How to hire foreign workers in Australia: the five routes, the checks and the costs

The five routes, side by side

Rule of thumb: exhaust the first three before you pay for the fourth. The onshore pool is large, immediate and free to hire, and the sponsorship charges are only worth paying for a worker you intend to keep for years.

Route 1: visa holders already in Australia

Permanent residents and New Zealand citizens on the 444 visa are hired exactly like Australians. Partner visa holders and applicants, 485 graduates and most bridging visa holders have full work rights with no employer paperwork beyond the VEVO check. This is the pool most employers forget, and it is the one SponsorTalent is built around: candidates list their visa, its expiry and its conditions, so you can see before you call whether someone can start on Monday. Visa by visa: employing visa holders already in Australia; the bridging-visa case in detail: employing bridging visa holders.

Route 2: working holiday makers

Hospitality, agriculture, construction and tourism run on them. The rules are the six-month limit per employer (with exemptions for agriculture, aged care and disability work, disaster recovery and several northern Australia industries), ATO registration so you can withhold at 15 per cent, super at 12 per cent, and the 88 days of specified regional work that earns a second year, which makes a regional employer a magnet. Full guide: employing working holiday makers.

Route 3: international students

Student visa holders can work 48 hours a fortnight while their course is in session and unlimited hours in scheduled breaks, and research-degree students have no cap. They are the largest onshore supply of entry-level staff in care, hospitality, retail and logistics, and the graduates among them become 485 holders and later sponsorship candidates with Australian qualifications. Full guide: employing international students.

Route 4: skilled sponsorship (482, 186, 494)

For an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List, the business becomes an approved sponsor (A$420, valid five years), nominates the role (A$330 plus the Skilling Australians Fund levy of A$1,200 a year for a business under A$10 million turnover), and the worker applies for the visa (A$4,015 for a 482). The salary must be at least A$79,423 or the market rate. Unless the worker is a UK citizen, you advertise the role for 28 days on two platforms with national reach in the four months before nominating. The 186 gives permanent residence directly or after two years on a 482; the 494 is the regional version with lower thresholds and a wider occupation list. The decision, costs and risks in one place: is sponsoring a worker worth it; the steps and current processing times: how long sponsorship takes; doing it without an agent: sponsoring without a migration agent; recruiting abroad: overseas recruitment and the country guides for the UK, the Philippines, India, Nepal and South Africa.

Route 5: PALM, labour agreements and DAMAs for unlisted roles

Truck drivers, meat workers, pickers and packers, carers, farmhands and many hospitality roles are not on the skilled lists, so no standard 482 exists for them. Three schemes fill the gap: the PALM scheme for Pacific and Timor-Leste workers through an approved employer; industry labour agreements with template concessions for meat, horticulture, dairy, pork, fishing, aged care and premium dining; and Designated Area Migration Agreements in regions that have negotiated their own concessions. Which fits which business: PALM, labour agreement or DAMA; the regional picture state by state: sponsor workers in your state.

The checks that apply to every route

• VEVO before the first shift and again at any visa expiry: the free Department check that shows the visa, its expiry and its work conditions. Keep the result on file. Employing someone without work rights is an offence with civil penalties, and “I did not know” is not a defence once you have been told the person is not a citizen.
• Same pay and conditions as an Australian doing the job: the award or agreement rate, super at 12 per cent, leave, and workers compensation. Underpaying migrant workers is where the Fair Work Ombudsman concentrates its enforcement.
• No charging the worker for a job or a sponsorship. Asking for or receiving a benefit in return for sponsorship is a criminal offence for both sides, and sponsorship costs cannot be recovered from wages.
• Tax: a tax file number declaration like any employee, the working-holiday-maker rate only once you are registered for it, and super paid regardless of visa.

What a worker really costs on top of salary, visa or not: the cost of hiring an employee in Australia.

If you are an overseas company, not an Australian one

Sponsorship requires a lawfully operating Australian business, so a company with no Australian entity cannot sponsor. It can hire Australians and visa holders who already have work rights through an employer-of-record service, or register a local entity and then become a sponsor; overseas business sponsorship exists for sending your own staff to establish a branch. Those arrangements are outside what this site does; the pages above assume an Australian employer.

Frequently asked questions

Can an Australian business hire a foreign worker without sponsoring them? Yes, if the worker already holds a visa with work rights: permanent residents, New Zealanders, partner visa holders, 485 graduates, most bridging visa holders, working holiday makers (six months per employer unless exempt) and students (48 hours a fortnight in term). A VEVO check before day one is the only requirement.

How much does it cost to sponsor a foreign worker in Australia? Government charges for a two-year 482 at small-business rates are A$3,150 (sponsorship A$420, nomination A$330, Skilling Australians Fund A$2,400) before the worker’s visa charge of A$4,015 and any agent fee. A 186 permanent nomination costs more because the levy is A$3,000 for a small business.

What is the minimum salary for a sponsored worker? A$79,423 a year or the market rate for the role, whichever is higher, for the 482 Core Skills stream. Regional 494 and labour agreement roles can have lower thresholds under their own rules.

Do I need to advertise before hiring a foreign worker? Only if you sponsor on a 482, 494 or 186, and not if the worker is a UK citizen or another exemption applies. The test is two advertisements of at least 28 days each on platforms with national reach within the four months before nomination. Hiring a visa holder who already has work rights needs no advertising.

What happens if I employ someone who does not have work rights? The employer commits an offence under the Migration Act, with civil penalties and criminal liability for repeat or deliberate breaches, and the worker’s visa can be cancelled. A VEVO check on file is both the prevention and the defence.

Where do foreign workers already in Australia look for jobs? On SponsorTalent, where profiles show the visa held, its expiry and work conditions, occupation and location. Employers search free and unlock a contact for A$30; many candidates can start immediately without sponsorship.