For employers · 482 · Family
Sponsoring a worker who brings their family
A skilled hire often comes with a partner and children, and the family changes the cost, the timing and some of your obligations. This guide covers what the employer needs to know, 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 - Worker
- A$4,015
- Each extra adult
- A$4,015
- Each child under 18
- A$1,005
- Family rights
- Live, work and study
The migration agent that other migration agents learn from. WIDEN is an OMARA-approved CPD provider — our training is rated ★4.8 by 40+ registered migration agents.
About the CPD →Who can come
Members of the worker's family unit can be included: usually a partner (married or de facto) and dependent children, with dependency tested more closely once a child turns 18 and ending at 23 except for incapacity. Parents and siblings are generally not included. Every family member must meet health and character requirements, so a health issue in the family can affect the timing of the whole application. See member of the family unit.
Costs and who pays
- 482 visa charge: A$4,015 for the worker, A$4,015 for each additional adult, A$1,005 for each child under 18.
- Health checks, police certificates and translations for each family member.
- Health insurance for the whole family for the life of the visa.
- School fees in some states, and relocation.
The visa charges and these personal costs can be paid by either the employer or the worker, by agreement. The sponsorship application, the nomination charge and the Skilling Australians Fund levy are the employer's alone and cannot be passed on. Whatever you offer, put it in writing in the employment offer so it does not become a dispute later. See what a sponsor cannot recover.
Adding family later
A family member who joins after the worker's visa is granted applies as a subsequent entrant. Home Affairs requires them to attach a written letter from the sponsor agreeing to include them in the nomination; the letter extends the sponsorship obligations to them, and Home Affairs says the point is that the employer knows which family members its obligations cover. Plan for the request, and agree in advance how you will handle it.
Health insurance and schools
Each family member must maintain adequate health insurance while in Australia as a condition of the visa; a lapse is a breach for the person concerned. Overseas Visitor Health Cover is the usual product. School fees for children of temporary visa holders vary by state and some states charge them for 482 families, which can change a family's choice of location. See health insurance (8501) and school fees by state.
Your obligations
Some sponsor obligations extend to the family. If the worker or a family member asks in writing, you must pay reasonable return travel costs to let them leave Australia, within 30 days. Your notifications and records relate to the sponsored worker, but family members on the visa can be affected if the worker's employment ends, because they remain tied to the worker's visa. When the worker moves to permanent residence through the 186, the family can be included in that application too. See sponsorship obligations and nominating for the 186.
The rule: the return-travel obligation is reg 2.80 of the Migration Regulations 1994 (economy-class travel to the country of the person's passport, paid within 30 days of a written request), and the bar on passing sponsorship costs to the worker or their family is reg 2.87.
The trap: an offer letter that says the business "covers visa costs" without saying for whom. If the family's visa charges were promised, deducting them later is a dispute; if the sponsorship charges are deducted, it is a breach.
What the decision maker looks at: in a monitoring check, the payroll and deductions for the worker, the written offer, and whether any travel-cost request was paid on time.
Worked example (illustrative only): a worker with a partner and two children resigns and asks in writing for the family's flights home. The business must pay economy fares for all four, plus travel to the airport, within 30 days, even though only the worker was employed.
Talk it through before the offer
In an employer consultation Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536, registered since 2015) works through the family, the costs, who pays what and the timing, so the offer you make is one you can keep. A$330 inc. GST for 30 minutes or A$550 for 60 minutes, credited in full if you engage the practice.
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.
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 our sponsored worker bring their partner and children?
Yes. Members of the worker's family unit, usually a partner and dependent children, can be included in the 482 application or join later. They can live, work and study in Australia while the visa is valid.
What does the family add to the cost?
The 482 visa charge is A$4,015 for the worker, A$4,015 for each additional adult and A$1,005 for each child under 18. The visa charges can be paid by the employer or the worker; the sponsorship, nomination and SAF levy are the employer's and cannot be passed on.
What do we have to do if the family joins later?
Home Affairs requires a later-added family member to attach a written letter from the sponsor agreeing to include them in the nomination. The letter extends your sponsorship obligations to that family member, so you are agreeing to them knowingly.
Do our obligations cover the family?
Some do. For example, the obligation to pay reasonable return travel costs when asked in writing covers the worker and their family members. Family members must also keep adequate health insurance as a visa condition, which is their responsibility unless you agree to cover it.
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