For employers · 494 · Regional
Sponsoring a worker on the 494: the regional employer's guide
The 494 lets an employer outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane sponsor a skilled worker for five years, with a path to permanent residence after three. The worker's side is skills, age and English; the employer's side is the position, the Regional Certifying Body, the salary and the charges. This guide covers the employer's side, checked against Home Affairs on 10 November 2026.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed on 10 November 2026 · Check the OMARA register
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Where
- Anywhere but Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane
- Salary floor (TSMIT)
- A$79,423
- SAF levy (one-off)
- A$3,000 / A$5,000
- Visa length
- 5 years; 191 after 3
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The 494 suits a regional employer that needs a skilled worker for the long term but cannot use the 186 Direct Entry stream yet, often because the worker lacks the experience, English or skills assessment for permanent residence now, or because the occupation is on the Regional Occupation List rather than the lists for the 186. Home Affairs lists 650 occupations for the 494 Employer Sponsored stream, drawn from the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List, the Short-term Skilled Occupation List and the Regional Occupation List. Compared with the 482, the 494 ties the worker to regional Australia for five years and gives a set path to permanent residence through the 191; compared with the 186, it is provisional and needs the extra Regional Certifying Body step. If your occupation is not on the lists, a DAMA for your region may be the alternative. Industry guides: real estate agencies, gyms and fitness, veterinary practices and accounting firms.
The steps
- Sponsorship. Be approved as a standard business sponsor, or at least lodge the application (A$420). Home Affairs requires the business to be lawfully operating in Australia.
- Labour market testing. At least two advertisements, each run for at least 4 weeks within the 4 months before the nomination is lodged. The international trade obligation exemptions do not apply to the 494. Check your ads with the LMT ad checker.
- Regional Certifying Body advice. The body covering the position's location advises on the position and the salary. See RCB advice for a 494 nomination.
- Nomination. Lodge the nomination with the RCB advice, the labour market testing evidence and the salary evidence, and pay the SAF levy (there is no nomination fee for the 494).
- Visa application. The worker applies, with the skills assessment, work experience and English evidence. Processing for the Employer Sponsored stream: 50% within 10 months, 90% within 20 months (Home Affairs, updated 2 November 2026).
What the position must show
- Regional location. In the sponsoring business or an associated entity, in a designated regional area. Check the postcode with is my city regional?; Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, Canberra and Hobart all count.
- Genuine and full-time. A real need in the business, not a role created for the visa. This is the most common ground for refusal; see genuine position refusals.
- Five years. The RCB looks at whether the position is likely to exist for five years, so a fixed-term or project role is a poor fit.
- The occupation. On the list for the 494, with duties that match the occupation.
Salary
Two tests apply, and both must be met. The pay must be at least the annual market salary rate: what an Australian worker earns, or would earn, for equivalent full-time work at the same workplace and location, usually shown from the award, an equivalent employee's pay or published market data. And both the market rate and the worker's guaranteed annual earnings must be at least the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold, which is A$79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Accommodation, a car and other non-monetary benefits are on top of that and do not count. The RCB checks the regional market rate separately, and a salary set at the threshold rather than at what the role pays locally is a common reason the advice is declined.
The rule: the 494 nomination is approved under reg 2.73B of the Migration Regulations 1994 (its nil nomination charge is in LIN 19/215, item 6, for reg 2.73B(5)); the position must be in a designated regional area and, for the Employer Sponsored stream, come with Regional Certifying Body advice.
The trap: assuming "outer suburbs" means regional. The test is the postcode of the workplace, and neighbouring suburbs can fall on different sides of the line.
What the decision maker looks at: the workplace postcode, the RCB's advice on the salary and the need for the position, the labour market testing evidence, and whether the role is likely to exist for five years.
Worked example (illustrative only): two Melbourne-fringe businesses want a 494 chef. One trades in Pakenham, which is in a designated regional area; the other in Werribee, which is not. Only the first can nominate on the 494; the second looks at the 482 instead. Check yours with is my city regional?
Employer costs
- Standard Business Sponsorship application: A$420, if you are not already a sponsor.
- Skilling Australians Fund levy, one-off: A$3,000 if annual turnover is under A$10 million, A$5,000 otherwise.
- Nomination fee: nil. The instrument that sets nomination fees (LIN 19/215) prescribes no fee for a 494 nomination.
- Any fee the Regional Certifying Body charges for its advice.
Home Affairs says sponsorship costs cannot be transferred to the worker and are not refunded if the application is unsuccessful. The 494 visa application charge, from A$6,140 for the worker, can be paid by either side. See the cost to sponsor a worker, which includes a calculator, and what a sponsor cannot recover.
The worker
These are the worker's criteria, but they decide whether your nomination is worth lodging. Home Affairs requires at least 3 years of relevant work experience in the occupation, a relevant skills assessment unless an exemption applies, being under 45 unless an exemption applies, and English at the required standard. Check them before you advertise, not after.
After the grant
The worker can live, work and study only in designated regional areas and must work only for you or an associated entity, unless an exemption applies. Your sponsorship obligations run while they hold the visa: pay the nominated salary and conditions, notify Home Affairs of changes, keep records and cooperate with monitoring; see sponsorship obligations and monitoring and the employer exploitation laws. After three years the worker can apply for the 191; Home Affairs states there is no minimum income requirement, but the worker needs ATO notices of assessment for three income years and a clean record on the conditions, so paying correctly through payroll matters to their permanent residence as well as to your compliance.
Talk it through before you advertise
Most 494 problems start before the nomination: the wrong occupation, a salary benchmarked against the threshold, ads that miss the window, or a position the RCB does not accept. In an employer consultation Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536, registered since 2015) works through your position, occupation, salary and timing and tells you whether the 494, the 482, the 186 or a DAMA fits. A$330 inc. GST for 30 minutes or A$550 for 60 minutes, credited in full if you engage the practice. You can also start with the free sponsor eligibility check.
Book an employer consultation →
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 494 Employer Sponsored stream, salary requirements, cost of sponsoring and 191 Regional Provisional stream pages, read 10 November 2026.
Not sure which visa fits you?
Answer three questions. An automated guide points you to the route that usually applies. General information only.
Book 30 minutes with Keshab.
Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536), reads your situation with you and tells you which route fits, what it costs and what happens next.
Video consultation. A$330 inc. GST for 30 minutes, credited in full if you go ahead. Advice on your own case is given in the consultation, and you leave it with a clear plan in writing.
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.
Book an employer sponsorship consultation — A$330 inc. GST, credited In writing, no call — A$550
Need 60 minutes, or bringing a partner, employer or documents to go through? Extended consultation, A$550 inc. GST.
MARN 1576536 · practising since 2015 · contact details
Questions we get asked first
Can any business sponsor a 494 worker?
The business must be lawfully operating in Australia and be an approved standard business sponsor, or have at least lodged the sponsorship application. The position must be in the business, or an associated entity, in a designated regional area, which is all of Australia except Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
What salary must we pay?
At least the annual market salary rate for the occupation and location, and not less than the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold, which is A$79,423 for 494 nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Non-monetary benefits such as housing or a car do not count towards it.
Do we need labour market testing for the 494?
Yes, unless an alternative applies. The international trade obligation exemptions that can remove labour market testing for the 482 do not apply to the 494.
What does a Regional Certifying Body do?
For the Employer Sponsored stream, the body for the position's area advises Home Affairs on whether the position is genuine, full-time, likely to exist for five years, in a designated regional area and paid at the market rate for that region. It is a separate step before the nomination.
Does the worker need a minimum income for permanent residence?
No. After three years on the 494 the worker can apply for the 191, and Home Affairs states there is no minimum income requirement. They need ATO notices of assessment for three income years out of the five years of the 494 and must have complied with the visa conditions.
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