How we run your sponsored workforce, from endorsement to permanent residence
Sponsoring a worker is two legal matters at once: the business’s and the worker’s. This page shows, step by step, how we run both. Who does what. What it costs. What you will hear from us, and when.
Agreements our lawyers have worked on
From the endorsement and the agreement request through to nominations, the workers’ visas and the permanent residence stage, for employers who needed several workers at a time.
We also publish a plain English employer guide to every DAMA in Australia, each researched from the regional representative’s own terms. Find yours in section 11.
Pick where your business is today
Three starting points. Choose yours and read the first five steps we would take.
- Choose one of three starting points.
- Each shows the first five steps we would take.
- If you already have an adviser, the third one is for you.
- One meeting, 45 minutes. Roles, sites, pay and how many people over five years.
- A written plan within days. The right agreement, the right visas, a fixed fee and dates.
- Labour market testing done properly. Most failed nominations trace back to an advertisement that broke a small rule.
- Endorsement, then the labour agreement. We prepare both. You approve and sign.
- Workers start their skills assessments in parallel. So nobody waits on anybody.
- We read your agreement first. Occupations, yearly ceilings, concessions and expiry dates go into a tracker.
- Each worker gets a readiness check. Skills assessment, English, experience, licence, family.
- Nominations are prepared in batches. Shared evidence is built once and reused.
- Visa applications lodge the same day as the nomination where possible.
- You get one weekly update covering every worker. Not one email thread per person.
- A no obligation file review. Send us what has been lodged and what is in preparation.
- A written status report. What is sound, what is at risk, what is missing, in that order.
- New Form 956 for the business and each worker. One signature each. The Department then writes to us.
- Applications imported into our ImmiAccount. Nothing lodged is lost and no queue place changes.
- In flight work continues without a pause. Skills assessments and nominations keep their dates.
| Worker | Finding | Detail | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| M. Reyes | Fix first | Advertising will be older than the permitted period by the planned lodgement date | Lodge by 9 October, or run new advertising now |
| M. Reyes | Sound | Salary meets the threshold and the market rate. Evidence on file | None |
| A. Tanaka | At risk | Passport expires in seven months. A new passport after lodgement means an update and delay | Renew before the visa is lodged |
| Agreement | At risk | Year two ceiling is three drivers. Hiring plan shows five | Plan the single variation for year two now |
| Business | Missing | No obligations register. Two 28 day notices may be due | We open the register and check both |
You are free to change adviser at any point. Your file belongs to you. Your current adviser should hand over your documents on request, subject to any fees that are owing to them.
Where sponsorship programmes actually fail
Lodging is the easy part. These are the faults we find when a business brings us a file that has stalled.
- Most failures are small rule breaks, not big ones.
- Almost all of them happen before lodgement.
- Every one of them is preventable with a checklist and a calendar.
Seven stages. Three sets of jobs. Nothing left to memory.
Open a stage to see exactly what the business does, what the worker does, and what we do.
- Stages 1 to 3 are done once for the business.
- Stages 4 to 6 repeat for each worker.
- Stage 7 never stops while you employ a sponsored worker.
1The workforce plan
Week 1
Before anything is lodged we agree what the business needs for the next five years, not only for this hire. The agreement you sign with the Department fixes occupations and yearly numbers, and changing them later is slow.
The business does
- Tell us the roles, sites, rosters and pay for each position
- Give us your headcount and hiring history for the last 12 months
- Name one contact person for the matter
The worker does
- Nothing yet. No worker is contacted until the business approves the plan
Skyline does
- Match each role to the right occupation code and visa
- Check the salary against the award, the market rate and the income threshold
- Map every worker to the visa that gets them to permanent residence
- Give you a fixed fee and a dated plan in writing
At the end of this stage you hold: a written workforce plan: occupations, numbers per year, visas, concessions to request, costs and dates.
2Endorsement by the regional body
Weeks 2 to 6
A DAMA is run locally by a Designated Area Representative. It must endorse your business before the Department will look at you. Each representative publishes its own fees and times.
The business does
- Supply business records: registration, financials, BAS, leases, organisation chart
- Supply proof of genuine local recruitment
- Pay the representative’s endorsement fee directly
The worker does
- Nothing yet
Skyline does
- Run or review your labour market testing so it meets the Department’s rules on content, length and medium
- Prepare the endorsement application and the business case for each concession
- Attend the pre lodgement meeting with you, or for you
- Answer the representative’s questions until the letter is issued
At the end of this stage you hold: the endorsement letter. For the Orana DAMA it is valid for 12 months.
3The labour agreement with the Department
About 1 to 3 months
With the endorsement letter in hand, the business asks the Department of Home Affairs for a labour agreement. There is no Department charge for the request. The agreement usually runs for five years.
The business does
- Approve the request before it is lodged
- Sign the agreement when the Department issues it
The worker does
- Start the skills assessment and English test now, so no time is lost later
Skyline does
- Lodge the request in ImmiAccount with the business evidence
- Declare and explain any adverse information properly
- Check the draft agreement line by line before you sign: occupations, ceilings, concessions, years
- Diarise every ceiling and expiry date in the agreement
At the end of this stage you hold: a signed labour agreement that lists who you can nominate, how many each year, and on what terms.
4The nomination
Per worker, 2 to 3 weeks to prepare
The business nominates a named worker for a named position. This is where the nomination charge and the Skilling Australians Fund levy are paid. Both are the employer’s cost by law.
The business does
- Issue the employment contract we have checked
- Confirm duties, site, hours and pay
- Pay the nomination charge and the levy by card at lodgement
The worker does
- Send identity documents and work history
- Finish the skills assessment if the occupation needs one
Skyline does
- Draft the position description against the occupation’s tasks
- Prove the salary meets the market rate and the threshold
- Calculate the levy correctly for your turnover and the visa length
- Lodge the nomination and send the reference number to the worker’s file
At the end of this stage you hold: a lodged nomination and its Transaction Reference Number, which links the worker’s visa application to your business.
5The worker’s visa application
Same day as the nomination where we can
The worker, and any family coming with them, apply for the visa. We act for the worker in this stage, with their own folder and their own checklist.
The business does
- Nothing, unless the Department asks a question about the position
The worker does
- Complete one questionnaire, in plain English
- Upload documents to their own private folder
- Attend the health examination and biometrics when called
- Arrange health insurance if the visa requires it
Skyline does
- Build the application and every form for the worker and their family
- Check police certificates, health and English results are in date
- Lodge, then answer every Department request inside its deadline
- Tell both of you the outcome the day it arrives
At the end of this stage you hold: the visa grant notice, checked against the nomination, with the conditions explained to the worker in writing.
6Arrival and the first month
Arrival to day 28
A grant is not the finish line. The first month sets up whether the business stays compliant for the life of the visa.
The business does
- Confirm the start date to us
- Keep the signed contract, payslips and duty records from day one
The worker does
- Tell us the arrival date and new address
- Sort the tax file number, bank account and any licence conversion
Skyline does
- Verify the visa and its conditions on VEVO and file the record
- Open the obligations register for this worker
- Report to the Department anything that must be reported, on time
- Give the worker a one page guide to their visa conditions
At the end of this stage you hold: a compliance file for the worker that would stand up to a monitoring visit.
7Staying compliant, and the road to permanent residence
Every 45 to 60 days, then yearly
Most employers lose workers at this stage, not at the visa stage. We keep the file live so the permanent residence step is ready on the first day it opens.
The business does
- Tell us about any change: duties, pay, site, directors, business structure
- Approve the permanent nomination when the time comes
The worker does
- Tell us about any change: passport, address, family, travel
- Keep English and skills evidence current if the permanent visa needs it
Skyline does
- Check in with both of you on a fixed cycle
- Track the date each worker becomes eligible for permanent residence
- Plan the one agreement variation the Department now allows each year
- Prepare the permanent nomination and visa early, so they lodge on the first eligible day
At the end of this stage you hold: a permanent resident employee, and a labour agreement with room for the next hire.
Times for stages 2 and 3 are those published by Regional Development Australia Orana for the Orana DAMA and are a guide only. Other representatives publish their own. Department processing times are published on its website and change.
One matter, two clients, and clear lines between them
We act for the business and for the worker. Here is how that works in practice.
- Each client signs their own engagement and their own Form 956.
- Each client has their own folder and their own contact with us.
- Each client is told the outcome at the same time.
What the business gets
- One named lawyer and one contact person on your side
- A single tracker covering every worker and every date
- Advice on the agreement, the nominations and your obligations
- Contracts and position descriptions checked before they are issued
- A weekly update while anything is in progress
- A compliance file that is always ready for a monitoring visit
What the worker gets
- Their own engagement, explained in plain English
- A private folder that the employer cannot open
- A checklist written for their country and occupation
- Every form prepared for them and their family
- Their visa conditions explained in writing at grant
- A plan and a date for permanent residence
The conflict rule, stated plainly. We may act for both of you because you want the same result, and because each of you agrees in writing. If your interests ever pull apart, for example in a dispute about the job, we tell you both at once and we do not take sides. The professional conduct rules then decide whether we may keep acting for one of you, both, or neither. It is rare. You should still know the rule before you start.
How we collect documents without chasing you for months
One secure folder for the business. One for each worker. One checklist each, written for your facts.
- You upload once. We name, sort and check.
- Phone photos are fine at the start.
- Anything we already hold is marked as on file, so you never send it twice.
A checklist made for you
Not a generic list. Each item says what to send, why it matters, and how to get it.
A folder with sub folders
Identity, business, recruitment, position, worker. If you are unsure where something goes, drop it in the top folder and we file it.
A gap list, not a pile of emails
After each upload you get one short list: what is fine, what is missing, what needs redoing.
Use these lists to see how ready you are today. Tick what you already have.
The business 0 of 10
Each worker 0 of 10
Who can see what
A sponsorship file holds company accounts on one side and health and police records on the other. They never mix.
- The business never sees the worker’s private records.
- The worker never sees the business’s financial records.
- Everything we hold is covered by a lawyer’s duty of confidentiality.
| Information | The business sees it | The worker sees it | Skyline sees it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company financials, BAS, payroll | Yes | No | Yes |
| The labour agreement and its ceilings | Yes | No | Yes |
| The contract, duties, pay and site | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| The stage each worker has reached | Yes | Their own only | Yes |
| Passport and identity documents | Only what an employer must hold by law | Yes | Yes |
| Health examination results | No | Yes | Yes |
| Police certificates and character answers | No | Yes | Yes |
| Family and relationship documents | No | Yes | Yes |
| The visa grant and work conditions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Access by name
Folders are shared only with the people you name, by their own email address. Access is removed when the matter ends or a person leaves your business.
A lawyer’s duties
We are an Australian law practice. Confidentiality and legal professional privilege apply to our advice. We handle personal information under the Privacy Act.
Nothing shared without consent
If the business needs something from the worker’s side, or the other way round, we ask the owner of the information first, in writing.
What you pay, to whom, and when
No hourly billing surprises. Government charges never pass through our account.
- Our fee is fixed and agreed in writing before work starts.
- Invoices follow the stages, so you pay for work as it is done.
- Government and regional charges are paid by you, directly, by card at lodgement.
| Cost | Paid to | Who must pay | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement fee | The regional representative | The business | With the endorsement application |
| Labour agreement request | No charge | ||
| Nomination charge | Department of Home Affairs | The business. It cannot be passed on | At lodgement of each nomination |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy | Department of Home Affairs | The business. It cannot be passed on | In full at lodgement of each nomination |
| Visa application charge | Department of Home Affairs | The business or the worker, as you agree | At lodgement of the visa |
| Skills assessment, English test, health, police | The provider | Usually the worker | As each is booked |
| Our fee for the agreement and nomination work | Skyline | The business. It cannot be recovered from the worker | By stage |
| Our fee for the worker’s visa application | Skyline | The business or the worker, as you agree | By stage |
Where several workers share one agreement, the shared work is quoted once, not once per worker. Every quote is itemised so your accounts team can see what each line is for. The levy is tax deductible according to the Department.
What you will hear from us, and when
You should never have to ask where a file is up to.
- One update a week while anything is moving.
- One tracker for the whole programme.
- Every deadline is in our calendar before it is in yours.
The weekly update
One email to your contact person. Each worker on one line: stage, what happened this week, what happens next, who is doing it, by when.
Same day news
Any letter from the Department, any request, any decision: you and the worker hear the day it arrives, with what it means and what we are doing about it.
Questions
Email or call. Short questions get short answers, usually the same business day. Bigger questions get a time in the diary.
What it looks like
| Worker | Stage | This week | Next step | Owner | Due |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Reyes | 5 Visa | Nomination and visa lodged Tuesday | Health examination | Worker | Fri 9 Oct |
| A. Tanaka | 4 Nomination | Contract checked and issued | Signed contract back | Business | Wed 7 Oct |
| S. Pillai | Skills assessment | Assessor asked for one more reference | Reference from 2021 employer | Worker | Mon 12 Oct |
| J. Okafor | Skills assessment | Practical assessment booked | Attend assessment | Worker | Thu 22 Oct |
| D. Nguyen | English test | Result received: meets the concession level | Skills assessment application | Skyline | Tue 6 Oct |
To: your contact person Subject: Sponsorship programme, week ending Friday 2 October: 1 lodged, 1 ready, 3 in assessment
Nothing is overdue. One thing needs you this week.
- Needs you: A. Tanaka’s contract is with you for signature. Please return it by Wednesday so we can lodge on Thursday.
- Done this week: M. Reyes nominated and visa lodged. Government charges paid on your card: receipt attached.
- Watching: S. Pillai’s assessor wants one more reference. We have drafted the request for him.
- Coming up: your agreement’s year one ends on 30 November with two places unused. We should talk about whether to use them.
The dates we watch for you
Your obligations as a sponsor, in plain words
A labour agreement is a contract with the Commonwealth. The Australian Border Force can audit it and visit your site.
- Most obligations are about telling the Department when something changes.
- The usual time limit is 28 days.
- We keep the register and lodge the notices for you.
- Tell the Department about changes within 28 days. A worker leaves or does not start. Duties change. A new director. A change of name, structure or address. Insolvency.
- Keep the worker in the nominated occupation. A different role needs a new nomination, and usually a new visa.
- Pay at least what the nomination said, on terms no worse than an Australian in the same job.
- Employ the worker directly, under a written contract. No hiring them out to an unrelated business.
- Keep records. Pay, duties, where the work was done, notices you sent and when.
- Do not recover sponsorship costs from the worker. Not by invoice, not by deduction, not by any other benefit.
- Pay reasonable return travel costs if the worker asks in writing.
- Cooperate with inspectors, and recruit without discriminating on visa or citizenship status.
Summary of the Department’s published sponsorship obligations, which generally also apply to labour agreement sponsors. Your agreement may add its own terms. We read them with you at stage three.
Government charges, with a working estimator
Figures from the Department of Home Affairs website, checked 21 September 2026. They usually change each 1 July.
- The levy is the largest employer cost, and it depends on turnover and visa length.
- The visa charge is separate and may be paid by either party.
- Our own fee is quoted separately, in writing.
The business must pay
Either party may pay
| Charge | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Labour agreement request | No charge | Costs arise at the nomination and visa stages |
| 482 nomination | $330 | Per worker |
| 186 nomination | $540 | Subject to stream and location |
| Levy, 482 | $1,200 or $1,800 per year | Turnover under, or at and over, $10 million. Per year or part year |
| Levy, 494 and 186 | $3,000 or $5,000 once | Same turnover test |
| 482 visa | $4,015 | Main applicant and each dependant 18 or over. $1,005 for each child |
| 186 visa | $6,140 | Main applicant, Labour Agreement stream |
| 494 visa | $6,140 | Main applicant. $3,070 for each dependant 18 or over, $1,535 for each child |
| Income threshold | $79,423 | Core Skills and temporary skilled threshold, excluding superannuation, from 1 July 2026 |
General information only. The ImmiAccount form calculates the amount payable at lodgement. Approved business sponsorship outside a labour agreement costs a further $420.
Find your DAMA, then see one worked through
Every DAMA has its own area, occupations, concessions and fees. Start with the guide for yours.
Worked example: the Orana DAMA and a truck driver
Terms from Regional Development Australia Orana, the Designated Area Representative, checked 21 September 2026.
- 129 occupations across five regions of inland New South Wales.
- Concessions differ by occupation, and each must be asked for.
- The business and the position must both be in the designated area.
| Item | Orana DAMA position |
|---|---|
| Area | The Orana, Central West, Riverina, Murray and Southern Inland regions. The employer must have a physical presence there, have operated there for at least 12 months, and the position must be located there |
| Truck Driver (General), ANZSCO 733111 | Skill level 4. English concession: yes. Age concession: yes, to 55. Salary concession: no, so the full income threshold and the market rate both apply |
| English concession | IELTS 5.0 overall or PTE Academic 31, with no minimum in each part for the 482 and 494, unless licensing needs more. The employer must justify it and show how safety risks are managed |
| Skills | Occupations outside the standard skilled lists need a skills assessment |
| Endorsement fee | $990 plus GST per position for the first five, then $550 plus GST. Not refundable |
| Variation fee | $800 plus GST per added position. $500 plus GST per position for small changes |
| Times | First feedback within 10 business days. Endorsement letter within 10 business days of a positive assessment. Endorsement valid 12 months. Department response to the agreement request usually within one to three months. Twelve months to nominate once the agreement is approved |
| Permanent residence | 482 to 186 after two years living and working in the region. 494 to 191 after three years |
What employers ask us first
- Yes, we can take over a matter in progress.
- We act for the business and the worker, with clear lines between them.
- The law decides who pays for what, and we set it out in writing.
Can Skyline take over a matter that another adviser started?
Yes. You sign a new Form 956 for the business and each worker signs their own. That tells the Department we now act. We then audit what has been lodged, import the applications into our ImmiAccount, and give you a written status report with anything that needs fixing listed first. Nothing already lodged is lost.
Do you act for the business or for the worker?
Both, in the same matter, with the written consent of each. Their interests almost always line up: both want the visa granted. If a real conflict ever appears, we tell both of you straight away and the professional rules decide whether we can continue for one, both or neither.
Will the business see the worker’s private documents?
No. The worker has a private folder. Health results, police certificates and family documents stay there. The business sees the stage the worker has reached and anything about the position. The worker does not see the business’s financial records.
Who pays for what?
By law the business pays the nomination charge, the Skilling Australians Fund levy and the professional fees for the sponsorship and nomination work. These cannot be passed on to the worker. The visa application charge may be paid by either. We set the split out in writing before work starts.
We are in a DAMA region but our head office is not. Does that matter?
It can. A DAMA requires the business to operate in the designated area and the position to be located there. Where the head office sits is less important than where the worker will actually be based. We check this at stage one.
How long does the whole thing take?
Endorsement and the labour agreement together commonly take two to four months. After that, each nomination and visa is prepared in about two to three weeks, and the Department’s processing time is published on its website and changes often. We give you dates for the parts we control and the Department’s current published range for the rest.
What happens if a worker leaves?
The business must tell the Department within 28 days. We lodge that notice for you. Part of the levy can be refunded in limited cases, for example where a worker on a visa of more than 12 months leaves in the first year. We check whether a refund applies and claim it.
Can the workers become permanent residents?
Every occupation on the Orana DAMA list has a pathway. A worker on a Skills in Demand visa may be nominated for the permanent Employer Nomination Scheme visa after two years with you in the region. A worker on the regional 494 visa may apply for the permanent 191 visa after three years. We track the date for each worker from the day the first visa is granted.
Plain words for the jargon
Lawyers run your file, start to finish
Your agreement, your nominations and your workers’ visas are prepared and checked by Australian legal practitioners. You deal with the same two people throughout.
Tell us about your programme
Six questions. It opens an email to us with your answers filled in, so you can attach your endorsement letter or agreement before you press send. We reply within one business day.
Bring us the file you have, or the plan you need
One meeting by Teams, Meet or phone. We read what you send beforehand, so the time is spent on answers. You leave with a written plan and a fixed fee.
General information only, not legal advice. Department of Home Affairs charges, thresholds and sponsor obligations were checked on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au on 21 September 2026. Orana DAMA terms were checked on rdaorana.org.au on 21 September 2026. DAMA terms are reviewed annually and differ between regions. Confirm current terms before you rely on them.