Step-by-Step: How to Sponsor Your First Overseas Skilled Professional

A Practical Guide for Startups, Tech Founders & SMEs

Hiring overseas talent can feel like a big leap — or maybe it’s just something that hasn’t crossed your radar yet. But for many growing businesses, especially in tech, healthcare & engineering, it’s often the difference between scaling fast and falling behind. If you’ve never sponsored someone before, here’s a clear look at how it works in 2025, and why more startups are doing it.

Whether you’re exploring this path or actively looking to onboard global talent, this guide will walk you through the process step-by-step.

1. Become a Standard Business Sponsor (SBS)

The very first step in hiring from overseas is becoming a Standard Business Sponsor, which is essentially your licence to bring in talent under Australia’s Subclass 482 visa program.

Here’s what that involves:

• One-off government application fee: $420
• Processing time: 1–3 weeks
• Validity: 5 years

Once approved, you can nominate multiple candidates across roles like Software Engineer, Frontend Developer, Product Manager, DevOps, and more.

If you’re thinking “we’re just a small team” — good news: even startups can apply for SBS, provided you meet basic operating requirements.

2. Nominate the Role

Once you’re an approved sponsor, the next step is to nominate the job role you want to fill.

Here’s what’s required:

• Role must be on the Core Skills Occupation List
• Salary must meet the minimum threshold: $76,515 / annum
• You must pay the “market salary rate” (comparable to local workers)
• Demonstrate a genuine business need

This nomination process ensures fairness in the system, while still giving you access to the skilled people your team actually needs.

3. Lodge the Subclass 482 Visa Application

Once the role is approved, your candidate applies for the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa – Subclass 482.

• Visa Duration: Up to 4 years (depending on occupation stream)
• Processing Time: Typically 4–8 weeks (dependant on role)

At Ten Heads Immigration, we help guide you and the candidate through this process to ensure all steps are accurate, compliant, and on time.

Why Founders Are Choosing Sponsorship in 2025

Sponsorship isn’t just for big corporates anymore. We’ve helped:

• A boutique hotel group bring in operations talent
• A fintech startup onboard global engineering talent
• A shoulder surgery institute sponsor a clinical coordinator

For each business, the benefit was the same: faster hiring, highly-skilled professionals, and reduced operational strain.

Check your eligibility

We’ve created a free “Can I Sponsor?” Checklist – a 10-point guide that helps you assess if your business is ready for SBS setup and global hiring.

https://tenheadsimmigration.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Can-I-Sponsor-Checklist.pdf

Got questions?

Book a free 15-minute strategy session with one of our migration specialists. We’ll help you understand your eligibility, explore your hiring goals, and outline the next steps — no obligations, just helpful advice.

Ten Heads Immigration | MARN 1575911 & 2318052