Who can work for you, and on what terms
| Visa | Work rights | What to watch | Sponsorship later |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student (500) | 48 hours a fortnight while the course is in session; unlimited during scheduled breaks (unlimited for some aged care workers under transitional arrangements that have been wound back, so check) | Hours are the student’s responsibility but employers who roster breaches face sanctions; the cap applies across all jobs | 482 once qualified; many wait for the 485 |
| Working Holiday (417 / 462) | Any hours; six months with one employer (condition 8547) unless an exemption applies or permission is granted before the six months ends | Register with the ATO as an employer of working holiday makers before the first payment (15% withholding from the first dollar); superannuation applies | 482 or 494 for listed occupations; lodge before the visa and the six months expire |
| Temporary Graduate (485) | Unrestricted, for two to three years depending on qualification | Expiry date; the visa cannot be extended except in limited cases | The easiest sponsorship: Australian qualification, local references |
| Bridging visa (A, B, C, E) | Depends on the visa applied for and conditions carried over; many are unrestricted, some have no work rights | Check VEVO rather than the person’s own description; conditions can change on re-grant | Usually already in a visa process; take advice before adding another |
| Partner, carer and most permanent visas | Unrestricted | None beyond VEVO | Not needed |
| 482 with another sponsor | Only for the sponsor, in the nominated occupation | They cannot start with you until your nomination is approved; after leaving a sponsor they have 180 days | Your own sponsorship plus a new nomination; see hiring a 482 holder from another employer |
Check the visa, then keep checking
The Department’s free Visa Entitlement Verification Online service shows the visa, its expiry and its work conditions; run it with the worker’s consent before the first shift and set a reminder for the expiry. Employers who allow work in breach of visa conditions, or employ someone with no visa, face infringement notices, civil penalties and criminal charges in serious cases, regardless of what the worker said. A copy of the VEVO result with the date is the record an inspector asks for. WIDEN’s guide: how to run a VEVO check.
Pay, tax and super
- Visa holders get the same award rates, National Employment Standards and superannuation as anyone else. Underpaying a visa holder is the most common finding against sponsors later.
- Working Holiday makers are taxed at 15 per cent from the first dollar by a registered employer; register with the ATO before the first payment or the higher foreign-resident rate applies and the registration breach is yours.
- Students and 485 holders are usually Australian tax residents and taxed on the ordinary scales.
From visa holder to sponsored worker
The employer who knows the worker is the easiest sponsor to win, and the Department prefers nominations for people it can see are genuinely employed in the role. The practical sequence: confirm the occupation is listed and the role can pay the A$79,423 floor; apply for Standard Business Sponsorship and run labour market testing while the worker is still on their current visa; lodge the nomination and 482 together before the current visa ends so a bridging visa carries them. For Working Holiday makers the six-month condition keeps running until the 482 is in effect, so start early or request permission. The full decision guide: an employee has asked you to sponsor them.
Finding onshore candidates
Register free and filter by current location (Australian city) and visa status: SponsorTalent profiles show whether a candidate is onshore, their qualification and skills-assessment status and their English result. Onshore candidates in care, hospitality, trades and IT are the largest single group on the site. Contact unlocks cost A$30. Search candidates, or read the candidate-side view: onshore sponsorship pathways.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours can an international student work for me? 48 hours a fortnight while their course is in session, across all employers combined, and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks. The cap is a visa condition on the student, but employers who knowingly roster breaches face penalties.
Can I keep a Working Holiday maker longer than six months? Only if an exemption applies (certain industries and locations) or the Department grants permission on request lodged before the six months ends. Otherwise they must stop working for you at six months from their first day, even if their visa has time left. Sponsoring them on a 482 or 494 is the long-term answer.
Do I have to register to employ Working Holiday makers? Yes, with the ATO as an employer of working holiday makers, before the first payment, to apply the 15 per cent withholding rate from the first dollar. You also need to be registered for PAYG withholding and pay superannuation where it applies.
Can a 482 holder work for me part-time on the side? No. A 482 holder may only work for the sponsor that nominated them, in the nominated occupation, unless a secondary-employment exception applies. Employing them otherwise breaches their visa and exposes you to sanctions.
How do I check someone’s work rights? Through the Department’s free VEVO service, with the worker’s consent, before they start and again at expiry. Keep the dated result on file. Do not rely on a passport stamp, a visa grant letter the worker shows you, or their own description of the conditions.
Hire today, sponsor when the time is right
Search onshore candidates with work rights now, see their visa status and qualification, and unlock contacts for A$30.
Want the paperwork done? WIDEN (Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536) lodges sponsorship, nomination and visa applications on fixed fees; start with a 30-minute consultation, $330 inc. GST, credited if you engage.
Candidates: already in Australia and looking for a sponsor? Onshore pathways.
General information only, not migration advice. SponsorTalent is a marketplace; migration advice is provided by WIDEN (Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536) under a service agreement. Occupation list status is read from the Department of Home Affairs lists as published; lists, caveats and labour-agreement terms change, and the Department's current page is the only authority. Figures: Department of Home Affairs price list and salary page, 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027; processing times published 29 September 2026. No outcome can be guaranteed.