Sponsoring a veterinarian or vet nurse: the practice owner's guide

Which roles are on the list

From the Home Affairs skilled occupation list, read 6 November 2026. ✓ means the occupation is listed for that visa; caveats shown are the 482 Core Skills caveats; the list sets the 186 Direct Entry caveats separately. Check the live list before you advertise.

Veterinarians

The skills assessment is by the AVBC, and a vet cannot practise without registration with the veterinary board of the state or territory where they will work. Registration follows from recognised qualifications or the AVBC's assessment pathway, so it can take months for a vet who qualified overseas; time the nomination around it, because a position the worker cannot lawfully fill is not a genuine position yet. Veterinarian is also on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List, which opens skilled visas the vet can apply for without you.

Vet nurses and animal care

Veterinary Nurse is on the Core Skills list and is assessed by VETASSESS; the duties must be veterinary nursing, not reception or kennel work. Dog Handler or Trainer, Horse Trainer, Boarding Kennel or Cattery Operator and Animal Husbandry Technician are also on the Core Skills list. Kennel Hand and Pet Groomer are on the Regional Occupation List only, so a boarding or grooming business can consider them only for the 494 outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane; see sponsoring on the 494.

What the decision maker looks at: for a veterinarian, evidence that the worker can be registered with the state board for the role (otherwise the position cannot be filled and fails the genuine position test in reg 2.72(10)(a) of the Migration Regulations 1994); for a veterinary nurse, a position description and roster that show clinical nursing duties rather than reception or kennel work. Worked example (illustrative only): a clinic nominates a "veterinary nurse" whose description is mostly front desk and boarding; rewriting it to the nursing duties the role actually involves, and showing them on the roster, is what makes the occupation fit.

Costs and salary

For a 482 Core Skills nomination the salary must be at the annual market rate and at least the Core Skills Income Threshold, A$79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026; the Specialist Skills stream needs at least A$146,576; a 494 needs the market rate and at least A$79,423. The employer pays the sponsorship application (A$420), the nomination charge (A$330 for a 482) and the Skilling Australians Fund levy (A$1,200 or A$1,800 a year for a 482 depending on turnover), and none of these can be passed on to the worker. Work out the total with the calculator on the cost to sponsor a worker, and check your advertisements with the LMT ad checker.

Check the role before you advertise

For a vet practice the risk is rarely the occupation; it is timing the registration, the assessment and the nomination so the position can be filled when the visa is granted. In an employer consultation Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536, registered since 2015) works through the occupation, the duties, the salary and the visa that 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. No visa outcome can be promised; every nomination is decided by Home Affairs.