To apply for jobs in Australia from overseas, you need an employer who is willing to sponsor you, and one common route is the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482): a temporary visa that lets an employer sponsor a suitably skilled worker for a position they can't fill locally. The employer nominates you, then you meet the visa's own rules, starting with at least 1 year of relevant work experience. New Zealand starts the same way: a job offer from an accredited employer comes first, and the visa follows.
This guide covers what each side needs from you, what it costs, the order to do things in and the traps that catch overseas applicants. For the wider search, our 6-step plan for finding a job in Australia or New Zealand sits one level above this page.
What a sponsored job means for you
A sponsored job ties your visa to one employer. Subclass 482 holders may work only in the occupation they were nominated for and only for the nominating business, or in some circumstances an associated entity. The visa lets you work for that sponsor for up to 4 years (up to 5 years for Hong Kong passport holders).
Your partner and dependent children can be included in the application, and the family can live, study and work in Australia. Later on, an employer may be able to sponsor a subclass 482 holder for permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186), but that is a separate decision and never a promise.
When you read an ad, look for the sponsorship wording itself. JobFinder's Australia jobs page lists employer-sponsored roles and says each listing shows the location, salary and visa details stated in the ad.
What Australian employers and Home Affairs look for
The Core Skills stream of the 482 visa is the one most overseas tradespeople read about first. The worker must be nominated for an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List and paid the Annual Market Salary Rate for that occupation, and no less than the Core Skills Income Threshold. That threshold is AUD79,423 for nomination applications lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Check your occupation on the official skilled occupation list before you spend time on applications.
| Requirement | What the official pages say |
|---|---|
| Work experience | At least 1 year of relevant experience in the nominated occupation or a related field, gained within the last 5 years. Part-time or casual work must add up to at least 12 months full-time. |
| Skills assessment | Some primary applicants need a mandatory assessment by Trades Recognition Australia or VETASSESS, depending on the occupation. It must be started before the visa application is lodged, or the application is not valid, and it must fall within the 3 years before the application. |
| Health insurance | Adequate health insurance for the whole stay is a condition of the visa. |
| Starting work | Employment must begin within 90 days of entering Australia, or of the grant date if you are already in Australia. |
| No payment for sponsorship | Applicants must not have asked for, offered, received or provided a benefit in return for visa sponsorship in the past 3 years. |
Not every applicant needs police certificates from other countries: if the sponsor is an accredited sponsor and attaches its reference confirming good character and no criminal convictions, they are not required. Home Affairs decides every visa, and the employer's offer alone does not mean one will be granted.
What New Zealand employers need from you
The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is for people with a job offer from an accredited employer, who must send you a link to the online application form. The offer must be for at least 30 hours of work a week, from an employer with an approved job check for the job, and paid at least the market rate for the job.
You then show 2 years or more of relevant job experience, or a qualification at level 4 or higher on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework in the same field as the job. If the job is ANZSCO or NOL skill level 3 to 5, you must also show you can speak and understand English, with test results no more than 2 years old. Skill level 1 or 2 jobs do not need this.
Two rules surprise people. The agreement cannot include a trial period, because Immigration New Zealand does not allow them for migrant workers on an AEWV; our 90 day trial period guide explains why a job that offers one deserves a second look. And an AEWV job offer cannot be for planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in horticulture or viticulture.
Before you accept, search the official accredited employer list by 13-digit NZBN or company name; it is updated daily. Some accredited employers choose not to appear in the results, so ask the employer directly if you cannot find it. Our post on the accredited employer list walks through the search.
What it costs
| Item | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Subclass 482 base application charge | AUD4,015.00 | The visa applicant |
| Extra applicant, 18 and over | AUD4,015.00 | The visa applicant |
| Extra applicant, under 18 | AUD1,005.00 | The visa applicant |
| Employer: become an approved sponsor | AUD420 | The employer |
| Employer: nominate for the 482 visa | AUD330 | The employer |
| AEWV | From NZD $1540 | The visa applicant |
These are the government's published charges and they can change. Immigration New Zealand shows AEWV processing at 80% within 5.5 weeks. New Zealand employers cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay any of their recruitment costs, including indirectly through a third party.
The order to do things in
- Check that your occupation is on the official list for the country you are targeting, and note which assessing body the list names.
- Gather proof of your experience: contracts, payslips and reference letters that cover the last 5 years for Australia, or 2 years or more for New Zealand.
- Update your CV so it is true, specific and matches the work you did. Our guide to writing a CV for Australia and New Zealand shows the format, and Build AI CV can help you turn it into a clean document.
- Read each ad for the sponsorship wording and the stated requirements, using our job ad reading guide to spot a fake one.
- Apply, then check the employer: the accredited employer list for New Zealand, or a direct request for the sponsor's details for Australia.
- Only after a written offer, let the employer start the nomination or send the AEWV link. Read the agreement before you sign; our job offer checklist lists what it must contain.
If you want a realistic view of what is open now, browse a role such as this baker position in Mackay. Whatever the role, read the ad's own requirements before you apply.
Common mistakes overseas applicants make
- Paying for a job offer. Immigration New Zealand will decline an AEWV application if you or your agent offered or promised money to the employer in exchange for a job offer, and for Australia the sponsorship-payment rule above applies.
- Sending a passport too early. Scamwatch advises never sending your passport or identity documents to an employer or recruitment firm unless you are certain they are genuine.
- Trusting a sure thing. Anyone who treats an Australian visa as a done deal is misleading you, and a temporary New Zealand visa does not carry residence with it.
- Buying a "work permit". Australia doesn't issue work permits, visa labels or Labour Market Impact Assessments, so anyone offering one is running a scam.
- Working on a visitor visa. You can't work in Australia on an Electronic Travel Authority or a Visitor visa.
- Falsifying your history. A false work history can get you disqualified straight away; see our post on the AI CV writer trap.
Job scams are growing: losses to jobs and employment scams reported to Scamwatch jumped from $13.7 million in 2024 to $24.8 million in 2025, an increase of 81.5%. Our task scam warning shows the pattern. For employer-side detail on what a sponsor must pay and prove, Talynx has a guide to what employers pay, prove and owe when hiring overseas workers.
Everyone giving immigration assistance on an Australian visa must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person. Check the register on the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority page before you pay anyone to help.
Last checked: 2026-11-05 against the official pages linked above.
Every case is different — book a consultation and our partner registered migration agents (MARA) / licensed NZ advisers will assess yours.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for jobs in Australia from overseas without a visa?
Yes, you can apply from abroad, and many sponsored ads are written for that. You cannot start work until you hold a visa that allows it, and you can't work on an Electronic Travel Authority or a Visitor visa.
Does an Australian employer have to sponsor me?
No, sponsorship is the employer's choice. Under the 482 visa, a skilled worker is sponsored for a position the employer can't fill locally, and the visa lets you work only for that sponsor.
How much work experience do I need for a subclass 482 visa?
Applicants must have at least 1 year of relevant experience in the nominated occupation or a related field, gained within the last 5 years. Part-time or casual work must add up to at least 12 months full-time, and some occupations also need a skills assessment.
Can I apply for jobs in New Zealand from overseas?
Yes. The AEWV starts with a job offer from an accredited employer, who sends you the application link. Check that the employer is on Immigration New Zealand's accredited list, or ask them directly if they are not listed.
Is it normal to pay an employer or agent for a sponsored job?
No. Immigration New Zealand declines AEWV applications where money was offered or promised for a job offer, and a subclass 482 applicant must not have paid or received a benefit for sponsorship in the past 3 years. Treat any request for money as a warning sign.
Key takeaways
- You need an employer first: sponsorship in Australia and an accredited-employer offer in New Zealand come before the visa.
- Australia asks for at least 1 year of recent relevant experience; New Zealand asks for 2 years or more, or a level 4 qualification.
- Use the official occupation lists and the accredited employer list, not the ad's word alone.
- Never pay for sponsorship or a job offer, and keep your passport details until the employer is confirmed genuine.
- No employer, agent or website can decide a visa for you: the decision belongs to Home Affairs or Immigration New Zealand.
