What does an employer sponsored visa cost in Australia? We break down the sponsorship, nomination and visa charges, who pays what, and the hidden extras. Book a consult.
An employer sponsored visa isn’t one fee, it’s several, and they’re split between the employer and the worker. There are usually three moving parts: the business becomes an approved sponsor, the business nominates a specific position, and the worker applies for the visa. The employer generally pays for the sponsorship and nomination stages, including a training levy called the Skilling Australians Fund levy, while the worker usually pays the visa application charge for themselves and any family members. On top of those government charges sit health insurance or the Medicare levy surcharge position, skills assessments, English tests, police checks, medicals, and professional fees if an agent is involved. Because the government sets and changes these charges regularly, the sensible move is to confirm the current figures before you plan around them.
This article breaks the costs into the pieces that actually make them up, so you can see where the money goes and what changes the total. Our registered migration agents in Brisbane cost these applications out for employers and workers every week.
Employer sponsored visas run in three linked steps, and the charge sits at each one.
Getting this split right matters. It’s unlawful for an employer to make the worker pay costs that are legally the sponsor’s, so if you’ve been asked to cover the sponsorship or the levy yourself, that’s a red flag worth raising.
Because all of these figures move, we won’t print a dollar amount that could be wrong by the time you read it. insert current sponsorship, nomination, SAF levy and visa application charges from Home Affairs at publish date.
The government charges are only part of the picture. Build these into your planning too:
The cheapest application is the one that’s approved the first time. A refused nomination or visa means paying again, plus the delay. A few practical points that save money in the long run:
Employer sponsored visas involve two parties, a business and a worker, and mistakes are expensive on both sides. It’s worth getting advice if the business hasn’t sponsored before, the occupation or salary sits near a threshold, there’s a family to include, or you’re weighing the temporary 482 against the permanent 186. As registered migration agents we cost the whole thing out, tell the employer what they’re legally required to pay, and make sure the worker isn’t charged for something they shouldn’t be. See our Employer Sponsored page for how the visas work.
The costs are split. The employer generally pays for the sponsorship, the nomination and the Skilling Australians Fund levy, and by law cannot pass certain of those on to the worker. The worker usually pays their own visa application charge and their family’s.
It’s a training contribution the sponsoring employer must pay at the nomination stage. The amount generally depends on the size of the business and the length of sponsorship, and it must be paid by the employer, not the worker.
The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) has a government application charge that changes over time, plus additional charges for family members. Confirm the current figure before you budget. There are also employer-side sponsorship and nomination costs on top.
The Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) has its own visa application charge and nomination cost, generally higher than the temporary visa because it leads to permanent residency. Current figures should be confirmed at the time you apply.
No. It’s unlawful for a sponsor to transfer certain sponsorship and nomination costs, including the training levy, to the worker. If you’ve been asked to cover these, get advice.
Yes. Budget for a skills assessment, an English test, immigration medicals, police certificates, health insurance, document translations, and professional fees if you use an agent.
Yes. Each additional applicant, a partner or a child, adds to the visa application charge, and may add to health cover and medical costs.
The temporary visa usually has lower upfront charges, but if permanent residency is the goal, paying for the temporary route and then the permanent one can cost more overall than planning the pathway properly from the start. We’ll help you compare.
Generally yes. A fresh application means fresh charges, which is why getting the first application right is the real cost saver.
Whether you’re a business sponsoring a worker or an employee being sponsored, we’ll give you a clear breakdown of who pays what and a realistic total for your situation. Book a consultation with a registered migration agent at BYD. Call 0434 893 901 or contact us online, and see our Employer Sponsored page.
