The employer visa sponsorship cost is rarely just one fee. Before committing to sponsor a worker, most employers want a straight answer to what this will actually cost, all in — but sponsorship involves several separate charges: some paid to the Department of Home Affairs, some to your migration lawyer, landing at different stages of the process. That makes the total easy to underestimate if you’re only looking at one number.
This article breaks down the fee categories involved in sponsoring an employee in Australia, who’s responsible for paying what, and the ongoing costs that are easy to miss when budgeting for a first sponsorship. AIM Lawyers works through this with employers at the start of the process specifically so there are no surprises partway through.
Employer Visa Sponsorship Cost at a Glance
The employer visa sponsorship cost generally falls into three categories:
- Government charges — fees paid directly to the Department of Home Affairs for sponsorship approval, nomination, and the visa application itself
- The Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy — a mandatory training levy paid by the sponsoring business
- Legal and migration agent fees — the cost of professional advice and preparation, which varies depending on the complexity of the case
Department of Home Affairs Charges
A large share of the employer visa sponsorship cost comes from government charges, made up of several separate fees rather than a single lump sum:
- Sponsorship application fee — payable when a business applies to become an approved sponsor (a one-off cost, unless renewal is required)
- Nomination fee — payable each time a position is nominated
- Visa application charge — payable by or on behalf of the visa applicant, and this is typically the largest single government fee
- Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy — paid by the employer at the time of nomination, calculated differently depending on business turnover and whether the nomination is for a 482 or 186 visa
These figures are reviewed periodically, so it’s worth confirming the current amounts before budgeting rather than relying on a figure from a previous year.
What Affects Your Employer Visa Sponsorship Cost: Legal & Migration Agent Fees
Legal fees are the other major component of the employer visa sponsorship cost, covering the work of preparing a compliant sponsorship application, nomination, and visa application — checking occupation eligibility, structuring the evidence of a genuine position, and managing the back-and-forth with the Department if further information is requested.
Fees vary depending on:
- Whether the business is applying to become an approved sponsor for the first time, or already holds that status
- The complexity of the nominated occupation and whether a skills assessment is involved
- Whether the visa is a 482 (temporary) or 186 (permanent) application, since the evidentiary requirements differ
A straightforward nomination for an established sponsor generally costs less than a first-time sponsorship application bundled with a complex nomination, so it’s reasonable to expect a range rather than a single fixed figure until your circumstances are reviewed.
Who Pays What
Australian migration law is specific about who can be asked to pay for what, and getting this wrong can put a sponsorship at risk:
- Employers must pay: the sponsorship application fee, the nomination fee, and the SAF levy — these cannot legally be passed on to, or recovered from, the sponsored employee
- Employees may pay: the visa application charge, and their own legal or agent fees if they engage separate representation
- Shared or negotiated: some businesses choose to cover the visa application charge or migration agent fees on the employee’s behalf as part of the offer, though this isn’t a legal requirement
Employers should be aware that recovering employer-only costs from an employee’s salary or through a “bond” arrangement is a breach of sponsorship obligations and can put a business’s sponsor status at risk.
Hidden or Ongoing Costs to Budget For
The employer visa sponsorship cost doesn’t stop once the visa is granted — the costs that catch employers out are usually the ones that continue afterwards, not the upfront fees:
- Record-keeping and compliance costs — maintaining accurate records of the sponsored employee’s role, salary, and employment conditions
- Reporting obligations — notifying the Department of changes to the employee’s circumstances, which may require professional assistance to manage correctly
- Renewal or re-nomination fees — if the position or sponsorship needs to be renewed before a permanent outcome is reached
- Legal costs for a permanent residency pathway — if the sponsorship is intended to lead to a 186 visa down the track, budgeting for that second stage upfront avoids treating it as a surprise later
How AIM Lawyers Can Help
Getting a clear, accurate picture of your employer visa sponsorship cost upfront is part of doing sponsorship properly — not just a compliance exercise. AIM Lawyers can help by:
- Providing a tailored cost breakdown for your specific sponsorship scenario before you commit
- Confirming which fees are employer-only obligations under current sponsorship rules
- Structuring the sponsorship and nomination to reduce the risk of a costly refusal
- Advising on the ongoing compliance obligations that come with holding sponsor status
If you’re sponsoring for the first time, our sponsoring an employee page walks through the full process, and our employer sponsored visa page covers the visa options available to you as a sponsor.
Frequently Asked Questions About Employer Visa Sponsorship Cost
What’s the total employer visa sponsorship cost for a typical application? It depends on the visa type, business turnover, and whether it’s a first-time sponsorship, but it’s a combination of government charges, the SAF levy, and legal fees rather than one fixed figure — a tailored breakdown is the only reliable way to budget for it.
Can I pass sponsorship costs on to the employee? No — certain costs, including the sponsorship application fee, nomination fee, and SAF levy, are employer-only obligations under Australian migration law and cannot legally be recovered from the employee.
What is the SAF levy and how much is it? The Skilling Australians Fund levy is a mandatory training contribution paid by the sponsoring business at the time of nomination, calculated based on business turnover and visa type. [VERIFY: current levy amounts before publishing]
Do costs differ between the 482 and 186 visa? Yes — nomination and SAF levy amounts differ between temporary (482) and permanent (186) sponsorship, and the legal work involved in a permanent nomination is generally more involved.
Are there ongoing costs after the visa is granted? Yes — record-keeping, reporting obligations, and any future renomination or permanent residency pathway all carry their own costs, which are worth budgeting for from the outset.
Can a migration lawyer reduce the risk of costly refusals? Proper preparation of the sponsorship, nomination, and visa application reduces the risk of delays or refusals that can otherwise mean paying government fees more than once.
Final Thoughts
Understanding your employer visa sponsorship cost upfront, rather than discovering it fee by fee, is what makes budgeting for sponsorship straightforward. It’s a combination of government charges, a mandatory levy, and professional costs that land at different points in the process — knowing which of these are legally yours to pay, and which can catch a business out later, makes it much easier to plan accurately from the start.
Book a consultation with AIM Lawyers for a cost breakdown tailored to your specific sponsorship situation.