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Employer Sponsored Visas
Employer sponsored visas are available across several subclasses, each with its own set of requirements. Depending on the visa type, employers will need to hold either a Standard Business Sponsorship or a Temporary Activities Sponsorship — both of which are typically valid for four years and can be used to nominate multiple employees throughout that period.
Each visa subclass has a defined list of eligible occupations. For the Subclass 482 and 186 visas, eligible roles are drawn from the Core Skills Occupation List, as set out in the relevant Home Affairs legislative instrument. Some occupations carry additional caveats, so it’s important to check the specific conditions that apply to your role. Salary requirements also apply across all employer sponsored visas — the market wage rate must be paid in most cases, with the exception of the Training visa, where the applicable award wage is accepted.
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Employer Sponsored Visa Sub-Class Range
(Subclass 482)
(Subclass 407)
(Subclass 494)
(Subclass 408)
Subclass 482 - Skills In Demand (SID) Visa
The Skills in Demand visa (Subclass 482) is a temporary employer-sponsored visa designed to help Australian businesses fill skilled positions where no suitable local worker is available. It took over from the former Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa in December 2024, keeping the 482 subclass number but introducing updated eligibility rules and occupation lists. The visa is granted for up to four years.
Three Streams
The visa operates across three streams.
1. The Core Skills Stream is the most widely used, covering hundreds of occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). When the visa launched, over 70 new roles were added to this list, spanning a broad range of industries.
2. The Specialist Skills Stream is aimed at high-level professionals and has a faster processing time — often just one to two weeks — making it significantly quicker than the Core Skills Stream. It does not cover trades, manual labour, or transport roles, and annual places are limited.
3. The Labour Agreement Stream is available where an employer holds a formal agreement with the Australian Government, typically to address niche or regional workforce needs. It can offer greater flexibility around occupations and conditions than the standard streams.
Key Requirements
To be eligible, applicants need an approved employer sponsor, an occupation that qualifies under the relevant stream, and at least one year of relevant work experience gained within the past five years. English language proficiency, health insurance, and health and character checks are also required.
Work Experience
The work experience requirement was recently reduced from two years to one, making the visa more accessible — particularly for graduates already in Australia on a Subclass 485 visa who are looking to transition into longer-term employer sponsorship.
Pathway to Permanent Residency
The 482 visa offers a clear route to permanent residency. After two years of work under sponsorship — reduced from the previous three-year requirement — holders can apply for a Subclass 186 visa. Notably, time worked across different approved sponsors all counts toward this threshold, giving workers greater flexibility in their career moves.
If You Lose Your Job
Should a sponsored worker’s employment come to an end, they have 180 days to secure a new approved employer sponsor before needing to make arrangements to depart Australia
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Labour Agreeements
The 482 Labour Agreement stream sits within the Skills in Demand visa framework, providing a pathway for skilled workers whose employers have entered into a formal Labour Agreement with the Australian Government. These agreements are negotiated directly between the employer and the Department of Home Affairs and exist specifically for situations where the standard skilled migration rules fall short of meeting a genuine workforce need.
This stream is entirely driven by the employer — workers cannot initiate an application on their own. The employer must first have an approved Labour Agreement in place before they can nominate any worker under this stream.
The three important labour agreements are as below;
Industry Labour Agreements
These are pre-negotiated agreements tailored to specific industries that face ongoing or well-documented skill shortages. Rather than negotiating terms from scratch, employers in eligible industries can access a standard template with fixed terms and conditions. Current industries with established agreements include Aged Care, Meat Industry, and Horticulture.
Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs)
DAMAs are formal agreements struck between the Australian Government and a state, territory, or regional authority. They are designed to address workforce shortages in specific geographic areas that struggle to attract workers through standard migration pathways. Regions covered include the Northern Territory, the Goldfields in Western Australia, and the Great South Coast in Victoria, among others. DAMAs typically allow access to a broader range of occupations and can offer concessions on salary, age, and English language requirements that are not available under standard visa streams.
Company-Specific Agreements
These are individually negotiated agreements for employers with highly unique or niche workforce needs that cannot be accommodated under an industry or regional agreement. Because they are bespoke arrangements, the terms are negotiated on a case-by-case basis directly with the Department of Home Affairs.
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Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) Visa
The Subclass 186 is Australia’s primary permanent employer-sponsored visa, giving skilled overseas workers the ability to settle in Australia long-term. What sets it apart from the 482 is that it grants permanent residency from the moment it is approved — there is no temporary period to work through first. For many skilled workers, it represents the end goal of their Australian migration journey.
What You Can Do With This Visa
Once granted, holders can live and work in Australia indefinitely, study without restrictions, access Medicare, sponsor eligible family members, and travel freely in and out of Australia for five years. After meeting the residency requirements, holders can also apply for Australian citizenship.
The Three Streams
Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) Stream This is designed for people already working in Australia on a Subclass 482 or legacy 457 visa. After two years of employment with the sponsoring employer, the worker can be nominated for permanent residency through this stream. The occupation does not need to be re-assessed against any occupation list, as it was already approved at the 482 stage.
Direct Entry Stream This stream is open to workers both inside and outside Australia who have not held a 482 or 457 visa. It requires at least three years of relevant work experience, a positive skills assessment, and the nominated occupation must appear on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). This stream typically has longer processing times than the TRT stream.
Labour Agreement Stream This mirrors the Labour Agreement stream of the 482 visa but leads directly to permanent residency. It applies where the employer holds a formal Labour Agreement with the Australian Government, and is commonly used in sectors such as aged care, horticulture, and meat processing.
Key Eligibility Criteria
Applicants across all streams must be under 45 years of age at the time of lodgement, meet English language standards, and satisfy health and character requirements. The sponsoring employer must be actively operating, hold a genuine ongoing position, and pay the market salary rate for the role.
Processing Times
Timeframes vary by stream. The TRT stream generally moves faster, while the Direct Entry and Labour Agreement streams can take considerably longer depending on the complexity of the case and current departmental workloads.
Pathway to Citizenship
The 186 visa is not just a permanent residency grant — it is also the stepping stone to Australian citizenship. Once holders meet the required residency period, they are eligible to apply, making this one of the most complete migration outcomes available through the employer-sponsored pathway.
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Subclass 407 Training Visa
407 visa is a temporary visa, designed purely around structured training and professional development. Its purpose is to allow overseas participants to come to Australia to develop or enhance skills in a workplace setting, whether for occupational registration, professional upskilling, or capacity building. Once the training is complete, participants are generally expected to return home or transition to another visa.
Three Training Categories
There are 3 types of occupational training covered by this visa:
- Occupational training required for registration
- Occupational training to improve skills in an eligible occupation
- Occupational training for capacity building overseas. This includes overseas qualification, government support or professional development.
The Training Plan
The training plan is the cornerstone of any 407 application and is the most common reason for refusal when done poorly. The Department scrutinises it closely to ensure the program is genuine, structured, and delivers real skills development.
Visa Duration
The 407 visas can be granted for up to two years, and eligible family members can accompany the visa holder during that period.
Important 2026 Rule Change
A significant procedural change came into effect on 11 March 2026. Previously, employers could lodge the sponsorship application, the training nomination, and the visa application all at the same time. This is no longer permitted. The employer must now first obtain approval as a Temporary Activities Sponsor, then receive an approved training nomination, and only after both are in place can the visa application itself be lodged. Applications submitted without these two prior approvals in place will be rejected as invalid. This change has extended lead times considerably — sponsorship and nomination approvals can currently take anywhere from several months up to nearly a year, so employers need to plan well ahead of any intended training start date.
Who Needs to Be Careful
People already in Australia on another visa need to be particularly cautious under the new rules. Because the visa application can no longer be lodged until both approvals are granted, there is now a potential gap where an applicant’s current visa could expire before they are eligible to lodge. In those situations, the person may need to depart Australia or explore an alternative visa option while waiting.
Pathway to Permanent Residency
The 407 visas does not directly lead to permanent residency. However, it can form part of a broader migration strategy — for example, a trainee who completes their program and meets the requirements of a skilled visa may be well placed to transition onto a pathway toward permanent residence.
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Subclass 494 Regional Temporary Work Visa
The Subclass 494 is a five-year provisional visa that allows skilled overseas workers to live, work, and study in designated regional areas of Australia under employer sponsorship. It was introduced in November 2019, replacing the former Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (Subclass 187), and is specifically designed to help regional businesses fill genuine skill shortages where no suitable local worker can be found. With around 9,000 places allocated annually, it remains one of the key regional migration pathways available in Australia.
What Does “Regional” Actually Mean?
This is one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of the visa. For migration purposes, “regional” does not mean remote or rural. It covers the vast majority of Australia — essentially everywhere outside the metropolitan areas of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. This means major cities such as Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin, Canberra, and the Gold Coast all qualify as regional under this visa.
Two Streams
The 494 visa operates across two streams. The Employer Sponsored stream is the most widely used, requiring the employer to be based in a designated regional area and to nominate the worker for a specific skilled position. The Labour Agreement stream applies where the employer holds a formal Labour Agreement with the Australian Government.
Occupation Lists
Unlike the 482 Skills in Demand visa which uses the Core Skills Occupation List, the 494 operates from different occupation lists — primarily the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and the Regional Occupation List (ROL). The ROL tends to have broader coverage than the CSOL, particularly for roles that are specific to regional industries and workforce needs.
Key Requirements for Applicants
To be eligible, workers must be nominated by an approved regional employer, hold a positive skills assessment in the nominated occupation, have at least three years of relevant full-time work experience, be under 45 years of age, and meet competent English language requirements. Health and character checks apply to both the primary applicant and any family members included in the application.
Employer Obligations
The sponsoring business must be lawfully operating in a designated regional area and become an approved Standard Business Sponsor. Labour Market Testing is mandatory — employers must demonstrate through documented recruitment efforts that no suitable Australian worker was available for the role. A Regional Certifying Body (RCB) assessment is also required.
Conditions While on the Visa
Holders must live and work only in designated regional areas for the duration of the visa. They must work in their nominated occupation and only for their sponsoring employer, unless they formally change sponsors. Departing the nominated regional area to work in a major city would place the visa holder in breach of their visa conditions.
Pathway to Permanent Residency
The 494 is a stepping stone to permanent residency through the Subclass 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa. To be eligible, holders must have lived and worked in a regional area for at least three years while holding the 494 visa and have met their income and tax obligations during that period. This makes the 494 one of the most structured and defined regional PR pathways available in the Australian migration system.
Who Is It Best Suited For?
The 494 suits skilled workers who are open to living outside Australia’s major cities and are willing to commit to a regional employer for the medium term. In return, they benefit from a clear five-year work arrangement and a well-defined route to permanent residency — often with less competition than city-based visa pathways and employers who are highly motivated to sponsor and retain good people.
The Subclass 408 is a temporary visa that allows people to come to Australia for specific, short-term activities or work that does not fall under standard skilled migration or work visa categories. It is a broad and flexible visa covering a wide range of activities — from entertainment and sport to religious work and cultural exchange. It is not a pathway to permanent residency and is designed strictly for temporary stays.
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Subclass 408 Temporary Activity Visa
The Subclass 408 is a temporary visa that allows people to come to Australia for specific, short-term activities or work that does not fall under standard skilled migration or work visa categories. It is a broad and flexible visa covering a wide range of activities — from entertainment and sport to religious work and cultural exchange. It is not a pathway to permanent residency and is designed strictly for temporary stays.
Who Is It For?
Unlike most employer-sponsored visas which focus on filling skill shortages, the 408 is centred around the nature of the activity itself. It suits individuals invited to participate in specific events, programs, or roles that are genuine, time-limited, and cannot be accommodated under other visa types.
Activity Streams
The visa covers several distinct categories of activity:
Entertainment — for those working in film, television, or live productions, whether in a performance capacity or in a behind-the-scenes role such as directing or producing.
Invited Participant — for individuals invited by an Australian organisation to take part in a specific cultural, social, sporting, religious, or community event for a stay of up to three months.
Research — for academics or professionals invited to observe or participate in a research project at an Australian university or research institution.
Religious Work — for those undertaking full-time religious duties on behalf of a recognised religious institution in Australia.
Special Programs — for participants in government-approved programs that deliver youth exchange, cultural enrichment, or broader community benefit.
Australian Government Endorsed Events — for participants in major government-endorsed events such as international conferences or large-scale cultural festivals.
Domestic Work — in limited circumstances, for household domestic workers employed by certain senior foreign executives based in Australia.
Visa Duration
The length of the visa depends on the activity type. Those invited to a specific event are generally granted up to three months. Participants in government-related activities can be granted up to four years. Most other activities fall somewhere in between, typically up to two years. Regardless of the activity, the visa cannot generally be used to extend a stay in Australia beyond four years in total.
Sponsorship
Most applicants require an approved sponsor. The sponsoring organisation must be an Australian business, government agency, foreign government trade or diplomatic office operating in Australia, a recognised sporting body, or an ATO-recognised religious organisation. Sponsorship is mandatory for anyone applying from inside Australia or from overseas where the intended stay exceeds three months. Individuals cannot self-sponsor under any stream of this visa.
Key Requirements
Applicants must genuinely intend to stay in Australia only for the duration of the approved activity. The Department applies a Genuine Temporary Entrant assessment to all 408 applications, meaning officers will examine whether the applicant’s personal circumstances and intentions are consistent with a genuinely temporary stay. Adequate health insurance for the full duration of the stay is required, as is evidence of sufficient funds to support themselves and any accompanying family members. Health and character requirements also apply.
What You Cannot Do
Holders are restricted to the specific activity approved at the time of grant. They cannot take up general employment, work for a different organisation, or extend the visa simply to remain in Australia. The 408 is not designed as a stopgap to maintain ongoing residency and the Department takes a close look at applications that appear to be motivated by a desire to stay in Australia rather than participate in a genuine activity.
No Pathway to Permanent Residency
The 408 visas does not directly lead to permanent residency. However, the experience and connections gained during a 408 stay can sometimes support a future skilled migration strategy, particularly for those who use the time to build relationships with Australian employers or institutions.
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Subclass 400 Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) Visa
The Subclass 400 is a short-stay temporary visa designed for people with highly specialised skills, knowledge, or experience that is not readily available in the Australian labour market. It allows them to come to Australia to carry out specific, time-limited work for an Australian business. It is one of the most streamlined temporary work visas available — there is no requirement for formal employer sponsorship or a nomination process, making it faster and simpler to arrange than most other work-related visas.
Who Is It For?
The 400 is best suited to specialists being brought in for a defined project, task, or assignment that is urgent, time-critical, or highly niche. Common examples include technical experts installing or repairing imported equipment, international consultants with company-specific knowledge, specialists conducting emergency work, or senior professionals invited to contribute to a specific business activity that cannot be fulfilled locally.
It is important to note that the entertainment industry is specifically excluded from this visa. Performers, directors, and production crew members working on productions to be shown in Australia must apply through the Subclass 408 instead.
No Formal Sponsorship Required
Unlike most other work visas, the 400 does not require the employer to be an approved Standard Business Sponsor or to lodge a formal nomination. This makes the 400 considerably faster to arrange for businesses needing to bring someone in at short notice.
The Work Must Be Non-Ongoing
A central requirement of this visa is that the work must be genuinely non-ongoing — meaning it is expected to be completed within the visa period, and the applicant has no intention of remaining in Australia beyond that for work-related reasons. The Department assesses this carefully and will not grant the visa where the role appears to be an ongoing position dressed up as a short-term engagement.
The work must also fall within the managerial, professional, or trade classifications under the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, or 3) or relate to skills specific to an international company such as installing imported equipment, after-sales service, or emergency repairs.
Visa Duration
The standard grant period is up to three months. In limited and genuinely exceptional circumstances, the Department may grant up to six months where a compelling business case is made — but this is not automatic and is at the discretion of the assessing officer. The visa cannot be extended beyond six months, and importantly, applicants cannot spend more than six months in Australia in total across any twelve-month period under this visa. Multiple back-to-back 400 visas are no longer permitted.
Must Apply from Outside Australia
Applicants must be outside Australia both when they apply and when the visa is granted. This is a firm requirement — someone already in Australia cannot switch to a Subclass 400 from within the country.
Key Requirements
Applicants must demonstrate that their skills and experience are genuinely specialised and not generally available in Australia, provide evidence of the work they will be undertaking and a letter of support from the Australian business, meet health and character requirements, hold adequate health insurance, and satisfy the Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement — meaning they must demonstrate a clear intention to leave Australia once the work is complete.
Family Members
Eligible family members can be included in the application, though each must meet health and character requirements and pay the relevant visa application charge.
No Pathway to Permanent Residency
The Subclass 400 is a purely temporary visa and does not lead to permanent residency. It is designed to serve an immediate, specific business need and nothing more. Businesses looking to retain a specialist long-term would need to explore pathways such as the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa.
How It Differs from the 408
While both the 400 and 408 cover short-term temporary work, the key distinction is the nature of the activity. The 400 focuses on highly specialised commercial or technical work, while the 408 covers a broader range of activities including sport, cultural exchange, religious work, and research. Entertainment work specifically sits within the 408, not the 400.
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