Sponsorship obligations for Standard Business Sponsors

If your business is approved by the Department of Home Affairs as a standard business sponsor, it is important to ensure that you are aware of the sponsorship obligations you must comply with. To retain or renew your standard business sponsorship, you must continue to meet your sponsor obligations. A general outline of the sponsor obligations are:

• Advise the Department of Home Affairs when certain events occur. The events include but are not limited to changes in business such as address, owners, solvency, cessation of sponsored employees, and changes in their duties.

• Ensure the sponsored employees work only in the nominated occupation.

• Ensure equivalent terms and conditions of employment.

• Must not engage in discriminatory recruitment practices.

• Must keep appropriate records to show your compliance with your sponsorship obligations.

• Must provide records and information on request.

• Must assume the costs for the sponsorship and nomination stage.

• Must pay reasonable and necessary travel costs for the sponsored employee and sponsored family members to leave Australia, in certain circumstances.

• Must cooperate with inspectors.

• If your sponsored employee or any of their sponsored family members becomes an unlawful non-citizen, you might have to repay the costs incurred by the Commonwealth in relocating and/or removing them from Australia.
  

The Department of Home Affairs monitor compliance with sponsor obligations when you are a sponsor, and up to five years after your sponsorship ends. Non-compliance to sponsor obligations can result in sanctions being applied, including but not limited to administrative action such as cancelling your sponsorship, ask you to enter into an enforceable undertaking or civil infringement notices or penalty orders being issued. We can assist you to ensure you have processes in place to comply with your obligations. Speak to one of our Registered Migration Agents today.

Disclaimer: The information provided herein is of a general nature only and does not constitute immigration advice. For more detailed and case-specific information or advice, please contact SCA Connect.