Employer Sponsored Visas Overview

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

Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) subclass 482 (Temporary visa)
Regional Employer Sponsored visa subclass 494 (Vocational visa)
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 3 year 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;
Government has 41 priority migration skilled occupation list (PMSOL) for employer sponsored visas during the COVID-19 pandemic period when their visa applications can be processed with top priority and they can exempted to enter Australia after the visa is approved;

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.

482 Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (Short Term – a 2 Year Visa)

Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) Stage

Application Fee

$425.88

Nomination Stage

Nomination fee:	$334.62
Advertisement Fee	$350.00
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	$1,308.06 (Main Applicant)
Visa Charge	$1,308.06 (Any additional applicant OVER 18 years of age)
Visa Charge	$329.55 (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.

482 Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (Short Term – up to a 4 Year visa)

Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) Stage

Application Fee

$425.88

Nomination Stage

Nomination fee:	$334.62
Advertisement Fee	$350.00
SAF Training Fee	$4,867.20 or 7,300.80 if sponsor’s annual turnover is over $10 million for 4-year visa

Visa Stage

Visa Charge	$2,727.66 (Main Applicant)
Visa Charge:	$2,727.66 (Any additional applicant OVER 18 years of age)
Visa Charge	$684.45 (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 occupation, 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	$4,172.61 (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)

186 Employer Nomination Scheme Visa

Nomination Stage

Nomination Fee	$547.56
Advertisement Fee	$350.00
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.