( For Australian employers )
Employer sponsorship
Support for Australian businesses that sponsor overseas workers, from sponsorship to nomination and the obligations that follow.
( The situation )
Who this service is for
For Australian businesses sponsoring an overseas worker for a role they cannot fill locally. Organisations with an ongoing sponsored workforce are covered under Corporate immigration.
General information only. This is not immigration assistance and does not take your circumstances into account. Migration law changes frequently. Confirm the current position before acting.
Shoreline Migration · Registered Migration Agent · MARN 2619597
( How we can help )
- Support through standard business sponsorship and accredited sponsorship requirements
- Practical guidance on employer obligations and labour market testing
- Advice on labour agreements where standard programs do not fit
- Coordinated communication with your candidates
- Ongoing updates so your team can plan around the process
Occupation lists
Employer sponsored nominations are tied to occupation. The occupation must appear on the list that applies to the visa and stream, and that list also sets the assessing authority.
Check your occupation in the Occupation Library( The pathways )
Three roads for an employer
Sponsorship is three decisions in sequence: the business is approved as a sponsor, the position is nominated, and the person applies for the visa. The road depends on how long the role lasts and where it is.
The role you need to fill
- 01Temporary, with a pathway
Skills in Demand (482)
The temporary employer-sponsored visa, with a Core Skills stream and a Specialist Skills stream, set by occupation and salary, and a Labour Agreement stream for arrangements outside the standard rules. Time on the visa can count toward permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme.
Our part
We advise the business on sponsorship, nomination and the salary and labour market tests, and the applicant on the visa, in the sequence the rules require.
- Sponsor approval
- Nomination
- Pathway to permanent
- 02Permanent
Employer Nomination Scheme (186)
Permanent residence for a skilled worker nominated by an Australian employer, through the Direct Entry stream, the Temporary Residence Transition stream for people already working for the employer on a temporary visa, or a labour agreement.
Our part
We identify the stream that fits the person’s history with the business, and prepare the nomination and the visa together.
- Direct Entry
- Temporary Residence Transition
- Labour agreement
- 03Regional
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (494)
For a position in regional Australia: a five-year provisional visa with a pathway to permanent residence through subclass 191 after the required period of regional work. Designated area migration agreements open further concessions in some regions.
Our part
We advise on whether the position and the region qualify, the certifying body, and the obligations that attach to a regional sponsorship.
- Provisional
- Pathway through 191
- Regional concessions
The obligations
Sponsorship does not end at the grant.
An approved sponsor carries obligations for as long as the sponsorship lasts: to the person sponsored, to the Department, and in the records it keeps. We set them out before the business sponsors anyone, and we help it meet them afterwards.
Corporate immigration for larger programs( The visas in this area )
Employer sponsorship: the subclasses
The subclasses this practice area works within, grouped the way the Department of Home Affairs lists them. The colour says what kind of visa it is.
Employer sponsored
- Permanent
- Provisional
- Temporary
( The pathway )
Employer sponsorship, end to end
How a business goes from need to sponsored employee, and what continues afterwards.
- Stage 1 of 6
Business readiness
The business confirms the genuine role and its obligations.
- Stage 2 of 6
Sponsorship
The company becomes an approved sponsor.
- Stage 3 of 6
Nomination
The specific role and salary are nominated.
- Stage 4 of 6
Visa application
The candidate applies, linked to the nomination.
- Stage 5 of 6
Employee arrives
Onboarding, relocation and start of work.
- Stage 6 of 6
Ongoing obligations
Record-keeping, notification and cooperation duties continue.
( Talk it through )
Speak with us about employer sponsorship
Telephone or email the office with a question, or book an initial consultation for advice on your circumstances.
Governing law
Advice on employer sponsorship rests on the Migration Act 1958 and the Migration Regulations 1994, and on the legislative instruments made under them. What applies in your case depends on the visa, your circumstances and the law in force when you apply and when the decision is made.
- Migration Act 1958 (Cth)
- Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth)
( Related services )
( Related reading )
Initial consultation
Talk to us about your workforce
Book a consultation, or send a corporate enquiry outlining the roles, timeframes and obligations in question.