Australian Visa Sponsorship & Sponsors Directory FAQ

OzJobList is an informational directory designed to help skilled migrants identify potential sponsorship companies australia. Our list is primarily based on the official accredited sponsors list 2025 (Jan release) published by the Australian Department of Home Affairs via Freedom of Information. We aim to provide a starting point for your search for companies that *may* be eligible to sponsor employees for visas like the TSS 482 visa.

There’s a key difference:

• OzJobList: We are a directory of sponsors based on official government lists (like the FOI release mentioned). We list companies that *may* be accredited sponsors, providing jobs with a broad overview across industries and states.
• Job Boards (like 482jobs.com): These sites typically focus on listing specific job vacancies that employers *advertise* as offering visa sponsorship (often requiring membership to apply). They curate active job postings rather than providing a comprehensive directory of all potentially accredited businesses.

OzJobList helps you identify potential companies to research further, while job boards show specific, currently advertised roles seeking sponsored candidates.

No. Inclusion in our directory does not guarantee a company’s current official accreditation status or their willingness/ability to sponsor for a specific role (like 482 sponsored jobs). Accreditation statuses change, and company hiring needs fluctuate. While we strive to keep our database updated based on available information (like the accredited sponsors list 2025), finding completely current data for all companies is challenging. Always verify sponsorship status and job availability directly with the company and consult official Department of Home Affairs resources.

An employer sponsored visa allows an approved Australian business (an ‘accredited sponsor’ or ‘standard business sponsor’) to nominate a skilled overseas worker for a specific position when they cannot find a suitable Australian citizen or permanent resident. This helps businesses fill skill shortages. Common types include the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) 482 visa and the permanent Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) 186 visa.

• Subclass 482 (TSS Visa): This is a temporary visa allowing skilled workers to work for their sponsoring employer for up to 2 or 4 years (depending on the stream/occupation). It can be a pathway to permanent residency (PR).
• Subclass 186 (ENS Visa): This is a permanent visa. It has different streams:
  • Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream: For eligible 482 visa holders who have worked for their sponsor for a set period (currently often 2 years).
  • Direct Entry (DE) stream: For applicants who may not have held a 482 visa but meet skills assessment and work experience requirements (typically 3 years).
  • Labour Agreement stream: For workers sponsored under a specific labour agreement between an employer and the government.

Eligibility criteria, costs, and processing times differ significantly. Always check the Department of Home Affairs website for current details.

General eligibility typically includes:

• Being nominated by an approved Australian employer (sponsor).
• Having an occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list.
• Meeting the skills, qualifications, and work experience requirements for that occupation (often requiring a positive skills assessment).
• Meeting English language proficiency requirements (e.g., IELTS, PTE).
• Meeting health and character requirements.
• Being under a certain age limit for permanent visas (usually under 45 for 186 Direct Entry/TRT streams, though exceptions exist).

Specific requirements vary significantly between visa subclasses (482, 186, 494) and streams. Check the Home Affairs website for detailed criteria.

The Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa allows employers in designated regional areas of Australia to sponsor skilled workers.

• It’s a provisional visa, typically granted for 5 years.
• Holders must live, work, and study only in a designated regional area.
• It provides a pathway to permanent residency (Subclass 191 visa) after meeting requirements, usually involving living and working in the region for 3 years and meeting income levels.
• Regional sponsorship can sometimes have benefits like priority processing or access to a wider range of occupations compared to metropolitan areas.
• General eligibility requirements (age, skills, English) still apply, similar to other sponsored visas.

Check the Home Affairs website for specifics on the 494 visa and designated regional areas.

Yes, generally you can include members of your family unit (e.g., spouse/partner, dependent children) in your visa application. Additional visa application charges will apply for each family member. They will generally have the same work and study rights as the primary visa holder, depending on the specific visa subclass.

Australian migration law dictates that the sponsoring employer MUST pay certain costs and cannot legally recover these from the visa applicant. These mandatory employer costs typically include:

• Standard Business Sponsorship application fee (if applicable).
• Nomination application fee.
• Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy (this can be substantial, based on business size and visa duration).
• Recruitment costs (if any).
• Migration agent fees related to sponsorship/nomination applications (if used by the employer).

Costs that the visa applicant (you) MAY need to pay (unless the employer agrees to cover them) include:

• The Visa Application Charge (VAC) for yourself and any accompanying family members.
• Skills assessment fees.
• English language test fees.
• Health examinations.
• Police clearances.
• Document translation fees.
• Your own migration agent fees (if you choose to use one for the visa application part).

It is illegal for an employer to ask you to pay or reimburse them for the mandatory employer costs (like the SAF levy). Be wary of any such requests.

Visa processing times vary significantly depending on:

• The specific visa subclass and stream (e.g., 482 Short-Term, 482 Medium-Term, 186 TRT, 186 DE).
• Whether the application is complete with all required documents.
• How quickly you respond to any requests for further information (RFIs).
• The time taken for external checks (health, character, national security).
• The current workload and priorities of the Department of Home Affairs.
• Whether the sponsoring employer has accredited status (which can sometimes lead to faster nomination processing).
• Processing times for permanent visas may also be affected by the number of places available in the migration program.

The Department of Home Affairs provides a visa processing time guide tool on their website, which gives indicative timeframes based on recently finalised applications. However, these are just guides and individual application times can differ greatly. Recent forum discussions suggest waiting times can range from days to many months.

Yes, you generally can switch employers, but it’s not automatic. Your new employer must be an approved Standard Business Sponsor and must lodge a new nomination application for your position, linking it to your existing 482 visa. You can only start working for the new employer *after* their nomination is approved. Importantly, recent changes (as of late 2024/early 2025) may allow time spent with different sponsors (under approved nominations) to count towards eligibility for the permanent 186 TRT stream, making the pathway more ‘portable’. Always confirm the latest rules with Home Affairs or a migration agent.

If your employment with your sponsor ends while you hold a temporary sponsored visa like the 482, you typically have a limited period (often 60 days, but check your visa conditions) to do one of the following:

• Find a new approved sponsor willing to nominate you for the same or a similar role.
• Apply for a different type of visa for which you are eligible.
• Make arrangements to depart Australia.

It’s crucial to understand your visa conditions and act quickly if your employment ceases.