Employer Sponsored Visa Cost Australia

Who Pays What: Employer vs Employee Obligations

Australian law is specific about which costs can and cannot be passed to the employee:

• The SAF levy is always employer-paid and cannot legally be recovered from the sponsored worker under any circumstance
• The nomination fee is an employer cost tied to the business's application
• The visa application charge is technically the applicant's responsibility, though many employers choose to cover it as part of a competitive offer — this is negotiable and not restricted by law
• Health checks, police certificates, English tests, and migration agent fees sit outside the government fee schedule entirely and vary by applicant and provider

Hidden and Often-Missed Costs to Budget For

Beyond the government fee schedule, both employers and applicants commonly underestimate:

• Skills assessment fees, required for many occupations before nomination
• Health examinations and police certificates, priced per applicant and per country
• Onshore lodgement surcharges, such as the Subsequent Temporary Application Charge for some 482 applicants applying while already in Australia
• Dependent family member costs, which apply separately for each adult and child included
• Migration agent or legal fees, which can add several thousand dollars but often prevent costly refusals or delays

A sponsorship that looks affordable on the headline visa fee alone can end up considerably higher once these are added in — which is exactly why a full cost breakdown before lodging matters.

Why Fees Keep Changing Every Year

Australian visa fees are reviewed and typically increased from 1 July each year, and 2026 saw a particularly sharp adjustment across skilled visa categories — with most jumping by roughly 25% in a single step. This means a fee figure you researched even a few months ago may already be out of date. Always confirm current charges against the Department of Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator before finalising a budget or lodging an application.

How Australian Immigration Consultants Can Help

Employer sponsorship costs aren't just about the headline visa fee — they involve sponsorship approval, nomination charges, SAF levy calculations based on business turnover and visa length, and a stack of secondary costs that are easy to miss until they show up as a delay or an unexpected bill.

At Australian Immigration Consultants, we help both employers and skilled workers map out the full, accurate cost of sponsorship before you commit — matching you to the right visa subclass (482, 186, or 494), calculating your exact SAF levy obligation, and managing sponsorship, nomination, and visa lodgement so your budget and your timeline both hold up.

Book a free consultation with Australian Immigration Consultants today →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest employer sponsored visa in Australia? The Subclass 482 generally has the lowest upfront cost, since its SAF levy is paid annually rather than as a large one-off charge, though the 186 can be more cost-effective long-term as a permanent visa.

Can my employer make me pay the SAF levy? No — the SAF levy is legally an employer-only cost and cannot be recovered from the sponsored employee under any circumstance.

Does the employer sponsored visa cost include family members? No — dependent adults and children are charged separately on top of the primary applicant's visa fee.

Why did employer sponsored visa costs increase in 2026? Most Australian visa fees, including skilled and employer sponsored categories, rose by roughly 25% from 1 July 2026 as part of an annual government fee review.