Can I sponsor a counsellor or psychologist in Australia?

The codes

Psychology is on the Department’s health priority list under Direction 105, so psychologist nominations and visas are processed ahead of the general queue. The practical gate is registration: an overseas psychologist’s degree sequence is assessed by the APS against the Australian six-year standard, and many need a bridging program or supervised practice before general registration, so a sponsorship plan starts with the registration timeline rather than the visa.

The steps and costs

1. Confirm the code from the duties and the qualification, and for a counsellor whether it is one of the three Core Skills codes.
2. Labour market testing: two advertisements of at least 28 days on national-reach platforms within four months of nomination: labour market testing.
3. Registration (psychologists) or VETASSESS assessment (counsellors, for the 186); salary of at least A$79,423 or the market rate.
4. Sponsorship (A$420), nomination (A$330 plus the SAF levy of A$1,200 per visa year under A$10m turnover), visa (A$4,015 for the 482; A$6,140 for the 186 or 494).

Full costs: cost to sponsor a worker. Timeline: how long sponsorship takes. Sole practitioners and small practices should read sponsoring as a small business.

Regional agreements

Designated Area Migration Agreements are the exception to the lists. Regional agreements carry occupations the national lists omit; the Kimberley list (October 2025 version), for example, includes forklift drivers, truck drivers, retail and hospitality roles, and other regional agreements carry some of the same. The business must be in the region, endorsed by the regional body, and the worker must meet the agreement’s concessions on English, salary and age. Which agreement covers your area: sponsor workers in your state; how DAMAs compare with the other routes: PALM, labour agreement or DAMA.

Who can work for you now

The role does not have to wait for a visa. Three groups can work for you today without sponsorship, and practices and services already run on them:

• Working holiday makers (417 and 462): any role, six months per employer; register with the ATO for the 15 per cent rate and pay super. Employing working holiday makers.
• International students: 48 hours a fortnight in term, unlimited in breaks. Employing international students.
• Partner, graduate (485) and bridging visa holders: full work rights, a VEVO check and nothing else. Who can work for you now.

SponsorTalent lists candidates by occupation, visa and city, so you can see who can start on Monday before you make contact; search is free and a contact unlocks for A$30.

Psychology and counselling are among the most common Australian postgraduate degrees for international students, and the 485 graduate with provisional registration, or a Master of Counselling, is already here with no registration gap; employing international students.

Do not nominate the role under an occupation it is not. A generalist counsellor nominated as a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor or a provisional psychologist as a Clinical Psychologist is tested against the duties, the qualification, the award classification and the pay, and a mismatch is refused, can bar the business from sponsoring for years, and exposes the worker to cancellation. If the person genuinely does the listed job and holds its qualification, nominate that job at its rate; if not, use the routes above.

Frequently asked questions

Is counsellor on the skilled occupation list? Three counsellor codes are on the Core Skills list: Drug and Alcohol Counsellor 272112, Rehabilitation Counsellor 272114 and Student Counsellor 272115. Counsellors nec, family and marriage counsellors and careers counsellors are on the Short-term list only, so no 482 or 186; the 494 regionally and state nomination are the routes.

Can I sponsor a psychologist on a 482 visa? Yes. Clinical, educational and organisational psychologists and Psychologists nec are on the Core Skills list with the 482, 186 and 494 available. Ahpra general registration is required, and overseas-trained psychologists often need APS assessment and supervised practice first.

Can a private counselling practice sponsor a mental health counsellor? Not in a city on the standard visas: generalist counsellors fall under Counsellors nec, which is Short-term list only. A regional practice can use the 494; otherwise the candidate pursues state nomination, or the role is coded as one of the three Core Skills counsellor codes if the duties genuinely fit.

Are psychologists priority processed? Yes. Health occupations, including psychology, are processed ahead of the general queue under Ministerial Direction 105.