What Sponsoring Your First Worker Actually Costs an Australian Business in 2026

Businesses considering sponsorship for the first time usually ask one question: what will this cost us? The honest answer has a structure to it — three stages, four types of government charge, strict rules about who is allowed to pay what — and understanding the structure matters more than any single figure, because several of the numbers depend on your business and the role.

The three stages, and what each one charges

Sponsoring a worker on the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa involves three separate applications, each with its own fee:

1. Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) — the business becomes an approved sponsor. The application fee is A$420. Approval covers the business for a period, so this is a per-business cost, not per-worker.
2. Nomination — the business nominates the specific role. This stage carries the nomination application fee and the largest employer charge, the SAF levy (below).
3. Visa application — the worker applies for the visa itself. The visa application charge varies by stream and family composition, and it belongs to the worker.

Across all three stages, government charges typically total around A$4,000–$15,000 per worker, depending on business turnover, the length of the nomination period, and family members included. Professional fees for a registered migration agent are additional and quoted per matter. For an indicative estimate against your own numbers, use our sponsorship cost calculator.

The SAF levy: the number that surprises everyone

The Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy is a training levy paid by the employer, up-front, when the nomination is lodged — calculated per year of the proposed visa period:

• Small business (annual turnover under A$10 million): A$1,200 per year of the nomination period
• Other businesses: A$1,800 per year

So a multi-year 482 nomination multiplies the levy accordingly, payable in one hit at lodgement. If the pathway later continues to permanent residence via a 186 nomination, a separate one-off SAF levy applies at that stage — A$3,000 for small business, A$5,000 otherwise. Note the small-business threshold here is the SAF levy’s own A$10 million turnover test, not the ATO’s tax definitions.

Who is legally allowed to pay what

This is where first-time sponsors get into genuine trouble. Migration Regulation 2.87 prohibits recovering certain costs from the worker — the SAF levy, the SBS application fee, the nomination fee, and agent fees relating to the sponsorship and nomination stages. “The worker offered to pay” is not a defence; recovery is a breach of sponsorship obligations that can bring fines, sponsorship cancellation and bars on future sponsorship. The visa application charge, by contrast, relates to the worker’s own application and is legitimately theirs.

Budget accordingly: the sponsorship and nomination side of the ledger is the business’s, permanently.

The costs that aren’t fees

Two non-fee items shape the true cost more than the charges do:

• Salary. The nominated salary must meet both the relevant income threshold — for the Core Skills stream, A$76,515 for applications lodged up to 30 June 2026, indexing to A$79,499 from 1 July 2026 — and the annual market salary rate for the role. These figures index annually; verify current settings with the Department of Home Affairs.
• Labour market testing. Where LMT applies, the business pays for compliant advertising and carries the internal cost of running a genuine recruitment process and documenting it properly — modest in dollars, decisive in outcome.

Regional businesses have one extra angle worth checking early: regional employer-sponsored options and concessions turn on whether the business location is classified as regional — you can check whether your city counts as regional before settling on the pathway.

Budgeting it sensibly

The pattern that works: treat the SBS fee as a one-off setup cost, price the SAF levy per nomination year at lodgement, keep the worker’s visa charge on the worker’s side of the ledger, and get the salary and LMT settings right before money is spent on applications — because government charges are generally not refunded when an application fails. For the process end-to-end, start with our guide to sponsoring a worker, or download the free 482 sponsorship guide.

Government charges and levy rates are set by regulation and change — always verify current figures on the Department of Home Affairs website before budgeting, and treat the numbers above (current as published on our fee pages) as indicative.

This article is general information only and is not migration advice for your business. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a consultation, with fees confirmed in a written agreement before work commences — contact WIDEN for a quote on your first sponsorship.

Common questions

What are the government charges to sponsor a worker on a 482 visa?

There are four charge types across the three stages: the Standard Business Sponsorship application fee (A$420), the nomination application fee, the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy paid at nomination, and the visa application charge paid by the worker. Government charges typically total around A$4,000–$15,000 per worker depending on business size, visa length and family composition — verify current rates with the Department of Home Affairs.

How much is the SAF levy?

For 482 nominations, small businesses (annual turnover under A$10 million) pay A$1,200 per year of the proposed nomination period, and other businesses pay A$1,800 per year — paid up-front at nomination. For a 186 nomination it is a one-off A$3,000 (small business) or A$5,000. Rates are set by the Migration Regulations and can change.

Can the employer recover sponsorship costs from the worker?

No — not the SAF levy, the SBS application fee, the nomination fee, or agent fees relating to the sponsorship and nomination stages. Migration Regulation 2.87 prohibits passing these to the worker; doing so breaches sponsorship obligations and can lead to fines, cancellation and sponsorship bars. The visa application charge itself is the worker's.

Is there a minimum salary for a sponsored worker?

Yes. For the 482 Core Skills stream, the nominated salary must meet at least the Core Skills Income Threshold — A$76,515 for applications lodged up to 30 June 2026, indexing to A$79,499 from 1 July 2026 — and the annual market salary rate for the role. Salary is an eligibility setting, not a fee, but it is usually the biggest number in the whole exercise.

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