Sponsor obligations for allied health employers, in plain terms

Written by Callum Trevorrow. Last checked 28 October 2026 against official sources.

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Once you sponsor an overseas therapist, you take on obligations under the Migration Regulations, and ten of the obligations the Australian Border Force lists apply to a typical therapy practice (page updated 20 October 2026). The ones most relevant to a therapy practice are equal terms and pay, keeping the clinician in the occupation you nominated, not passing on sponsorship costs, telling the Department when something changes, and the newer rule against discriminatory recruitment.

I’ve walked overseas clinicians through Skills in Demand visas alongside registered migration agents, and as the inaugural director of a satellite hospital I’ve been the one hiring. This page is general information. It isn’t a compliance checklist for your business, and we don’t prepare sponsorship documents. A registered migration agent should do that.

The obligations, one line each

The ABF list also includes obligations for domestic workers, accommodation and other cases that don’t apply to sponsoring a therapist under a standard business sponsorship.

Equivalent terms and pay

Under reg 2.79 you must give the sponsored clinician equivalent terms and conditions to an Australian worker in the same role, and pay never goes below the award or enterprise agreement rate. You also need to pay at least the annual market salary rate for the role. In a therapy practice, compare terms of employment like for like with your local clinicians at that level: for example the base rate, CPD allowance, leave and any productivity bonus. Your migration agent can confirm what counts as equivalent.

The Core Skills Income Threshold is A$79,423 from 1 July 2026. Your migration agent will confirm how it applies to your nomination alongside the market rate. The fees and levy are on our sponsorship costs page.

Keeping them in the nominated occupation

Reg 2.86 means the sponsored person works in the occupation you nominated. An example: you sponsor a paediatric OT, and a year in you’d like them to take on a practice manager role. That’s a change to discuss with your migration agent before it happens, not after.

Costs you can’t pass on

Under reg 2.87, a 482 sponsor must not recover, transfer or take action that results in the clinician or another person paying certain sponsorship costs. Separately, asking for or receiving a benefit in exchange for sponsorship is unlawful, with civil and criminal penalties. Which costs the rule covers is a question for your registered migration agent: ask them before you put any repayment, bond or deduction clause in an offer, and don’t pass a sponsorship-related cost to the clinician until they’ve confirmed it’s allowed. Clinicians can read the same rule from their side on our visa sponsorship jobs page.

Discriminatory recruitment (reg 2.87C)

This is the newest obligation on the list: don’t use discriminatory recruitment practices. A sensible habit for any role you might sponsor: use the same selection criteria for local and overseas applicants, and keep your shortlisting notes. Your migration agent can tell you what the rule covers.

Notifications

Reg 2.84 requires you to tell the Department when certain events happen. Events that generally need reporting include the sponsored clinician’s employment ending, their duties changing, or changes to your business (for example a new director, a change of legal structure, insolvency or a change of address). Check the full list with Home Affairs or your migration agent before relying on this summary. You can notify through ImmiAccount using the “Notification of sponsorship changes” form.

The deadline is generally 28 days, but we haven’t confirmed that against the regulation itself, so check the current timeframe on the Home Affairs sponsor obligations pages or with your migration agent. One easy miss in a small practice is a resignation over the holidays that nobody reports. Put the notification in your offboarding checklist.

Labour market testing

Before nominating a 482 position, you generally need to advertise it in Australia. Under LIN 18/036:

• At least 2 advertisements, in English, on a recruitment website, in print media or on radio with national reach (accredited sponsors can also use their own website).
• Each ad accepts applications for at least 4 weeks, and names the job title or description, the skills or experience needed, and your business name (or your recruitment agency’s).
• Salary must be shown if the annual earnings are under A$96,400.
• The advertising must fall within the 4 months ending on the day you lodge the nomination. Copies of the ads go with the nomination.

Labour market testing isn’t required where it would breach an international trade obligation, and the instrument lists several trade agreements. It doesn’t say which workers each one covers, so some nationalities may be exempt. Check Home Affairs or ask your migration agent before skipping the ads.

A timing tip: if your ads ran more than four months before you nominate, they don’t count. Plan the ads and the nomination together.

What happens when it goes wrong

The ABF publishes a register of sanctioned sponsors. A 2026 law also lets Home Affairs publish details of approved work sponsors, including business name, ABN, number of nominations and occupations. It’s safest to run your sponsorship as if the record could become public.

By profession

The obligations are the same whichever therapist you sponsor, but registration and timing aren’t. See hiring an overseas occupational therapist, hiring an overseas speech pathologist and hiring an overseas physiotherapist.

Next step

If you’re thinking about sponsoring a clinician, tell us about the role. We’ll talk you through what sponsorship would involve for it, and point you to a registered migration agent for the advice and paperwork.