Employers that want to sponsor foreign workers need to become approved Standard Business Sponsors (SBS). This approval is valid for five years and enables businesses to nominate candidates for roles that cannot be filled locally.
 

Becoming a Standard Business Sponsor allows you to:

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• Sponsor employees for the Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (Subclass 482), the Training Visa (Subclass 407), or the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494).

• Nominate a high volume of employees if you are an accredited sponsor, with SBS approval extended up to six years.

Requirements:
 

To obtain SBS approval, your business must generally:
 

• Be legally established and actively operating:

  • Your business must demonstrate legal operation through business registrations and other documentation.

  • Established businesses must show evidence of daily operations and active trading. Start-ups must also meet this requirement, with some flexibility in the assessment.
     

• Have no adverse information recorded against it:

  • There should be no adverse information about you or your associates that affects your suitability as a sponsor. Any adverse information must be reasonably disregarded by the Department.
     

• Commit to local labor employment:

  • Australian businesses must demonstrate a commitment to employing local labor and must not engage in discriminatory recruitment practices.

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Duration and Cost:
 

• The sponsorship is valid for five years from the date of approval.

• The application fee for SBS is AUD 420.00.