Employer sponsorship has two sets of costs: the employer’s (sponsorship, nomination and the Skilling Australians Fund levy) and the worker’s (the visa application charge and personal costs such as English tests and health checks). The split is not a matter of negotiation. The Regulations say which costs the sponsor must carry.
482: what the employer pays
| Item | Amount | As at |
|---|---|---|
| Standard business sponsor application (employer) | $420 | LIN 19/215 as made 13 Nov 2019, in force |
| Nomination fee (employer) | $330 | LIN 19/215 as made 13 Nov 2019, in force |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, turnover under $10 million (employer) | $1,200 for each year of the visa: $1,200, $2,400, $3,600 or $4,800 | Charges Regulations, compilation 16 Nov 2019 |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, turnover $10 million or more (employer) | $1,800 for each year of the visa: $1,800, $3,600, $5,400 or $7,200 | Charges Regulations, compilation 16 Nov 2019 |
| Costs the employer cannot pass to the worker | Sponsorship fee, nomination fee, Skilling Australians Fund levy, recruitment costs and migration agent costs for those steps | Regulations as compiled 1 Jul 2026 |
482: what the worker pays
| Item | Amount | As at |
|---|---|---|
| Visa application charge, main applicant | $4,015 | Regulations as compiled 2 Oct 2026 |
| Visa application charge, each family member aged 18 or over | $4,015 | Regulations as compiled 2 Oct 2026 |
| Visa application charge, each child under 18 | $1,005 | Regulations as compiled 2 Oct 2026 |
| Visa application charge, Pacific-regional passport holders | $3,290 main applicant, $3,290 each adult family member, $825 each child | Regulations as compiled 2 Oct 2026 |
| Other costs for the worker | Health insurance, English test, skills assessment where required, health examinations and police certificates. Amounts are set by the providers. | 13 Nov 2026 |
186: what the employer pays
| Item | Amount | As at |
|---|---|---|
| Employer: nomination fee | $540 (nil for Temporary Residence Transition and Labour Agreement positions in regional Australia) | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Employer: Skilling Australians Fund levy, annual turnover under $10 million | $3,000, paid once | Compilation 16 Nov 2019 |
| Employer: Skilling Australians Fund levy, annual turnover $10 million or more | $5,000, paid once | Compilation 16 Nov 2019 |
186: what the worker pays
| Item | Amount | As at |
|---|---|---|
| Visa application charge, main applicant | $6,140 | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Each additional applicant aged 18 or over | $3,070 | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Each additional applicant under 18 | $1,535 | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Concession charge where the main applicant holds a passport from a Pacific-regional country (Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu) | $5,035 main applicant, $2,515 each adult, $1,260 each child | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Second instalment, main applicant aged 18 or over with less than functional English | $9,800 | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Second instalment, each family member aged 18 or over with less than functional English | $4,890 | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Other costs not set by the visa law | Skills assessment, English test, health examinations and police certificates are paid to the providers. Amounts vary. | 13 Nov 2026 |
191: what the applicant pays
| Item | Amount | As at |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant (Regional Provisional stream) | $630 | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Each additional applicant aged 18 or over | $315 | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Each additional applicant under 18 | $160 | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Applicants with a valid passport from a Pacific regional country | $515 main applicant, $260 each additional adult, $135 each additional child | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Second instalment (Regional Provisional stream) | Nil | 1 Jul 2026 compilation |
| Hong Kong (Regional) stream, main applicant | $6,135 (additional adult $3,065, additional child $1,535) | 1 Jul 2026 compilation |
What a sponsor can never pass on
For the 482, a sponsor must not transfer to or recover from the worker the costs of becoming a sponsor, of a nomination (including the nomination fee and the Skilling Australians Fund levy), or of recruiting the worker, including migration agent costs for those steps. Asking the worker to pay or repay the nomination fee, the levy, sponsorship or recruitment costs breaches a sponsor obligation and can lead to refusal, sanctions and penalties.
For the 186, the nomination fee and levy are set as employer charges in the Regulations. We could not confirm from an official page whether passing them on is separately prohibited, so we do not state it either way. If an employer asks you to pay or repay its sponsorship costs for any visa, get advice from a registered migration agent before agreeing to anything.
Everything above was taken on 13 Nov 2026 from the legislation, instruments and official pages listed under Sources below. Rules and amounts change; always check the source, and remember the eligibility score is only the share of applicable published requirements met, never a chance of approval.
- Migration Regulations 1994, Volume 1 (compilation 289, 2 Oct 2026): Schedule 1 item 1240, Skills in Demand (Class GK) visa application charge www.legislation.gov.au/F1996B03551/2026-10-02/2026-10-02/text/original/epub/OEBPS/document_1/document_1.html
- Migration (Skilling Australians Fund) Charges Regulations 2018 (compilation 1, 16 Nov 2019) www.legislation.gov.au/F2018L01092/2019-11-16/2019-11-16/text/original/epub/OEBPS/document_1/document_1.html
- Migration (LIN 19/215: Sponsorship Applications and Nominations for Subclass 407, 457, 482 and 494 Visas) Instrument 2019 (as made, 13 Nov 2019) www.legislation.gov.au/F2019L01451/asmade/2019-11-13/text/original/pdf
- Home Affairs: Sponsor responsibilities (obligations and sanctions) immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsor-responsibilities
- Migration Regulations 1994, Volume 1, Compilation No. 288 (1 July 2026): regulations 1.03, 1.12, 1.13A, 1.15C, 2.72(15), 5.19, 5.37, 5.37A, 5.42A and Schedule 1 item 1114B www.legislation.gov.au/F1996B03551/2026-07-01/2026-07-01/text/original/epub/OEBPS/document_1/document_1.html
- Migration (Skilling Australians Fund) Charges Regulations 2018 (compilation 16 November 2019) www.legislation.gov.au/F2018L01092/2019-11-16/2019-11-16/text/original/epub/OEBPS/document_1/document_1.html
General information only, not migration advice. Rules can change at any time; always check the official source.
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General information only. This is not migration advice for your circumstances. Rules change, so always check the official source or speak with a Registered Migration Agent (MARN 2518931, MARN 2619448).
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