An offer letter for a sponsored role should not go out until seven questions have an answer. Three of them belong to the employer. Four belong to the worker. We see them checked in the wrong order all the time. The worker books an English test before anyone has confirmed the occupation is listed. The employer drafts a contract before it holds sponsorship approval.
This note sets out the seven requirements in the order they are decided, and who owns each one. It closes with the clauses our commercial practice puts in the offer so a refusal does not leave the business exposed.
In short: A 482 applicant needs an approved sponsor, an approved nomination and an eligible occupation, then one year of relevant experience, English, health and character. The Core Skills salary floor is $79,423 and the visa application charge is $4,015.
The employer's three
1. An approved sponsor
Nobody applies for a 482 visa alone. An Australian business must hold approval as a Standard Business Sponsor, or be party to a labour agreement, before anything else moves. If the employer has never sponsored, that approval is the first task on the list. Our note on becoming a standard business sponsor covers it.
2. An approved nomination
The employer nominates the specific position. This is where labour market testing, the salary tests and the genuine position question are decided. The role must be full-time and must be one the business actually needs. Testing applies to both standard streams, with at least two national advertisements open for 28 days each within the 4 months before lodgement.
3. An eligible occupation
The occupation must fit the stream. Core Skills uses the list of 456 occupations, each tied to an ANZSCO code. Specialist Skills has no list, but excludes trades, machinery operators, drivers and labourers, and needs earnings of at least $146,576. The Department matches duties to the code, not the job title.
The worker's four
4. Skills, qualifications and registration
The worker must hold the skills and background to perform the tasks of the occupation. Some occupation and passport combinations need a formal skills assessment. Others need Australian registration or a licence before the worker can lawfully start, and the visa does not replace it.
5. One year of relevant experience
The requirement is one year of full-time equivalent work in the nominated occupation or a related field. Part-time and casual work count pro rata. The work must fall within the five years ending immediately before the day of application. Both the total and the window are measured precisely.
6. English
Most applicants sit an approved test and meet the component score set in the English instrument. Results last three years from the test day. Passport holders from Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States are exempt. So are applicants with five years of full-time study taught in English. Our note on 482 English evidence has the detail.
7. Health, character and insurance
Health examinations follow when the Department asks. Police certificates are needed from each country where the worker lived for the required period. Adequate health insurance must be in place for the stay.
Does the experience clear the rule?
What does the worker's history look like?
The order we run the checks
- Week 1Confirm the stream and the occupation code from the actual duties. Check the salary against the threshold and the market rate.
- Week 1Confirm the sponsorship position. Lodge the sponsorship application if none exists.
- Week 2Count the worker's experience against the one-year rule and the five-year window. Book any skills assessment or registration.
- Week 2Draft the contract and the advertisements from the same schedule. Start labour market testing.
- Week 6Advertising closes. Lodge the nomination and the visa together, with English, health and character evidence in hand.
What the application costs
The visa application charge is $4,015 for the main applicant. Each adult dependant pays $4,015 and each child under 18 pays $1,005. Applicants in Australia on certain visas also pay a subsequent temporary application charge of $700. The employer's sponsorship charge, nomination charge and levy are separate, and none of them can be recovered from the worker.
Figures verified against Home Affairs visa pricing as at 1 July 2026.
Can the worker's family be included?
Yes. A partner, including a de facto partner with supporting evidence, and dependent children can be included in the same application. Partners receive full work rights in Australia. Each family member pays the additional applicant charge, and each adult needs their own health and character clearances.
The offer letter clauses that protect the business
A sponsored offer is conditional by nature. Our commercial practice drafts it that way in terms. Commencement is conditional on grant of a visa permitting the work. The start date is expressed as a period after grant, not a calendar date. The salary is stated as one assured annual figure that clears the threshold from day one. Probation is managed through the termination clause rather than a lower rate.
Two migration rules shape the exit clauses. A worker whose employment ends has up to 180 days to find a new sponsor, capped at 365 days across the visa. Time with any approved sponsor counts toward the two years needed for the subclass 186 visa. Restraint clauses drafted without those rules in mind can be both unenforceable and unkind. Our two-year plan for the 482 to 186 transition shows where the clock runs.
The visa itself runs for the period proposed in the approved nomination, commonly up to four years. If you want the seven questions mapped against a particular hire, the contact page is the place to start.
Frequently asked questions
Can the employment contract be conditional on the visa?
Yes, and it should be. We draft commencement as conditional on grant of a visa permitting the work, with a start date fixed by reference to the grant. That avoids a contract the worker cannot lawfully perform.
Does the worker need to be employed by us at lodgement?
No. The nomination is about the position, and the visa is about the worker's eligibility for it. Many applicants are overseas or working elsewhere in Australia when the nomination is lodged.
Does overseas experience with our own group count?
Yes, where it was in the nominated occupation or a related field and falls within the five-year window. Group employment often produces the clearest evidence, because the payroll records are already in the business.
Who pays for the worker's health insurance?
The requirement sits with the worker, and the employer is not obliged to fund it. Many sponsors do so as a benefit. If the business pays, the contract should record it as a benefit outside the assured salary.
What happens if the nomination is approved but the visa is refused?
The nomination does not produce a worker. The employer can nominate someone else, subject to fresh testing where the window has closed. A conditional offer means the business is not left with a contract it cannot use.
General information as at 2 September 2026. Not legal advice. Charges and thresholds change each July, and eligibility turns on the facts of each case, so obtain advice before acting.