1. Become a sponsor
The business is approved as a Standard Business Sponsor (or accredited sponsor). Valid for several years and covers multiple nominations.
Sponsorship · Nomination · Worker Visa
Nominating an overseas worker. The employer guide.
Bringing a skilled worker from overseas runs through three linked stages: become an approved sponsor, nominate the position, and support the worker's visa. Each stage has its own evidence and its own way of going wrong. Our employer team runs all three together.
The structure
Three stages.
Nominating an overseas worker is not one application. It is a sequence, and each stage gates the next.
2. Nominate the position
The specific role is nominated — occupation, salary, location, and that it is a genuine need of the business.
3. Worker visa
The worker applies for the Skills in Demand (482) or ENS 186 visa, supported by the nomination.
Lodged together
Stages 2 and 3 are usually lodged in parallel to compress the timeline once sponsorship is in place.
What the nomination must show
Four core tests.
A nomination is approved when the business can evidence each of these. Gaps here are the most common refusal grounds.
Genuine positionA real, ongoing skilled role that matches the nominated occupation and the business's size and activity.
Salary at or above thresholdRemuneration meets the CSIT and market salary rate for the occupation.
Labour market testingLMT advertising completed and documented within the required window, where applicable.
Sponsor in good standingThe sponsor is meeting its obligations for existing sponsored workers. Compliance concerns sink otherwise-strong nominations.
Where the time goes
Plan around the worker.
Most employers expect Department processing to be the bottleneck. It usually is not.
Worker-side evidence
Skills assessments, English testing, and police clearances from the worker's home country are the most common cause of total timeline slippage — not Department processing.
Sponsorship first
If the business is not yet an approved sponsor, that approval is on the critical path. Start it before the worker is identified where possible.
LMT timing
Labour market testing has a validity window. Advertising too early — or too late — forces a re-run and delays the nomination.
Most employer delays come from worker-side evidence, not Department processing.
Skills assessment delays, English test timing, police clearance delays, and document gathering from the worker's home country are the most common causes of total timeline slippage. Coordinating worker requirements early in the process — in parallel with sponsorship and nomination — is the single biggest lever an employer has on the overall timeline.
Common questions
The questions we hear most.
For employer nominations, book with Brian Park or Sourabh Aggarwal.
Do we have to be a sponsor before we nominate?
The business needs an approved sponsorship, but the sponsorship, nomination, and visa can be lodged together. They are assessed in sequence.
Can we nominate someone already in Australia?
Yes. Onshore workers (for example a current visa holder or a graduate) can be nominated, often with shorter worker-side evidence delays.
How long does the whole process take?
Highly variable. Sponsorship and nomination processing aside, the controlling factor is usually how quickly the worker can produce skills, English, and character evidence.
What if the nomination is refused?
There are ART appeal rights and reapplication options. See what happens if a 482 nomination is refused.
Some information on this page has been sourced from the Department of Home Affairs and has been interpreted and approved by Principal Migration Agent Sourabh Aggarwal (MARN 1462159). Last reviewed: May 2026.