Free check · Employer sponsorship · As at 15 October 2026
Can your business sponsor this worker?
Eight questions you can answer without opening a file. The check scores your business and the role against the tests a 482 sponsorship and nomination have to pass, tells you which ones need work, and ends in a written quote. Indicative, not an assessment.
What the check applies
- The business: lawfully established and operating, with no adverse information. New businesses qualify with more evidence.
- The role: genuine, full-time, matching an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List, or paying the Specialist Skills threshold of A$146,576 for a non-trade occupation.
- The salary: at or above A$79,423 from 1 July 2026, and no less than the market rate for the role, which the nomination must evidence.
- Labour market testing: two advertisements of 28 days within the four months before lodging, with the content the regulations require, unless an exemption applies.
What it does not check: the worker's side (skills assessment, English, health, character), labour agreements and DAMAs, and the market rate itself. The page for employers covers cost, time and obligations; the cost calculator itemises the charges.
Frequently asked questions
What does a business need to sponsor a 482 worker?
A lawfully operating business in Australia with an ABN and no adverse information against it; a genuine full-time position that matches an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List (or pays the Specialist Skills threshold); a salary at or above the income threshold and the market rate; and labour market testing, usually two advertisements run for 28 days in the four months before the nomination. A new business can sponsor, with more evidence that it is trading.
My business is less than a year old. Can I sponsor?
Yes. The Department looks for evidence the business is operating and can pay the salary: contracts, invoices, a lease, BAS lodgements, a bank history. A start-up with little trading history needs a business plan and financial projections, and the nomination is judged more carefully. It is done regularly; it needs preparation.
The occupation is not on the list. Is that the end?
Not always. If the role pays at least the Specialist Skills threshold and is not a trade, machinery operator, driver or labourer occupation, the Specialist Skills stream does not require the list. Regional employers may have a Designated Area Migration Agreement with a wider list. And some roles fit a listed occupation under a different title; that is a matter of the position description.
What is labour market testing?
Evidence that you tried to fill the role locally: at least two advertisements, each run for 28 days within the four months before the nomination, on platforms that reach Australian workers, stating the role, skills and salary. Exemptions exist for some international trade obligations and some occupations. Advertising done wrongly is the most common reason a nomination fails.
Is this an assessment?
No. It is an indicative check of the main tests against what you type, as at 15 October 2026. The written quote and the consultation are where Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) reads the actual business and role.
For employers
Turn the result into a written quote
The fixes above are routine work. Four details and Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) replies within a business day with a fixed fee, the documents needed and a realistic timeline for this role.