Many NDIS providers cannot find enough experienced staff locally, especially in regional areas and for 24/7 Supported Independent Living (SIL) rosters. Employer sponsorship allows a registered or unregistered NDIS provider to sponsor skilled overseas workers, and to keep experienced visa holders who already work in the disability sector in Australia.
This guide explains how NDIS provider sponsorship works: which roles you can sponsor, Standard Business Sponsorship, nominations and labour market testing, labour agreements and DAMA for frontline disability support workers, your sponsor obligations, and how to find experienced NDIS workers who need sponsorship.
Step 1: Match the role to the right occupation
The first question is not “can we sponsor a support worker?” but “which ANZSCO occupation matches the duties of this position?”. The occupation decides which visa and which sponsorship route is available.
| Role in your organisation | Occupation (ANZSCO) | Sponsorship route |
|---|---|---|
| Community participation, capacity building, support coordination-type duties | Community Worker (411711) | Standard 482 (Core Skills) and 186 |
| SIL and group home roles supervising residents | Residential Care Officer (411715) | Standard 482 (Core Skills) and 186 |
| Programs for young people with disability | Youth Worker (411716) | Standard 482 (Core Skills) and 186 |
| Service, program or house manager | Welfare Centre Manager (134214) | Standard 482 and 186 |
| Registered nurse, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, speech pathologist | Registered Nurse (254411), Occupational Therapist (252411), Physiotherapist (252511), Speech Pathologist (252712) | Standard 482 and 186, subject to AHPRA registration where required |
| Frontline disability support worker (personal care, daily living support) | Aged or Disabled Carer (423111) | Not on the standard list: needs a DAMA or a company-specific labour agreement |
The position description, employment contract and the worker’s actual duties must genuinely match the occupation. Nominating a role in an occupation that does not reflect the real duties is one of the most common reasons for refusals in the disability sector.
Step 2: Become a Standard Business Sponsor
To sponsor workers on the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), your organisation must be approved as a Standard Business Sponsor (SBS) by the Department of Home Affairs. In general, you need to show that:
- your business is lawfully operating in Australia (for example, ABN, ASIC records, NDIS registration or service agreements, a lease, bank statements and financial documents);
- there is no adverse information about the business or its associates, or that any adverse information can be explained; and
- you are committed to employing local workers and meeting your sponsorship obligations.
Sponsorship approval usually lasts for five years. You can apply for sponsorship and the first nomination at the same time.
Step 3: Nominate the position
For each worker, you lodge a nomination that shows the position is genuine and meets the requirements:
| Requirement | What it means for NDIS providers |
|---|---|
| Genuine position | A real, full-time ongoing need, supported by your rosters, participant numbers, service agreements and organisational chart |
| Labour market testing | Advertise the position nationally for at least 28 days, usually with at least two advertisements, within the required period before lodgement, unless an exemption applies |
| Salary | At least the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), the market salary rate and the relevant SCHADS Award classification |
| Employment contract | Terms no less favourable than for Australian workers, with duties that match the occupation |
| Government charges | Nomination fee and the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy, paid by the employer (not the worker) |
The SAF levy for a 482 nomination is currently $1,200 per year of the visa for businesses with annual turnover under $10 million and $1,800 per year for larger businesses. It cannot be passed on to the worker.
Labour agreements and DAMA for disability support workers
Because Aged or Disabled Carer (423111) is not on the Core Skills Occupation List, NDIS providers who want to sponsor frontline disability support workers usually need a labour agreement:
- Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA): if your business operates in a DAMA region, such as Cairns (FNQ DAMA) or Townsville, the Northern Territory, South Australia or other designated areas, you may be able to seek endorsement to sponsor Aged or Disabled Carers, often with concessions to English, age or salary.
- Company-specific labour agreement: a provider can ask the Department of Home Affairs for its own labour agreement. You need strong evidence of ongoing shortages, genuine recruitment efforts, consultation with stakeholders (including the relevant union), and a clear workforce plan. These requests take longer and need careful preparation.
- Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement: this agreement is for aged care providers. A provider that only delivers NDIS services generally cannot use it, but a provider that also delivers aged care services may be eligible.
Labour agreements usually allow the 482 visa (labour agreement stream) and may include a pathway to the 186 or 494 visa. The terms of each agreement decide the occupations, concessions and number of positions.
Your obligations as a sponsor
Sponsorship comes with legal obligations. Breaches can lead to fines, cancellation of sponsorship and a bar on future sponsorship. As a sponsor, you must:
- pay the sponsored worker at least the salary in the nomination and the same as Australian workers in the same role;
- employ the worker in the nominated occupation and location;
- notify the Department of certain changes (for example, if the worker resigns) within 28 days;
- keep employment and pay records; and
- never ask for or accept payment from a worker, or anyone else, in return for sponsorship or a job. This is a serious offence.
The worker must also meet the NDIS requirements of your organisation, including the NDIS Worker Screening Check and, where relevant, a Working with Children Check.
Finding experienced NDIS workers who need sponsorship
Many skilled disability workers are already in Australia on student, graduate or other visas. They know the NDIS Practice Standards, hold NDIS worker screening clearances, First Aid and CPR, and often a Diploma of Community Services or Certificate IV in Disability Support. Sponsoring a worker who already knows your participants and services can be the fastest way to keep stable rosters.
We can refer experienced disability workers to you
Many of Sleek Migration’s existing clients are experienced community workers, residential care officers and disability support workers who are looking for an employer to sponsor them. Many are already in Australia and hold visas with work rights.
If you are an NDIS provider looking for staff, tell us the role, location and requirements. Where we have existing clients who match, and who have agreed to share their details, we can refer them to you. You can then interview them and, if they hold a visa with suitable work rights, employ them first, for example on a paid casual or part-time basis, so you can see their skills and how they work with your participants. If you are happy with them and want to sponsor them, we prepare and lodge the sponsorship, nomination and visa paperwork.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Tell us what you need | Role, location, shifts, qualifications and checks required |
| 2. Referral | We refer suitable existing clients who are looking for sponsorship |
| 3. Interview and employment | You interview them and, if they have work rights, you can employ them first (always paid, in line with the SCHADS Award) |
| 4. Sponsorship | If you are happy and decide to sponsor, we handle the Standard Business Sponsorship, nomination and visa application |
Important: Sleek Migration is not a recruitment agency. We only refer our existing migration clients to employers, and we do not charge employers or workers any fee for the referral. Our professional fees apply only to the migration services we provide (such as sponsorship, nomination and visa applications), under a written service agreement. Interviews, employment and sponsorship decisions are always made by the employer, and every visa depends on the worker meeting the requirements. Any work before sponsorship must be paid and must comply with the worker’s current visa conditions and Australian workplace laws.
Pathway to permanent residency for your staff
Sponsorship also helps you retain staff for the long term. After a worker has been employed by you on a 482 visa, generally for two years, you may nominate them for permanent residency through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186), Temporary Residence Transition stream, if they meet the age, English, skills and other requirements.
How Sleek Migration helps NDIS providers
- Standard Business Sponsorship applications;
- occupation selection and position descriptions that match genuine duties;
- labour market testing advice and evidence;
- 482 and 186 nominations and visa applications;
- DAMA endorsements and company-specific labour agreement requests;
- employment contracts aligned with the SCHADS Award; and
- sponsorship compliance and responses to Home Affairs requests.
Workers looking for sponsorship can read our guide to community worker visa sponsorship.
Frequently asked questions
Can an NDIS provider sponsor overseas workers?
Yes. An NDIS provider that is lawfully operating can apply to become a Standard Business Sponsor and nominate workers in eligible occupations, such as Community Worker (411711) or Residential Care Officer (411715).
Can we sponsor a disability support worker on a 482 visa?
It depends on the duties. Frontline personal care roles fall under Aged or Disabled Carer (423111), which needs a DAMA or a labour agreement. If the duties genuinely match Community Worker or Residential Care Officer, the standard 482 may be available.
Does the NDIS provider need to be NDIS-registered to sponsor?
Not necessarily. Sponsorship depends on the business lawfully operating and meeting the sponsorship requirements. NDIS registration, service agreements and participant numbers are strong evidence of a genuine business and a genuine position.
How long does sponsorship take?
Processing times vary. Well-prepared sponsorship and nomination applications are often decided within weeks to a few months, while labour agreements usually take longer.
Do you charge for referring workers?
No. Sleek Migration is not a recruitment agency and does not charge a referral fee. We refer existing clients who are looking for sponsorship, and if you decide to sponsor, our fees for the migration paperwork are set out in a written service agreement.
Who pays the sponsorship costs?
The employer must pay the nomination fee and the SAF levy, and certain other sponsorship costs. These costs must not be passed on to the worker.
Talk to a Registered Migration Agent
Sleek Migration is led by Dr Majid Panahandeh Fard, Registered Migration Agent (MARN 2418637). We work with NDIS and disability service providers in every Australian state and territory on sponsorship, labour agreements and DAMA.
Contact us: 2703/31 A’Beckett Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 | info@sleekmigration.com | Book a consultation
This article is general information only and is not legal or migration advice. Occupation lists, fees, thresholds and labour agreement settings change regularly, and every application is assessed by the Department of Home Affairs. Information checked November 2026.