separate.
Documents
Search-led guidance
What an Australian business must demonstrate to sponsor a worker, and how the sponsored worker's rights, obligations and permanent pathway are defined.
Quick answer
Australian employer sponsorship is the process by which an approved business nominates a skilled worker for a specific position, creating a visa tied to that employer and position.
Direct answer
Australian employer sponsorship is the process by which an approved business nominates a skilled worker for a specific position, creating a visa tied to that employer and position.
Before comparing subclasses, it's worth being clear about what this visa is for. It suits Australian businesses seeking to fill genuine skill shortages, and skilled workers who have a specific offer from a business able and willing to meet its sponsorship obligations.
What the visa is built to do shapes everything that follows: the evidence you'll need, the conditions attached to the grant, where you can live and work, and whether you'll have to apply again later.
The practical result of a grant is this: a sponsored temporary visa that keeps the worker with the nominating employer and position, with permanent residence available in eligible cases through the employer-sponsored permanent stream.
Key points
Direct answer
You'll need to the Australian business must be lawfully operating and meet the sponsorship approval criteria, the business must nominate the specific position and satisfy any labour market testing requirement and the nominated occupation must appear on the relevant skilled occupation list.
Every one of these has to be met on its own. There's no averaging out, and a strong result elsewhere won't cover a gate you've missed.
Approved sponsorship, a genuine position, labour market testing, market salary compliance and ongoing record keeping all sit with the employer. The right occupation, the required skills and experience, English ability, and health and character requirements for every applicant included. Map the transition to an employer-sponsored permanent visa early, because age, occupation and salary requirements are assessed at that later stage. Yes. The visa is linked to the sponsoring employer and the nominated position, and moving to a different employer generally requires a new nomination.
The order matters more than most people expect. A skills assessment and an English result both take months, and neither can be arranged after an invitation arrives - so start with whichever constraint is tightest, because that's the one setting your timeline.
Key points
Direct answer
A complete application typically requires the employer's sponsorship approval and nomination approval documentation, employment contract setting out the position, duties, salary and conditions and evidence of the applicant's qualifications and relevant work experience.
Documentation decides most outcomes, because the case officer can only weigh what's in front of them. The evidence set for this pathway usually includes:
Read your file the way a stranger would. If a case officer has to reconcile two spellings of a name, an unexplained gap in employment or a reference that doesn't match the payslip, you'll be asked for more evidence - and that resets part of the assessment clock. Consistency is worth more than sheer quantity.
Key points
Direct answer
Costs divide clearly between the two parties.
Costs divide clearly between the two parties. The employer is generally responsible for the sponsorship and nomination charges, and in many cases for the costs of labour market testing and any Australian-skilled-fund contribution where it applies. The applicant is responsible for the visa application charge and their own supporting costs: skills or qualification assessment, English testing, medical examinations, police clearances and any registration fees. Because sponsored visas are frequently a stepping stone to permanent residence, it is worth budgeting for the permanent application at the same time, and understanding which costs will be borne by the employer at that later stage.
Two kinds of cost behave quite differently, and mixing them up is what wrecks most budgets. The government charge is fixed, published and unavoidable, and it moves on the Department's schedule rather than yours. Everything else - assessment, testing, medicals, clearances, translations, professional fees - depends on your circumstances and your choices.
The employer typically pays the sponsorship and nomination charges, while the applicant pays the visa application charge and their own testing, medical and clearance costs.
Build the budget line by line rather than from a single headline figure, then add a buffer. A repeated English test, an extra police clearance or a second instalment falling due later are all common. Where a pathway runs in two stages, compare the total across both - a cheaper first step can end up costing more overall.
Charges are indexed and revised, so treat every figure here as a planning guide and confirm the current schedule with the Department of Home Affairs before you pay anything.
Key points
Direct answer
The critical path runs through the employer, not the applicant.
The critical path runs through the employer, not the applicant. Sponsorship approval and nomination approval must both be granted before a visa application can be lodged, and labour market testing where required sits ahead of the nomination. Applicants who prepare their own documents in parallel with the employer's process are ready to lodge immediately on nomination approval, which is the single most effective way to compress the timeline. Health and character checks and any occupational registration requirements then determine the final stretch before a decision.
It's worth separating two things that often get confused. Preparation is largely yours to control - gathering evidence, finishing a skills assessment or English test, obtaining clearances, assembling a decision-ready file. Assessment is not: it depends on how many applications sit ahead of yours and what checks your case triggers.
The encouraging part is that effort spent on preparation pays off during assessment. A complete application with consistent evidence avoids the requests for further information that reset part of that timeline, and time-sensitive documents like medicals and clearances can be sequenced so they're still valid when a decision is made. If the pathway is capped or queued, remember the wait reflects the number of places available, not the quality of your file.
Published times are historical medians rather than promises, so check the Department's current estimate for your subclass before you plan around a date.
Key points
Direct answer
There are 7 stages, beginning with this: confirm the position is genuine and the occupation appears on the relevant skilled list.
The sequence carries as much weight as the content, because some steps have to be complete before the next is even possible. A workable order looks like this:
Most of the avoidable delay traces back to the same 5 mistakes:
This is an evidence-led process, not a form-filling exercise. Each claim needs support a case officer can check, and the cheapest way to get there is to decide what the evidence will be before you start writing anything.
Key points
FAQ
How the engagement works
Sponsored work is the only skilled pathway where someone else's compliance record decides your outcome. We act for employers and for the skilled workers they sponsor, which means structuring the nomination properly and making sure both sides understand the obligations that continue after grant.
Subclass 482
Core pathway
Skills in Demand, three streams
Subclass 186
Permanent outcome
Usually after eligible sponsored employment
Approved sponsor
Prerequisite
The business must be approved before nominating
Quoted per matter
Fee basis
Employer-side and applicant-side scopes priced separately
Side by side
The employer and the worker have different risks. Good sponsorship work addresses both at once.
| Criterion | The employer | The sponsored worker | Both, together |
|---|---|---|---|
| First step | Become an approved standard business sponsor | Confirm the occupation and your suitability | Agree who pays for what, in writing |
| Main obligation | Pay market salary and keep sponsorship records | Work in the nominated role | Notify each other when circumstances change |
| Biggest risk | Sponsorship sanction for non-compliance | Visa cancellation if the role ends | Undocumented changes that breach conditions |
| Where we add most | Structuring the nomination and compliance file | Evidence of skills and genuine employment | Keeping both sides aligned through the process |
| Lasts for | As long as the business sponsors anyone | As long as the visa and the role hold | As long as the relationship continues |
| Ends badly when | Sanction, cancellation or barring | Visa cease, then a scramble for a new sponsor | Silence between the parties about a material change |
Where we act for both sides we set out the arrangement and any conflict management in writing before starting.
Sequence
Sponsorship has a fixed order. Skipping the first step is the most common and most costly mistake.
The business applies to become an approved sponsor. Without approval, nothing else can proceed.
The role is tested against the relevant occupation list and the market salary and income threshold.
The nomination of the specific role and person is lodged and assessed.
The worker applies, evidencing skills, English and employment history.
Records, obligations and reporting duties are set up so compliance is not an afterthought.
Where eligible, the 186 becomes available after a period of sponsored employment.
Windows are indicative and depend on the stream, the occupation and the completeness of the nomination.
Budget
Several sponsorship costs fall on the employer by law and cannot be passed on. This is the split.
| Cost item | Amount | When it applies | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsorship application | Paid by the employer | At step one | A business cost. It cannot lawfully be recovered from the worker. |
| Nomination training contribution | Paid by the employer | With nomination | Also a business cost, not a worker cost. |
| Visa application charge | About AUD 4,015 | On lodgement | Primary applicant, indicative for the 482. Indexed annually. |
| Our professional fee | Quoted per matter | Agreed in writing | Priced separately depending on which side we act for. |
| Skills and English evidence | AUD 500 - 1,800 | Before lodgement | Assessment and test fees, depending on the occupation. |
Indicative only. Cost-shifting rules are strict and we set them out in writing for both parties.
Fit test
Sponsorship is powerful and binding. It suits some situations and is the wrong tool in others.
Failure modes
These are the failure modes specific to this pathway. Each is manageable if it is identified before lodgement rather than after a request from the department.
Nominations fail where the position does not genuinely exist or does not match the duties described.
Fix: We test the role against the occupation before nominating, using real duties.
Salary must meet both the market rate and the statutory income threshold.
Fix: We document the market salary reasoning with comparable evidence at nomination.
Obligations continue after grant. Failures can lead to sanctions affecting all sponsored workers.
Fix: We set up the compliance file at grant rather than leaving it to be discovered later.
Employers cannot recover certain sponsorship costs from the worker.
Fix: We set out who pays for what in writing before anyone pays anything.
If sponsorship ends, so does the visa, with limited time to find a new sponsor or pathway.
Fix: We plan the transition to permanence early rather than at the end of the visa.
A nomination lodged without approved sponsorship cannot succeed, and the sequence cannot be fixed retrospectively.
Fix: We confirm sponsor approval before any nomination work begins.
Titles are unreliable. Nominations fail where the duties do not sit with the nominated code.
Fix: We map actual duties to the occupation list before lodging.
Sponsors are audited. Files assembled under audit read as after-the-fact.
Fix: We open the compliance file at grant and maintain it continuously.
Evidence
Sponsorship is an evidence exercise on both sides of the relationship.
| Document | What it has to establish | What strips it of weight |
|---|---|---|
| Business registration and financials | That the sponsor is lawfully operating and trading | A business with no demonstrable trading history |
| Position description and organisation chart | That the role is genuine and where it sits | A generic description that matches no real vacancy |
| Market salary evidence | That the pay matches Australian market rates | A salary set below comparable roles with no justification |
| Contract of employment | The terms, hours and duration of the role | Terms that differ from what the nomination states |
| Worker skills and English evidence | That the person can actually do the job | Qualifications or licences the occupation requires but the worker lacks |
| Records of any labour market testing | That local sourcing was genuinely attempted where required | Advertising that was not consistent with the nominated role |
| Business activity statements and payroll | That the business genuinely trades and pays the worker | A payroll that does not show the sponsored employee |
| Registration and licensing records | Mandatory registration for the occupation or industry | A role requiring a licence the worker does not hold |
| Evidence of the recruitment process | How the candidate was identified and assessed | No record of interviews, shortlisting or selection |
Straight answers
Answers to the questions that come up in the first sponsorship conversation.
Yes, where both consent and the arrangement is set out in writing, including how any conflict would be handled. Where interests genuinely diverge, separate representation is better.
Sponsorship approval is typically a few weeks, nomination a further two to eight, and the visa application one to three months. Whole-of-process is usually several months.
Sponsorship and certain nomination costs are business costs and cannot be passed to the worker. We set this out in writing because getting it wrong creates liability.
Often yes, through the 186 after a period of eligible sponsored employment. We plan for that from the first nomination rather than at the end.
The visa is tied to the sponsorship. There is limited time to find a new sponsor or another pathway, so early advice matters.
Labour market testing is required in some cases and not others, depending on the stream and any applicable arrangements. We confirm before you advertise.
Sponsors must keep records of payments, duties and changes, and must notify the department of certain events. We set the file up at grant.
Yes, family members can usually be included, subject to relationship, health and character requirements.
Nobody owns it. The visa is tied to the sponsoring employer, so a new employer means a new nomination and, in most cases, a new visa application handled as a transfer.
Possibly. Newly established businesses face closer scrutiny and need stronger evidence of genuine trading and of the role itself. We tell you early whether the business is ready.
It is evidenced against comparable Australian roles, not chosen by the employer. We document the reasoning with real comparators at nomination rather than waiting to be asked.
Age limits apply to some permanent pathways and exemption rules are narrow. We check your position before you commit to a multi-year plan built on permanence.
Some nomination decisions carry review rights with strict deadlines, and a refusal affects both the business and the worker. We advise on review and on whether a re-nomination is stronger.
After grant
Sponsorship obligations do not end at grant. This is what continues.
Records of pay, duties and changes, maintained from day one.
Certain changes must be reported. We tell you which and by when.
The worker must remain in the nominated role unless a change is properly managed.
A timeline toward the 186, agreed early rather than at the last moment.
Handled as a structured transfer, not an informal move.
Available to both parties when circumstances change.
A file that can be produced on request without reconstruction.
Sponsorship is not permanent. We diarise renewal so it does not lapse unnoticed.
Current settings
Sponsored migration has been reformed more than once recently. These are the moving parts.
Confirm current settings with the department before relying on any of these.
Reference figures
Anyone can fill in a form. The value in using a registered agent is judgement about what to lodge, and when.
Registration you can verify
Our agents are registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority. Registration is public - check it.
A written scope, every time
Fees and deliverables are agreed in writing before work begins. No ambiguity about what is covered.
Refusal risk named early
We tell you the weakest part of your case at the start, not when the department asks about it.
One evidence pack, used everywhere
The same verified chronology supports your assessment, your EOI and your visa application.
Figures move with policy and indexation. A registered agent will confirm each one against the current Department schedule before you commit to a pathway or a payment.
Coverage
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