Can't find the skills locally? Sponsorship is a system, not a gamble — and right now it is one of the strongest hiring tools Australian businesses have. We run it end to end: SBS, nomination, LMT, visa and compliance.
Discuss Your Hiring Needs →Australia's migration program is built around a simple truth: the economy has skill gaps that local hiring alone cannot fill. Sponsorship is how a business turns that national gap into its own competitive advantage.
When a role sits vacant for months, the cost of not sponsoring — lost contracts, overtime, stalled growth — usually exceeds the cost of sponsorship many times over. Sponsorship turns an urgent vacancy into a long-term team member.
Skilled migrants fill verified shortages, pay taxes, spend locally and train Australian colleagues. Regional sponsorship in particular keeps essential services — from kitchens to clinics — running where locals are hardest to find.
The program is designed for employers: dedicated sponsored streams, priority processing in regional areas, occupation lists covering hundreds of roles, and DAMA concessions where standard settings don't fit. The framework exists to be used — compliantly.
A sponsored employee working toward permanent residency is one of the most loyal hires you will make. The 482 → 186 pathway is a structured, multi-year retention plan backed by migration law.
Subclass 482
Subclass 494
Subclass 186
Two gates decide every sponsorship: is the occupation eligible? and does the salary meet the floor? Here are the current settings — we confirm your specific role before you spend anything.
Core Skills income threshold
$79,499 AUD
Minimum salary for the 482 Core Skills stream — the higher of this or the market salary rate applies.
Specialist Skills threshold (SSIT)
$146,717 AUD
From 1 July 2026. Opens the fast-tracked Specialist stream with no occupation list requirement.
Core Skills Occupation List
CSOL
Hundreds of skilled occupations eligible for sponsorship — most professional and trade roles are covered.
ANZSCO eligibility (Specialist)
Levels 1–2, 4–6
Specialist stream excludes trades workers, machinery operators and labourers — but needs no list.
DAMA — Designated Area Migration Agreements
A DAMA is a formal agreement between the Australian Government and a regional authority. It lets endorsed local employers sponsor workers with concessions standard programs don't offer — broader occupation lists, lower English and salary thresholds, age concessions — in exchange for committing to the region. For regional businesses, it is often the difference between a filled role and a closed door.
Each agreement has its own occupation list and concession settings — we confirm current terms with the regional authority before advising you.
Concessions: Reduced English, lower skills thresholds, broader occupation list, salary concessions for some occupations
Two DAMAs covering Adelaide and all of regional South Australia — 1,000+ endorsed employers.
Concessions: Lower English for some occupations, age concessions up to 50, skills concessions, broader occupation list
One DAMA covering the entire NT — all NT employers can access it.
Concessions: English and skills concessions for selected occupations, PR pathways available
Central and western NSW — Dubbo, Wagga and surrounding areas.
Concessions: English, skills and experience concessions for selected occupations
Cairns and FNQ — strong support for tourism and hospitality.
Concessions: Skills and English concessions for mining-related occupations
Kalgoorlie region — resources sector workforce.
Concessions: Lower thresholds for dairy, agriculture and manufacturing occupations
Regional Victoria — farming and agricultural sectors.
Concessions: Broader occupation list incl. trades and hospitality, English and skills concessions
Bunbury and Margaret River region.
Concessions: Skills and experience concessions for mining and resources occupations
FIFO and residential workforce needs.
Concessions: Lower English, broader occupation list incl. tourism and hospitality
Tourism and remote community services.
Concessions: Similar concessions with tourism and hospitality focus
Broome and surrounding areas.
DAMA consultation (1 hour, $330 AUD) — we map your role, region and concessions, and tell you plainly whether DAMA is worth pursuing.
Compliance, handled
Sponsors take on legal obligations for the life of the sponsorship. None of them are difficult with the right settings from day one — we build compliance into the application, not after it.
We confirm your eligibility to sponsor, the right program, and honest costs — before you commit.
SBS or labour agreement application prepared and lodged, with compliance settings from day one.
Position, salary (AMSR/threshold), LMT and the employee's visa — managed as one project.
Sponsorship obligations, monitoring, and the PR pathway (186/191) planned from the start.
Book an employer consultation — we'll assess your eligibility, the right program, and give you a fixed-fee quote. Consultations $330 AUD per hour.