Employer Sponsored Visas Overview

Visa Options for Skilled Sponsored Workers

Under the Australian employer sponsored visa programs, there are mainly three categories of visas for people to choose from, as shown in the below table:

Visa	Length	Features	Skill or qualification requirements
Skills in Demand (SID) Visa (subclass 482)	4 years	* Workers can only wodk for the nominated employer or an associated entity unless exemp from this requirements; * Workers must work only in nominated occupation; * Workers can’t change the occupation without a new nomination;	* Workers must have the skills to perform the nominated occupation; * Worker must have 1 year work experience in the occupation or a related field;* Caveats apply for some occupations;
Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186)	Permanent	* No geographical restrictions; * The employment will be for the at least a period of 2 years after the visa grant;	* Direct Entry stream applications requires a skills assessment (unless expmpt); *Relevant registraton or licensing must be held if rewuiredl
Skilled Employer Sposored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494)	5 Years	* Work must be in a designated regional area; * The employment will be for at least a period of 5 years after visa grant;	* Employer Sponsored stream applicants require a skills assessment (unless exempt); * Relevant registration or licensing must be held if required;

See more for Skills in Demand (SID) subclass 482
See more for Regional Employer Sponsored visa subclass 494 (Vocational visa)
See more for Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa subclass 186 (Permanent visa)

Common Features of Employer Sponsored Visas

Visa applicants all need an employer to sponsor and nominate a position for them. This means that applicant must have a job offer from the nominator or employer;
Employers need to apply for a standard business sponsorship approval from the government before a nomination can be made and approved;
Each time when the employer/nominator wants to employer a foreign worker, they need to nominate the position individually to the government for approval;
Employers need to meet the labour marketing test to prove they have made genuine attempts to offer the job to local residents first, but not could not find the right persons before they can employ workers from foreign countries;
Nominated positions are limited to ANZSCO level 1- Level 3 occupations unless the nominator has a labour agreement with government;
Certain occupations have caveats for nominated visa categories and working settings;
At the time of nominating a position, employers need to pay the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy, formerly called the training fee;
Visa applicants need to demonstrate that they should have at least 1-3 years relevant work experience or close to the nominated position before they can apply for the visa;
Visa applicants must have a successful skill assessment result from the relevant assessing bodes, unless they apply for ENS 186 through transition stream;
Visa applicants for subclass 494 and subclass 186 must be under 45 years of age, unless their age can be exempted;
Visa applicants for subclass 494 and subclass 186 must have competent English (IELTS 6.0 or PTE 50), unless they can be exempted;

Costs & Pricing for Employer-Sponsored Visas

The following charges are all government fees. All charges are in Australian dollars. All fees are correct as in September 2021 and they may be subject to changes without notice. However most of the fees and charges should be covered by the sponsoring employer.

Skills in Demand (SID) Visa (subclass 482)

Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) Stage

Application Fee

$425.88

Nomination Stage

Nomination fee:	$334.62
Advertisement Fee	$350-$700
SAF Training Fee	$2,433.60 or $3,650.40 if sponsor’s annual turnover is over $10 million for 2-year visa

Visa Stage

Visa Charge	$3,115 (Main Applicant)
Visa Charge	$3,115 (Any additional applicant OVER 18 years of age)
Visa Charge	$780 (Any additional applicant UNDER 18 years of age)

*A subsequent temporary application charge of $709.80 will apply to all applicants if the visa is lodged within Australia.

Skills Assessment for 482 visa

Some occupations for 482 visa requires applicants of certain countries to obtain a suitable Skills Assessment. Depending on the occupations, the cost of obtaining a Skills Assessment varies.

494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa

Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) Stage

Application Fee

$425.88

Nomination Stage

Nomination Fee	$0 (Free)
Advertisement Fee	$350.00
SAF Training Fee	$3,042.00 (OR $5,070.00 if sponsor’s annual turnover is over $10 million)
RCB fee	$200.00

Visa Stage

Visa Charge	$4,836.78 (Main Applicant)
Visa Charge	$2,418.39 (Any additional applicant OVER 18 years of age)
Visa Charge	$1,219.90 (Any additional applicant UNDER 18 years of age)

186 Employer Nomination Scheme Visa

Nomination Stage

Nomination Fee	$547.56
Advertisement Fee	$350.00-S700
SAF Training Fee	$3,042.00 (OR $5,070.00 if sponsor’s annual turnover is over $10 million)

Visa Stage

Visa Charge	$4,172.61 (Main Applicant)
Visa Charge	$2,088.84 (Any additional applicant OVER 18 years of age)
Visa Charge	$1,044.42 (Any additional applicant UNDER 18 years of age)

Skills assessment for 494/186 Visa

All occupations for 494/186 visas requires visa applicants to obtain a positive Skill Assessment for their occupation (Not applicable for 186 transitional applications). Depending on your occupation, the cost of obtaining a skills assessment varies.

Please note: the above costs and fees are all government charges. They do not include our service fees.