The stages and how long each takes
| Stage | Typical duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Decide the role, confirm the occupation and salary | 1 week | Occupation list position and the A$79,423 floor decide everything downstream |
| Labour market testing | 4 weeks minimum | Two ads of at least 28 days each, within the four months before lodging; platforms with national reach |
| Candidate skills assessment (where required) | 4 weeks to 4 months | ACS about 4–6 weeks; TRA typically within 120 days; Engineers Australia about 15 weeks to be assigned; ANMAC variable |
| Standard Business Sponsorship | Median 11 days; 90% within 57 days | Once per business, valid five years; existing sponsors skip this |
| 482 nomination | Median 64 days; 90% within 9 months | Lodged together with the visa in most cases |
| 482 visa, Core Skills stream | Median 4 months; 90% within 9 months | Health examination and police checks run inside this window |
| 482 visa, Specialist Skills stream | Median 37 days; 90% within 78 days | Salary A$146,576 or more; trades excluded |
| 494 regional visa | Median 8 months; 90% within 12 months | Plus Regional Certifying Body advice before nomination |
| 186 Direct Entry | Median 21 months; 90% within 25 months | Permanent from grant; the worker needs another visa meanwhile |
| Notice period and relocation (offshore hire) | 4 to 8 weeks | After grant; flights, housing, licence conversion |
Figures are the Department of Home Affairs global processing times as published 29 September 2026; they move monthly. Charges and thresholds are on the cost to sponsor a worker page.
Three realistic scenarios
- New sponsor, candidate overseas, Core Skills. Weeks 1–4 labour market testing and sponsorship application in parallel; weeks 5–8 candidate documents and skills assessment (if not already held); week 8 nomination and visa lodged; decision around month 5–6 at the medians; start date month 6–8 after notice and relocation. Call it six to eight months, nine or more if the skills assessment starts from zero.
- Existing sponsor, employee already onshore on a 485 or Working Holiday visa. Labour market testing is the only hard wait; nomination and visa lodged at week 5; bridging visa keeps them working once the current visa ends; decision around month 4–5. Call it three to five months, with no gap in employment if the current visa holds until lodgement.
- Specialist Skills (A$146,576 or more), existing sponsor. Labour market testing, then nomination and visa; medians of 64 days and 37 days overlapping. Call it two to three months.
What you can run in parallel
- Labour market testing while the sponsorship application is being decided.
- The candidate’s skills assessment and English test before anything is lodged; both are the candidate’s to arrange and are the longest single items on the offshore path.
- Nomination and visa application lodged on the same day; the visa cannot be granted before the nomination is approved, but the Department processes them together.
- Health examinations booked as soon as the visa is lodged, not after a request.
- Licence conversion, registration (Ahpra, teacher registration, electrical licence) and housing while the visa is in the queue.
What adds months
- Requests for further information. A mismatch between the advertised title, the nominated occupation and the contract; missing salary in the ads; an organisational chart that does not show the role.
- Labour market testing defects. Ads older than four months, a single platform, or 27 days instead of 28 mean re-advertising, which restarts a four-week clock.
- Skills assessment restarts. An employer who assumes the candidate holds an assessment when they only hold a qualification.
- Health and character. A positive health finding or a police certificate from a slow jurisdiction can add two to three months.
- Choosing the 186 Direct Entry first. Correct for some, but the 21-month median means the worker needs a visa to live on in the meantime.
What makes it faster
Accredited sponsor status gives priority processing of 482 and 494 nominations and is worth applying for if you sponsor regularly (accredited sponsor criteria). Nominating under the Specialist Skills stream where the salary allows. Starting with a candidate who already holds a skills assessment and an English result, which is what the "sponsorship-ready" marker on SponsorTalent profiles means. And lodging a complete file the first time; most of the gap between the median and the 90th percentile is requests for further information.
Can the worker start before the visa is granted?
From overseas, no: they need the visa to enter and work. Onshore, they can keep working under their current visa’s conditions, and a bridging visa granted with the 482 application generally lets them continue once the current visa expires, subject to the conditions carried over; the Working Holiday six-month limit and student work limits need specific advice in that window. A 482 holder leaving another sponsor cannot work for you until your nomination is approved.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Standard Business Sponsorship take? The Department’s September 2026 figures put the median at 11 days and 90 per cent within 57 days for a complete application. Approval lasts five years and covers every nomination you make in that period.
How long does a 482 nomination take in 2026? A median of 64 days, with 90 per cent decided within 9 months, as published 29 September 2026. The nomination is usually lodged with the visa application and decided alongside it.
How long does the 482 visa take? Core Skills stream: median 4 months, 90 per cent within 9 months. Specialist Skills stream (salary of A$146,576 or more): median 37 days, 90 per cent within 78 days. Health, character and complete documents decide where in that range a case lands.
Is sponsoring someone already in Australia faster? Usually. There is no relocation, documents are to hand, and the nomination and visa can be lodged within weeks of the decision once labour market testing is done. Three to five months end to end is typical, against six to eight for an offshore hire by a new sponsor.
Does labour market testing add time? At least four weeks, because each advertisement must run for 28 days or more, and the ads must be within the four months before the nomination is lodged. Start advertising the day you decide to sponsor, in parallel with the sponsorship application.
Shorten the longest stage: start with a ready candidate
Profiles on SponsorTalent show skills-assessment status, English result and location, so you can nominate without waiting months for the candidate side to catch up.
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: waiting on a sponsor? See the candidate guides and the current processing times.
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.