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Before you can nominate a single overseas worker, your business needs to be an approved sponsor. Here's everything you need to know about the SBS process.
Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) is the mandatory first step for any Australian business that wants to sponsor an overseas worker on a Skills in Demand visa (Subclass 482), Subclass 494 (regional), or Subclass 407 (training). SBS is approved by the Department of Home Affairs and lasts five years, allowing the business to nominate as many positions as it needs in that period.
Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) is the Department of Home Affairs' formal approval confirming that your business is authorised to sponsor overseas workers under Australia's employer sponsorship program.
Without approved SBS status, you cannot nominate any worker for a Skills in Demand Visa (Subclass 482), Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186), or Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Subclass 494) visa. SBS is the mandatory first step — it must be granted before any nomination is lodged.
Once approved, SBS is valid for 5 years and covers unlimited nominations. You only need to apply once per approval period, regardless of how many workers you sponsor.
Most lawfully operating Australian businesses are eligible. The Department assesses whether your business is genuine and financially capable of meeting sponsor obligations. Small businesses and startups can sponsor too — see employer visa services for small businesses.
Pty Ltd companies, proprietary limited, and public companies operating lawfully in Australia — regardless of whether they are locally or foreign-owned.
Business partnerships and sole traders can apply for SBS, provided they are lawfully trading and have genuine business activity to support the sponsorship.
Overseas companies with an established Australian presence or branch operations may apply, provided they can demonstrate lawful business activity in Australia.
Non-profit organisations, charities, and government agencies are eligible to apply for SBS and sponsor overseas workers where genuine operational need exists.
The Department of Home Affairs applies these tests to every SBS application. All requirements must be satisfied for approval.
Your business must be registered and actively trading in Australia. The Department verifies ABN, ASIC registration, and evidence of genuine business activity such as contracts, invoices, and client records.
You must demonstrate the ability to pay the nominated salary for the full visa period. Financial statements, tax returns, or bank records are typically required to evidence this capacity.
Key business personnel (directors, partners) must not have adverse immigration, compliance, or criminal history that would affect their suitability to be an approved sponsor.
By applying, you commit to all sponsor obligations including salary equivalence, no cost recovery, record-keeping, cooperation with inspections, and notification duties.
Businesses subject to a sponsorship ban, civil penalty order, or infringement notice related to migration non-compliance are not eligible to apply until the restriction period ends.
Businesses currently under active investigation by the Department of Home Affairs, Fair Work Ombudsman, or other regulatory bodies may face delays or refusal of SBS approval.
The full employer sponsorship process involves three sequential stages. SBS approval must be granted before any of the following stages can begin.
Lodge SBS via ImmiAccount. Provide business registration, financial evidence, and key personnel details. One approval covers all future nominations.
4–8 weeksOnce SBS is approved, nominate the specific role. Includes CSOL check, Labour Market Testing evidence, AMSR benchmarking, and SAF levy payment.
2–6 monthsThe worker lodges their visa application after nomination approval. Processing times vary by stream, nationality, and whether the worker is onshore or offshore.
2–9 monthsOnce the visa is granted and the worker enters Australia, sponsor obligations begin. Maintain compliance throughout the visa period.
OngoingTimelines below are indicative and may vary based on application completeness, Department workload, and individual circumstances.
| Stage | Standard Sponsor | Accredited Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) | 4–8 weeks | 1–2 weeks |
| 482 Nomination — Core Skills Stream | 2–6 months | 1–4 weeks |
| 482 Nomination — Specialist Skills Stream | 1–3 months | 1–2 weeks |
| 482 Visa Application (onshore) | 3–9 months | |
| 482 Visa Application (offshore) | 2–6 months | |
| 186 Nomination (Transition to Permanent) | 6–12 months | |
| 186 Visa Application | 12–24+ months | |
ℹ️ Priority processing (PP) may reduce visa processing times for certain occupations and streams. Confirm PP availability with your migration agent at nomination stage.
These are the most frequent reasons SBS applications are refused or delayed. A MARA-registered agent identifies and addresses these risks before lodgement.
The Department cannot verify that your business is genuinely operating. Common cause: new businesses without trading history, or established businesses that haven't assembled evidence clearly.
Financial records don't clearly show the business can pay the nominated salary for the visa period. Start-ups and businesses without formal financial statements are most at risk.
Directors or partners with prior immigration compliance issues, sponsor bans, or character concerns. Even issues from previous sponsoring businesses can trigger refusal.
Missing documents, unexplained gaps in evidence, or inconsistencies between submitted documents and ImmiAccount data are common causes of refusal or further information requests.
ABN cancelled, ASIC registration lapsed, or no evidence of current trading activity. The Department checks these in real time during application assessment.
Prior sponsor obligations breaches, unpaid civil penalties, or infringement notices from a current or previous sponsorship approval. Prior compliance history is a key Department assessment factor.
A MARA-registered migration agent doesn't just fill in the form. We assess your business, identify risk factors, and build the strongest possible application before anything is lodged.
Quick answers to the most common questions about Standard Business Sponsorship.
Yes — you can lodge the SBS and nomination concurrently. However, the nomination cannot be approved until SBS approval is granted first. Concurrent lodgement can save a few weeks but adds complexity. Your migration agent should assess whether concurrent lodgement is appropriate for your situation.
Yes. Profitability is not a requirement. What the Department assesses is lawful operation and financial capacity to pay the nominated salary. New businesses should provide evidence of trading activity (contracts, invoices, client relationships) and financial projections or funding arrangements showing they can sustain the salary commitment.
Accredited Sponsorship provides significantly faster processing — typically 1–2 weeks for nominations versus 2–6 months for standard sponsors. It is only available to:
Most small-to-medium businesses do not qualify and should apply as standard sponsors.
If your SBS is refused, you generally have the right to apply for merits review at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). Review must typically be lodged within 21 days of the refusal decision.
Alternatively, if the deficiencies are addressable, you may be able to lodge a fresh SBS application with stronger evidence. A migration agent can advise whether review or re-lodgement is the better strategy in your specific circumstances.
SBS approval is granted to the specific legal entity that applied. If your business undergoes a significant change — such as a sale, restructure, change of directors, or company name change — you must notify the Department of Home Affairs within 28 days.
Depending on the nature of the change, the new entity may need to apply for fresh SBS approval. Sponsored workers already on a visa are not automatically affected, but their nomination details must remain accurate.
You are not legally required to use a migration agent for SBS. However, an incorrectly prepared SBS application — missing evidence, inadequate financial documentation, or unaddressed character issues — will be refused. This delays your ability to sponsor workers and can create a refusal record that affects future applications.
A MARA-registered agent identifies risks before lodgement, prepares the evidence package correctly, and represents you in any Departmental correspondence — giving your application the strongest possible foundation.
Get your SBS application assessed and prepared by a MARA-registered migration agent. Speak directly with a MARA-registered migration agent — 18+ years of Australian migration experience.