For employers · Labour market testing · Timeline
How long does labour market testing take?
Labour market testing has two clocks: each ad must run for at least 4 weeks, and the advertising must fall within the 4 months before the nomination is lodged. Get either wrong and you advertise again. Enter your ad dates below to see your lodgement window.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed on 11 November 2026 · Check the OMARA register
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Ads
- At least two
- Each runs
- At least 4 weeks
- Window
- 4 months before lodging
- Fastest lodgement
- About 4 weeks after ads start
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A conservative planning aid, not a ruling: earliest = 4 weeks after the later ad started; latest = before the earlier ad is 4 months old. Each ad must also meet the content and platform rules; check them with the LMT ad checker.
The two clocks
- The 4-week clock. Home Affairs expects each advertisement to have run for at least 4 weeks. The nomination should not be lodged until both ads have reached that point.
- The 4-month clock. The advertising must fall within the 4 months immediately before lodging. Prepare the nomination while the ads run, so you are ready to lodge when the 4 weeks are up rather than near the end of the window.
When you must advertise again
- The nomination is lodged after the ads have fallen outside the 4-month window.
- An ad ran for less than 4 weeks, was on a platform that does not count, or missed required details such as the salary (where it applies).
- An Australian was made redundant or retrenched from the nominated occupation in the 4 months before lodging, and the ads ran before that date.
- The role changed materially after advertising, so the ads no longer describe it.
Some positions and workers are exempt from labour market testing: LMT exemptions.
Get the advertising right the first time
Advertising again costs a month. In a sponsor consultation Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536, registered since 2015) checks your ads and timing against the rules and the nomination you are preparing, so the 4-week and 4-month clocks line up with your lodgement. A$330 inc. GST for 30 minutes or A$550 for 60 minutes, credited in full if you engage the practice. No outcome can be promised.
In other currencies: A$330 is about US$225, €205 or £170; A$550 is about US$380, €340 or £285 (approximate, November 2026).
General information, not migration advice. Sources: Home Affairs labour market testing page (updated 21 September 2026) and LIN 18/036, checked November 2026.
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What you get
- 30 minutes (A$330) or 60 minutes (A$550) by video with a registered migration agent, Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536.
- A written summary of your options and next steps after the session.
- What to bring: ABN, what the business does, the role and salary, the candidate’s CV and current visa.
- Prefer no call? The sponsorship readiness check is done in writing, A$550.
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MARN 1576536 · practising since 2015 · contact details
Questions we get asked first
How long does labour market testing take?
At least 4 weeks. Each of the (at least two) ads must run for at least 4 weeks, and the advertising must fall within the 4 months immediately before the nomination is lodged. So the nomination can usually be lodged about 4 weeks after the ads start, and should be lodged before the earliest ad is 4 months old.
When do labour market testing ads expire?
They do not expire on a fixed date, but they only count if the advertising falls within the 4 months before the nomination is lodged. If the nomination slips past that window, you advertise again.
Do both ads have to run at the same time?
No, but each must run for at least 4 weeks and both must fall within the 4-month window, so running them together is the simplest way to keep the timeline short.
What if we made someone redundant from the same occupation?
If an Australian citizen or permanent resident was made redundant or retrenched from the nominated occupation in the 4 months before lodging, the advertising must have occurred since that date.
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