This guide explains how to check Australian employer-sponsored job offers across healthcare, skilled trades, technology and other eligible occupations. A verified Queensland nursing vacancy advertises AUD42.98 to AUD55.13 an hour, while immigration salary thresholds provide separate checks for sponsored roles. Applicants need suitable skills, experience and any required registration. Sponsorship involves employer nomination and a separate visa application. Below, you will find official application links, employer verification tools and practical checks before accepting an offer or paying fees.
A salary can be lawful under employment rules yet still fail the requirements for a particular sponsored visa. Check both.
Job or offer category
Verified pay benchmark
Typical qualification
Townsville registered nurse or midwife
AUD42.98 to AUD55.13 hourly, advertised base rate
Relevant nursing or midwifery qualification and Australian registration
Eligible Core Skills sponsored occupation
At least AUD79,423 annually for relevant nominations lodged from 1 July 2026
Occupation-specific qualifications and experience
Eligible Specialist Skills occupation
At least AUD146,576 annually for relevant nominations lodged from 1 July 2026
Skills and experience appropriate to an eligible occupation
The nursing figures come from an employer advertisement. The other figures are immigration income thresholds, not occupational salary ranges or promises of employment. Employers must also satisfy applicable market salary requirements. A higher market rate cannot be replaced with the lower immigration threshold. Queensland Health Careers
Ask whether the quoted amount is base salary or a package including superannuation, accommodation, overtime or allowances. Do not assume every component counts towards immigration salary requirements.
2. Which jobs match your experience?
Experienced professionals and skilled tradespeople
Start with duties, not just the job title. Compare the advertised responsibilities with your qualifications, actual experience and the nominated occupation on the Home Affairs skilled occupation list.
For example, an IT support position should not be described as a software engineering role merely to support a visa application. Occupation restrictions and caveats can affect eligibility. Immigration and citizenship
For the Skills in Demand subclass 482 Core Skills stream, applicants generally need at least one year of relevant experience in the occupation or a related field. A skills assessment is required for some applicants. immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Electricians, plumbers and other regulated trades should check licensing requirements in the relevant Australian state or territory. A migration skills assessment and permission to practise a regulated trade are separate matters.
Nurses and midwives need registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia through Ahpra. An overseas qualification alone does not establish eligibility to practise. immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Entry-level applicants
Be cautious about advertisements promising standard skilled sponsorship for inexperienced cleaners, packers or general labourers.
An employer must identify a visa route that actually fits the position. Some recruitment arrangements operate through labour agreements, but that does not make every entry-level vacancy eligible. Ask for the exact visa subclass, stream and occupation before spending money. immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
3. Where to find legitimate employers and vacancies
The examples below distinguish a verified sponsored vacancy from general international recruitment.
Verified vacancy with sponsorship advertised: Townsville Hospital and Health Service
Applications through the advertisement’s online application button.
The advertisement specifically addresses international applicants. Its workforce contact is NMWorkforce@health.qld.gov.au, telephone +61 7 4433 1722. Sponsorship availability remains subject to the employer’s assessment and immigration approval. Queensland Health Careers
International recruitment confirmed, individual sponsorship unconfirmed: Sunshine Coast Health
This establishes an international recruitment channel. It does not confirm sponsorship for every vacancy. Ask the contact listed in the particular advertisement whether your role and circumstances qualify. Sunshine Coast Health
For other sectors, use job boards to discover opportunities, then locate the advertisement on the employer’s own careers website. A search result containing “visa sponsorship” is not sufficient evidence that a particular employer will sponsor you.
4. How Australian employer sponsorship works
A job offer, nomination and visa are different
Job offer: The employer’s proposed employment terms.
Sponsorship: Employer approval or another applicable sponsorship arrangement.
Nomination: The employer’s application identifying the position and, where applicable, the worker.
Visa: Government permission to enter or remain in Australia under specified conditions.
Australia does not issue Canadian-style Labour Market Impact Assessments, or LMIAs. Home Affairs also warns against documents marketed as Australian “work permits”. A job offer does not itself give you permission to work. immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Relevant employer-sponsored routes
Skills in Demand visa, subclass 482: A temporary route. The Core Skills stream requires an eligible occupation, suitable experience, English proficiency unless exempt, and compliant pay. It generally permits a stay of up to four years. immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Employer Nomination Scheme, subclass 186: A permanent visa with different streams. Direct Entry generally requires a skills assessment unless exempt, together with other eligibility requirements. immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa, subclass 494: A five-year provisional route for designated regional employment. The Employer Sponsored stream generally requires three years of relevant experience, a suitable skills assessment and age below 45, subject to exemptions. immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Ask the employer which route it proposes and why your occupation qualifies. “We arrange everything” is not a useful answer.
5. Eligibility, documents and likely costs
Prepare documents that allow the employer and Home Affairs to verify your background:
Passport and identity documents.
CV with accurate employment dates.
Qualifications and transcripts.
Employment references supported by payslips or other employment evidence.
English results, where required.
Skills assessment or professional registration, where applicable.
Police certificates, health examinations and family documents when required.
Requirements differ by visa and occupation. Follow the document checklist for your actual application.
Expenses the worker may need to budget for
These can include the visa application charge, English testing, medical examinations, police certificates, biometrics, skills assessment, registration, translations and travel.
Use the official Home Affairs visa pricing tools for a current estimate. Family composition and visa subclass affect the amount. Avoid treating an agent’s single “all-inclusive” figure as an official government fee. immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Costs the employer cannot shift to you
Sponsors cannot recover covered recruitment, sponsorship or nomination costs from sponsored workers. This includes the Skilling Australians Fund levy and associated sponsorship or nomination migration-agent costs. Paying an employer for sponsorship is also prohibited. abf.gov.au
Some employers voluntarily cover additional worker expenses. Get any reimbursement commitment, conditions and repayment clauses in writing.
6. Can the offer lead to permanent residence?
Subclass 186 is itself a permanent visa. A subclass 482 offer may provide a possible future route to permanent residence, but the temporary visa does not guarantee a later nomination or approval.
Ask whether the employer is offering an immediate permanent nomination or only discussing a possible future application. Those commitments have different practical value.
For eligible subclass 494 holders, the subclass 191 Regional Provisional stream can provide permanent residence after holding an eligible visa for at least three years and meeting the remaining conditions. Applicants must provide Australian Taxation Office assessments for three income years. There is currently no minimum income requirement for that stream. immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Treat guaranteed permanent residence claims as a warning sign.
7. How to apply and verify the offer, step by step
Choose a suitable vacancy. Match the duties, qualifications, registration and experience requirements.
Tailor your CV. Address the selection criteria and accurately state your registration and visa position.
Confirm employer support. Ask whether overseas applicants are eligible and which subclass and stream the employer proposes.
Verify the business. Search its legal name and Australian Business Number through ABN Lookup. Check the ABN status and compare available details with the contract. An active ABN confirms registration details, not sponsorship approval or the identity of the person contacting you. abr.business.gov.au
Authenticate the offer independently. Find the employer’s telephone number yourself. Ask HR to confirm the recruiter, vacancy reference and offer.
Review the written terms. Check the employing entity, work location, duties, hours, base pay, superannuation, deductions, probation and relocation conditions.
Follow the official visa process. Coordinate with the employer’s nomination process and submit the correct visa application through official Home Affairs channels. Keep application acknowledgements and payment receipts.
8. Job-offer verification checks and warning signs
Hypothetical example: A Core Skills offer quotes AUD85,000 “including everything”. Before accepting, request the guaranteed salary breakdown. The headline package alone does not establish that the nomination meets the applicable income threshold and market rate.
Check sponsorship claims
Request the proposed subclass, stream, occupation and relevant sponsorship or nomination documentation. Check the Australian Border Force’s sponsor sanctions information. Absence from a sanctions publication does not prove that an employer is approved or that an offer is genuine. abf.gov.au
Stop when the process includes these warning signs
Payment to purchase a job or sponsorship.
Instructions to return part of your wages.
Guaranteed visa approval or permanent residence.
A supposed Australian LMIA.
Instructions to begin ordinary employment on a Visitor visa.
Pressure to transfer money before independently contacting HR.
Refusal to provide official application receipts or access to application information.
Can a real company’s details appear on a fake offer?
Yes. Verify the person and vacancy independently. A genuine business name, logo or ABN does not establish that the sender represents that business.
How can I check an agent?
If someone claims to be a registered migration agent, verify their Migration Agent Registration Number through the OMARA register linked from Home Affairs. Do not rely on a registration screenshot. immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
How do I verify a visa grant letter?
Check your visa through Visa Entitlement Verification Online, or VEVO. Do not rely solely on a PDF, email or printed letter. immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
Can my employer cancel my visa if I complain?
Only the Australian Government can cancel a visa. Employers cannot cancel it themselves, although employment changes may affect your immigration position and require prompt action. Fair Work Ombudsman
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