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Sanctions imposed on sponsors of skilled foreign workers

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Employers approved by the Department of Home Affairs can sponsor people who are not Australian citizens to work for them in Australia. The sponsored work visa program:

  • targets genuine skill shortages
  • diversifies business expertise  
  • increases entrepreneurial talent, without displacing Australian workers.

A sponsor of foreign workers must comply with all Australian immigration and workplace laws. The exploitation of foreign workers negatively affects:

  • communities
  • individuals
  • Australia’s international reputation.

The Australian Government does not tolerate abuse of Australia’s employer sponsored work visa program.

If you suspect a sponsor has breached their sponsorship obligations, you can report it anonymously to Border Watch.

For information about the laws to protect migrant workers visit Prohibition.

For information on Australian workplace entitlements, go to Fair Work Ombudsman.

See our Disclaimer.

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Standard business sponsors

These sponsor Skills in Demand (SID) (subclass 482) (which replaced the Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) (subclass 482) on 7 December 2024) and Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR) (subclass 494) visa holders.

Employers can sponsor visa holders for one to five years depending on the visa, stream and circumstances.

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Temporary activity sponsors

These sponsor Training (subclass 407) and Temporary Activity (subclass 408) visa holders. Employers generally sponsor visa holders for three months to four years.​

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Register of sanctioned sponsors

The Australian Border Force keeps a publically available register of sponsors who have breached their sponsorship obligations. Public disclosure helps to deter other sponsors from breaching their obligations. It also protects foreign workers from exploitation by helping them to inform themselves before working for a potential sponsor.

We update​ the publically available register periodically. It includes sponsors who have breached their obligations since 18 March 2015.

View the register.

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