In short: A sponsorship application costs $420, and it turns on evidence that your business lawfully operates in Australia. The lease for your premises is usually the strongest document in that file, and it supports the nomination too.
Why the Department asks about your premises
Our commercial practice negotiates leases. Our migration team lodges sponsorships. The two files meet more often than clients expect. To approve a standard business sponsorship, a delegate must be satisfied that the business lawfully operates in Australia. Nothing proves that faster than a lease in the business name, at an address the business trades from.
Financial statements can be prepared for any purpose. An ABN can be registered in a morning. A lease is different. Someone else signed it, the rent moves through the bank, and the term is fixed.
What a lease proves, and what it does not
A lease proves occupation, location, permitted use and a commitment of money over time. It does not prove that the business is profitable. It does not prove that the nominated position is genuine. It also does not cure a mismatch between the entity on the lease and the entity applying to sponsor.
That last point catches groups with several companies. The trading company employs the staff. The holding company or a family trust signs the lease. When the names differ, we explain the structure in the submission. We attach the licence or occupancy arrangement between the entities.
Premises by occupancy type
The strongest position. Provide the executed lease, the disclosure statement where one applies, and recent rent invoices. If the lease is in a former entity name, provide the deed of assignment as well.
A desk licence in a shared office is weaker. It shows a mailing address more than a place of business. We pair it with client contracts, payroll records and photographs of the working space. We also explain why the model suits the industry.
A title search plus council rates notices does the same work as a lease. Where a director owns the premises personally, we also produce the occupancy agreement with the company.
Home based businesses can sponsor. The file needs to work harder. We show the customer contracts, the insurance, the equipment and any council permit. We also address how a full time employee will be supervised.
The clauses the migration team reads first
| Clause | Why migration cares |
|---|---|
| Tenant name | It should be the sponsoring entity, or an entity whose relationship you can document |
| Permitted use | It must cover the activity the nominated worker will perform on site |
| Term and options | A short term with no option sits awkwardly beside a multi year sponsorship |
| Premises address | It must match the work location in the nomination and the sponsorship |
| Assignment | It governs what happens to the premises when the business is sold |
Permitted use is the clause most often overlooked. A lease limited to warehousing does not support a nomination for retail sales at that address. Our commercial team negotiates the use clause wide enough for the real operation. The tenant checklist covers the rest of the commercial terms.
Location, and the visas that turn on it
Some programs make the address decisive rather than merely supportive. Regional visas require the position to be performed in a designated regional area. A designated area migration agreement requires the business to operate and hire in the region. In those files the lease is not background. It is the eligibility evidence.
Melbourne businesses with a regional branch should be careful here. The nomination must name the place the employee will actually work. A head office lease in the city does not support a regional nomination. We ask for both leases and nominate against the right one.
When the lease and the visa run to different dates
How does your lease term compare with the sponsorship you are about to apply for?
A sponsorship approval binds the business to obligations that outlive a short lease. They include paying the market rate, keeping records, and carrying the cost of sponsorship. Moving premises releases you from none of them.
When the business changes hands
A sale of business puts the lease and the sponsorship on the same timetable. In an asset sale, the buyer takes an assignment of the lease and needs its own sponsorship approval. In a share sale the company continues, so the lease and the sponsorship both stay in place.
We sequence the two in the transaction documents. Landlord consent to assignment often takes longer than the parties assume. A nomination lodged against the wrong entity is money spent twice. Before you sign a contract of sale, read our note on what a sponsorship approval binds you to.
The premises checklist before you lodge
Two problems we fix regularly
The registered office is the accountant's address
Company searches then show an address the business has never traded from. A delegate comparing documents sees three addresses and no explanation. We correct the ASIC record. Or we state plainly which is the registered office and which is the place of business.
The lease is signed by a director personally
This happens when the business was set up before the company was. The tenant is a person and the sponsor is a company. Nothing on the file links them. We prepare an occupancy agreement or a deed of assignment, and deal with the personal guarantee at the same time.
Who does what at K & K
The commercial team reviews the lease, fixes the tenant name and negotiates the use clause. The migration team builds the sponsorship and nomination around the address that results. It also confirms the salary meets the $79,423 Core Skills Income Threshold. To have both sides looked at before you sign or lodge, contact us.
Frequently asked questions
Can a business sponsor a worker without any commercial premises?
Yes. There is no premises requirement as such. The file simply has to prove lawful operation another way, with contracts, payroll and financial records.
Our lease is in the trustee company name but the sponsor is the trading company. Is that a problem?
Not if you explain it. Provide the trust deed or the occupancy agreement so the delegate can follow the chain between the two entities.
Do we have to tell the Department when we move premises?
Yes. A sponsor must notify the Department of a change to its business address. A change of work location may also need a fresh nomination.
Will an officer visit our premises?
They may. Sponsors are subject to monitoring. That can include a visit to the address on the file, so keep records available there.
Charges verified against Home Affairs visa pricing as at 1 July 2026. Sponsorship obligations are set by the Migration Regulations 1994; Victorian lease obligations are affected by the Retail Leases Act 2003.
General information as at 10 September 2026. Not legal advice. Sponsorship requirements and lease terms turn on your own facts, so obtain advice before you sign or lodge.