Free tool · Employers · Compliance
Sponsor compliance self-check
Twelve questions on the obligations Home Affairs checks most. Answer for every sponsored worker; any 'no' shows what the obligation requires and where to read more.
1. Is every sponsored worker paid at least the salary in their approved nomination, every pay period, not counting superannuation?
2. Are their terms and conditions no less favourable than an Australian doing the same job at the same workplace?
3. Have you checked this year that each salary still meets the market rate for the role?
4. Is each worker doing the nominated occupation, for your business or an associated entity only?
5. Are hours and location as nominated, with no cut in hours or move to another site without a new nomination or notification?
6. Have you notified Home Affairs within 28 days of every reportable event: a worker leaving, a change of duties or location, or a change to the business?
7. Have you never received money from a worker, directly or through someone else, for sponsorship, the nomination, the levy or agent fees for those steps?
8. Do you keep contracts, position descriptions, payslips, super records, timesheets and copies of notifications for each worker?
9. If a worker or family member has asked in writing for return travel costs, did you pay within 30 days?
10. Is your sponsorship approval current, with renewal planned before it expires?
11. If the business changed name, ABN, ownership or structure, did you notify and check the sponsorship still applies?
12. Have managers been told never to pressure a visa holder over their visa, hours, pay or complaints?
Frequently asked questions
What are the main obligations of a sponsor?
Pay at least the nominated salary on equivalent terms, keep the worker in the nominated occupation, notify Home Affairs of certain events within 28 days, keep records, pay return travel within 30 days of a written request, not recover sponsorship costs, and cooperate with monitoring.
What happens if we breach an obligation?
Home Affairs can bar or cancel the sponsorship, issue infringement notices or seek civil penalties, and serious exploitation can be a criminal offence. Self-reporting and fixing a breach early usually puts a sponsor in a better position than having it found at a site visit.
Does this check tell us we are compliant?
No. It is a self-check of the main obligations and decides nothing. A "no" points to something to look at; a full compliance review looks at each worker's file against their nomination.
Found a gap?
A breach found and fixed by the sponsor is usually easier to manage than one found by Home Affairs. In a sponsor compliance consultation Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536, registered since 2015) goes through your workers' files against their nominations and sets out what to fix and what to notify. A$330 inc. GST for 30 minutes or A$550 for 60, credited in full if you engage the practice. Book → See also sponsor compliance help.
In other currencies: A$330 is about US$225, €205 or £170; A$550 is about US$380, €340 or £285 (approximate, November 2026).
