Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
Sponsor a worker from overseas vs Hire a 485 holder already here
A 485 holder is already in Australia with unrestricted work rights, can start on Monday with no sponsorship, and can be nominated for a 482 later from inside the country, with the bridging visa keeping them working while it is decided; the employer carries no cost until it chooses to sponsor and can judge the person first. A worker overseas needs the sponsorship, the nomination, the visa and the months they take before the first day, with the charges, the levy and the labour market testing paid up front on someone the business has met by video. The 485 holder is the lower-risk hire where the skills exist locally; the offshore worker is the route where they do not.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Start date
- Immediately; no visa step to start · After sponsorship, nomination and visa: months
- Cost to start
- Nothing · Sponsorship and nomination charges, the levy, the visa, the agent
- Labour market testing
- Not needed to hire; needed for the later 482 nomination unless exempt · Required unless exempt
- Risk
- The 485 ends; the 482 nomination must be lodged before it does · The worker arrives untested; the obligations run from day one
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About the CPD →Side by side
| Sponsor a worker from overseas | Hire a 485 holder already here | |
|---|---|---|
| Start date | Immediately; no visa step to start | After sponsorship, nomination and visa: months |
| Cost to start | Nothing | Sponsorship and nomination charges, the levy, the visa, the agent |
| Labour market testing | Not needed to hire; needed for the later 482 nomination unless exempt | Required unless exempt |
| Risk | The 485 ends; the 482 nomination must be lodged before it does | The worker arrives untested; the obligations run from day one |
| Path to PR | 482 from onshore, then the 186 | 482 or 186 direct, then permanence |
| Watch out | Age 35 cap at the 485 is irrelevant, but the 186 age limit of 45 is not | The must-not-arrive-after date and the family’s relocation |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
A 485 holder is already in Australia with unrestricted work rights, can start on Monday with no sponsorship, and can be nominated for a 482 later from inside the country, with the bridging visa keeping them working while it is decided; the employer carries no cost until it chooses to sponsor and can judge the person first. A worker overseas needs the sponsorship, the nomination, the visa and the months they take before the first day, with the charges, the levy and the labour market testing paid up front on someone the business has met by video. The 485 holder is the lower-risk hire where the skills exist locally; the offshore worker is the route where they do not.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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MARN 1576536 · practising since 2015 · contact details
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Questions we get asked first
Sponsor a worker from overseas or Hire a 485 holder already here — which is better?
A 485 holder is already in Australia with unrestricted work rights, can start on Monday with no sponsorship, and can be nominated for a 482 later from inside the country, with the bridging visa keeping them working while it is decided; the employer carries no cost until it chooses to sponsor and can judge the person first. A worker overseas needs the sponsorship, the nomination, the visa and the months they take before the first day, with the charges, the levy and the labour market testing paid up front on someone the business has met by video. The 485 holder is the lower-risk hire where the skills exist locally; the offshore worker is the route where they do not.
What is the main difference between the Sponsor a worker from overseas and the Hire a 485 holder already here?
Start date: Sponsor a worker from overseas — Immediately; no visa step to start; Hire a 485 holder already here — After sponsorship, nomination and visa: months. Cost to start: Sponsor a worker from overseas — Nothing; Hire a 485 holder already here — Sponsorship and nomination charges, the levy, the visa, the agent. Labour market testing: Sponsor a worker from overseas — Not needed to hire; needed for the later 482 nomination unless exempt; Hire a 485 holder already here — Required unless exempt.
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