Employer sponsoring you? Check these things before you sign.
A practical checklist for students and employers: confirm the visa stream, nomination date, qualifying pay, market salary and application costs before relying on sponsorship.
Edition · First published · Latest source review
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An employer’s offer to sponsor you is a reason to ask clear questions before you sign an employment contract or build your plans around the offer. Use this checklist together: confirm the visa route, salary calculation, eligibility and costs. Signing a contract does not guarantee sponsorship or a visa; the nomination lodgement date determines which salary-threshold period applies.
Who this is for: Australian students and graduates assessing employer-sponsored visa job offers; the applicable subclass, stream and nomination date matter.
1. Confirm the visa stream and the role
For students and graduates, the next question is whether the role and your background fit the actual stream. Home Affairs’ Core Skills page also requires an eligible occupation, at least one year of relevant work experience, English requirements unless exempt, and a skills assessment where required. A job title or Australian qualification alone does not settle those checks. Subclass 482 Core Skills eligibility.
Do not apply the $79,423 figure as a universal minimum wage for all graduate jobs, or treat the Specialist Skills figure as a shortcut into any occupation. Confirm the subclass, stream and any applicable agreement or exemption before comparing your offer.
2. Check the nomination date and salary threshold
For nomination applications lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, Home Affairs lists these annual thresholds in Australian dollars:
Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT): $79,423, up from $76,515. It applies to Skills in Demand subclass 482 Core Skills nominations and Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 186 nominations.
Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT): $146,576, up from $141,210, for subclass 482 Specialist Skills nominations.
Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT): $79,423, up from $76,515, for subclass 494 and subclass 187 nominations. This is a salary table, not an eligibility list.
Use the employer’s nomination lodgement date when checking this table. Your graduation date, the day you accepted the job and the date of the separate visa application do not substitute for it. Home Affairs salary requirements.
These are current rules, not a proposed change for next July. The 2026 amendment regulations commenced on 1 July 2026 and expressly apply the TSMIT amendments to nominations made from that date.
3. Ask for the market salary evidence
The annual market salary rate (AMSR) is the equivalent Australian worker’s pay for equivalent full-time work at the same workplace and location. In the standard case covered by Home Affairs’ guidance, both the market rate and the nominee’s qualifying monetary pay must reach the relevant threshold, and the nominee cannot be paid below that market rate. Exemptions and agreement arrangements need separate checking. See the nomination criteria in the Migration Regulations.
For a simple hypothetical Core Skills case, $79,000 of qualifying annual earnings is $423 below the $79,423 floor. An $82,000 offer clears that numerical floor, but would still be too low if the applicable market salary were $90,000. Neither example establishes visa eligibility.
4. Break down the salary package
Ask for a breakdown of qualifying guaranteed earnings, compulsory superannuation, allowances, reimbursements and non-cash benefits. Compulsory super does not count as earnings for this purpose, and non-cash benefits such as accommodation or a car cannot fill the threshold gap. Payments that cannot be determined in advance and reimbursements are also excluded. Guaranteed overtime may count; assuming every possible extra shift or bonus counts would be a mistake. See regulation 2.57A in the Migration Regulations and the threshold guidance.
“$80,000 package including super” therefore needs a proper calculation before you treat it as clearing the Core Skills floor. Ask the employer or authorised adviser to show the amount used in the nomination and the evidence behind it.
5. Get an itemised application budget
The July regulations also introduced a 25% increase to the first instalment of visa application charges for most visas, with exceptions and concessional settings. That is not a claim that every migration-related expense rose by 25%, or a total quote for your application. Official explanatory statement.
Use the official fees and charges page and linked pricing estimator for your circumstances. Ask for an itemised budget identifying visa charges, additional applicants, tests, health checks and professional fees where relevant. Check which amounts apply to you before paying.
6. Get the answers in writing
1. Which visa subclass and stream is the employer proposing, and is there a labour agreement or exemption to check?
2. When was, or will, the nomination be lodged? Ask for the relevant record rather than relying on when sponsorship was first discussed.
3. What are the qualifying guaranteed annual earnings after excluded components are removed?
4. How has the employer established the annual market salary rate for this role and location?
5. Who is checking occupation, experience, English, skills assessment and your current visa position, and what is the itemised cost?
Keep the offer, package breakdown and answers together. If the numbers only work after adding uncertain bonuses or calling everything “salary”, get the calculation reviewed before making commitments.
General information reviewed on 1 November 2026 (Sydney), prepared for the 1 November editorial edition. This is not personalised migration or legal advice. Rules and individual circumstances can change the result; check current official guidance and use a registered migration agent or Australian legal practitioner for individual advice.
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For employer nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, the published annual thresholds are $79,423 for subclass 482 Core Skills and subclass 186, $146,576 for 482 Specialist Skills, and $79,423 for subclass 494. The relevant market salary and qualifying guaranteed earnings also need checking. Compulsory super and non-cash benefits cannot fill the threshold gap. Occupation, experience, English and other requirements still apply; an offer is not a visa guarantee.
Please confirm the proposed subclass and stream, nomination lodgement date, qualifying earnings and market-salary evidence, eligibility checks and an itemised application budget.
Read the article: https://app.knowwhatson.com/news/graduate-sponsorship-july-2026-visa-salary-thresholds
Official salary reference: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsoring-workers/nominating-a-position/salary-requirements
Photo information
Photo: freddie marriage / Unsplash, via Wikimedia Commons, dedicated under CC0 1.0. Illustrative workspace, not a reported employer or sponsorship offer. Image description: An open laptop and adjustable lamp on a wooden desk beside stacks of books, papers and folders.
Checklist
- Confirm subclass, stream, nomination date and any agreement or exemption.
- Separate qualifying guaranteed earnings from super and excluded benefits.
- Ask how the market salary was established.
- Check personal eligibility and obtain an itemised application budget.