Who Pays the 482 Visa Sponsorship Fees — You or Your Employer?
By F. Delgado · Published
Australian law bans employers from passing sponsorship, nomination and SAF levy costs to 482 visa workers. Here's exactly who is legally required to pay what.
The 482 (Skills in Demand) visa has two completely separate cost streams — one the employer is legally required to pay, and one the applicant pays as their own visa fee. Confusing the two is the single most common billing dispute in employer-sponsored visas, so here's the split, cost by cost.
Paid by the employer — by law, non-negotiable
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsorship application fee | $560 (standard) / $280 (small business) | One-time, per business |
| Nomination fee | $330 | Per position nominated |
| SAF levy | $1,200–$1,800/year | Paid upfront for the full visa term |
The employer must cover all three in full. Migration law explicitly bans transferring, recovering, or otherwise passing any part of these costs to the visa holder or their family — including through reduced salary, side agreements, or informal reimbursement arrangements.
Paid by the applicant — your own visa fee
The visa application charge — $4,015 for the primary applicant as of 1 July 2026, and $1,005 for a secondary applicant under 18 — is the applicant's own cost, separate from anything the employer pays. This is what our 482 visa cost calculator estimates for you, along with optional costs like a migration agent or attorney if you choose to use one.
Other costs the applicant typically covers
Beyond the visa application charge itself, applicants generally pay for the parts of the process that are personal to them rather than tied to the sponsorship: the English test (IELTS or equivalent), the migration medical examination, police clearance certificates, and private health insurance while the visa is being processed. These aren't sponsorship costs, so the employer-pays rule above doesn't apply to them.
Why this split exists
The sponsorship, nomination, and SAF levy costs exist to make employer sponsorship a genuine commitment — including funding training for Australian workers — rather than a cost employers can shift onto the temporary visa holder they're sponsoring. If you're being asked to cover any of the employer-side costs, that's worth raising directly, since it's a compliance issue for the sponsoring business, not a normal cost-sharing arrangement.
Sources: Who Pays the 482 Visa Fees? ↗ · Department of Home Affairs ↗. Last checked: September 2026.
FAQ
Can my employer make me pay the sponsorship or nomination fee?
No. Under Australian migration law, the sponsoring employer must pay the sponsorship application fee, the nomination fee, and the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy. They cannot legally pass these costs to you, directly or indirectly.
What does the visa applicant actually pay?
The visa application charge itself — $4,015 for the primary applicant as of 1 July 2026 — plus any dependents' charges. This is the applicant's own visa fee, separate from the employer-paid sponsorship costs.
What is the SAF levy and who pays it?
The Skilling Australians Fund levy is paid entirely by the sponsoring employer, upfront, based on the visa's length — up to $1,800 per year for a standard business, or less for a small business. It funds training for Australian workers and cannot be charged to the visa holder.
Does the employer pay for my IELTS test, medical exam or police checks?
No — those are treated as the applicant's personal costs, not sponsorship costs, so the employer-pays rule doesn't cover them. Budget separately for the English test, migration medical, police clearance certificates, and private health insurance while your visa is processing.
What if my employer already deducted these fees from my pay?
That's a breach of sponsorship obligations. Report it to the Fair Work Ombudsman or the Department of Home Affairs — employers who recover these costs from visa holders can face sanctions including being barred from future sponsorship.
See your own 482 visa application cost
482 visa cost calculator →