From 1 July 2026, the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA) introduced updated fees for employer sponsored visa applications.

For employers, there has been no increase in the DOHA fees payable from the prior financial year.

However, the visa application fees payable by the visa applicant (employee) have increased substantially. For employers who choose to cover their employees’ visa application costs, this will be an important consideration when determining whether you will sponsor an employee and cover their costs.

Subclass 482 Skills in Demand Visa (Temporary Visa)

Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS)

Before sponsoring a worker, a business must become an approved Standard Business Sponsor (SBS).

To become an approved sponsor, businesses must pay the following DOHA fee:

• $420*

The SBS approval is valid for five years.

Once the SBS is approved, the next step is to lodge a nomination for the employee.

482 Nomination

When nominating an employee for a subclass 482 visa, the following DOHA fees apply:

• Nomination fee: $330*
• Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) Levy fee for each year sponsored, up to 4 years:
  • $1200* for businesses with an annual turnover of less than $10 million; or
  • $1,800* for businesses with an annual turnover of $10 million or more

482 Visa Application

When applying for the subclass 482 visa application, the following DOHA fees apply:

• $4,015*

Additional government charges apply if a spouse or dependent children are included in the application, and if an employee was on a prior temporary visa.

Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme (Permanent Residence)

186 Nomination

For employers sponsoring an employee for permanent residence, the following DOHA fees apply:

• Nomination fee: $540*
• Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) Levy:
  • $3,000* for businesses with an annual turnover of less than $10 million; or
  • $5,000* for businesses with an annual turnover of $10 million or more.

186 Visa Application

When applying for the subclass 482 visa application, the following DOHA fees apply:

• $6,140*

Again, additional government charges apply if a spouse or dependent children are included in the application.

Who Pays These Fees?

Under Australian migration law, the sponsoring business must pay the sponsorship and nomination costs, including the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) Levy. These costs cannot be passed on to the employee.

Australian migration law strictly prohibits employers from recovering these sponsorship-related costs from employees, whether directly or indirectly. This includes requiring an employee to reimburse the costs or deducting them from the employee’s wages. Doing so may expose the business to significant penalties and could affect its ability to sponsor overseas workers in the future.

However, an employee may be asked to pay their own visa application fees, including the fees for their family members. These are distinctly different than the nomination fees.

Contact our migration team to discuss how we can assist with you today.

*All DOHA fees are subject to a 1.4% credit card processing fee