Can I sponsor a real estate agent or property manager in Australia?

Why the lists are drawn this way

The 2024 Core Skills list was built from Jobs and Skills Australia’s shortage analysis, and real estate sales and property management were assessed as roles the domestic labour market fills; the regional list is the Department’s concession that regional offices cannot. The codes are also licensed occupations: every state requires a certificate of registration or licence (a Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice or the state’s registration course) before a person can act for an agency, and the sponsored worker must hold the state’s registration before starting, with the nomination showing it.

The 494 for a regional agency

The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa needs the agency in a designated regional area, Regional Certifying Body advice on the nomination, labour market testing, a salary of at least the Core Skills Income Threshold of A$79,423 (a base-plus-commission structure must guarantee the threshold, not merely project it), a VETASSESS assessment of the occupation, and three years of experience from the worker. It runs five years, with the 191 permanent visa after three years at the regional income level. Steps and regional status by state: sponsor workers in your state; the regional 494 compared with the other routes: PALM, labour agreement or DAMA.

The DAMA route

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.

Agents 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 agencies 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.

Real estate sales is one of the occupations most filled by onshore visa holders who need no sponsorship: students and 485 graduates with a certificate of registration, partners of skilled migrants and Australians, and bridging visa holders. A city agency’s realistic path is to hire from that pool and let the person pursue a 190 or 491 nomination, or move to a regional office for the 494, rather than to sponsor directly.

Do not nominate the role under an occupation it is not. A salesperson nominated as a Marketing Specialist or a property manager as an Office Manager 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 real estate agent on the skilled occupation list? Only the Regional Occupation List. Real Estate Agent, Real Estate Representative, Agency Principal and Property Manager are not on the Core Skills list, so no 482 and no 186; the 494 in a regional area and state nomination are the routes.

Can a Sydney or Melbourne agency sponsor a property manager? No. The codes are regional-only, and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are not regional. An office in any other city or town can use the 494, which leads to permanent residence through the 191.

What licence does a sponsored real estate worker need? The state’s certificate of registration or licence (Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice or the state’s registration course) before acting for the agency, held at nomination.

Can I sponsor a real estate agent under a DAMA? Where the regional agreement lists the code: the Kimberley list carries Property Manager, and other agreements vary. The agency must be in the region and endorsed by the regional body.