You are here: / / Sponsoring Overseas Doctors, Nurses and Health Workers: A Guide for Hospitals...

Sponsoring Overseas Doctors, Nurses and Health Workers: A Guide for Hospitals and Clinics

Information current as at October 2026. Rules, fees and lists change often, so check your own circumstances with us before you act.

Hospitals, health services, GP practices, specialist clinics, aged care providers and allied health businesses regularly sponsor overseas health professionals. Sponsorship is achievable for organisations of any size, but healthcare adds extra layers that other industries do not have: professional registration, Board approval of supervised positions, area of need declarations and Medicare billing rules.

This guide sets out the visa options, the steps, the costs and your obligations as a sponsor. If you would like help, our team can manage the sponsorship process for you.

Which visa should you sponsor?

  • The most common choice for doctors, nurses and allied health. Up to four years.
  • Core Skills stream for occupations on the CSOL with salary at least $79,423; Specialist Skills stream for salary at least $146,576 (thresholds from 1 July 2026).
  • The worker can move to permanent residence through the 186 after two years.
  • See the 482 for doctors and health professionals.

The sponsorship process step by step

  • Confirm the role and registration

    Check that the candidate can be registered for the role. For doctors, the Medical Board must approve the position and the supervision arrangements, with a nominated supervisor and supervised practice plan where supervision applies. GP roles may need a pre-employment structured clinical interview. See Ahpra registration pathways.

  • Area of need (where relevant)

    If you are recruiting a doctor who will rely on area of need registration, apply to your state or territory health department to have the position declared an area of need after attempting local recruitment.

  • Check Medicare billing

    If the doctor will bill Medicare, confirm your practice location’s Distribution Priority Area status or an applicable section 19AB exemption. Health Workforce Certificates have not been required for nominations since 16 September 2023. See DPAs and Medicare provider numbers.

  • Become an approved sponsor

    Apply for standard business sponsorship, which lasts five years.

  • Labour market testing

    Advertise at least twice, each advertisement for at least four weeks, within the four months before you lodge the nomination (Workforce Australia optional since 11 December 2023). For medical practitioners (ANZSCO minor group 253) you may give a written submission instead, except for General Practitioners and Medical Practitioners nec, who need standard advertising.

  • Lodge the nomination

    Set the salary at or above the market salary rate and the income threshold, and pay the nomination fee and Skilling Australians Fund levy.

  • Worker lodges the visa

    The candidate applies for the visa, including family members. Healthcare applications are in the highest processing priority group under Ministerial Directions 121 and 122.

Government costs for employers

Item Charge from 1 July 2026
Standard business sponsorship (482, 186, 494) $420
Nomination fee, 482 $330
Nomination fee, 186 and 494 $540
Skilling Australians Fund levy, 482 $1,200 a year (turnover under $10 million) or $1,800 a year ($10 million or more)
Skilling Australians Fund levy, 186 and 494 $3,000 (turnover under $10 million) or $5,000 ($10 million or more), paid once
Temporary activity sponsorship and nomination, 407 $420 and $170

Sponsorship fees, nomination fees and the SAF levy must be paid by the employer. It is unlawful to recover them from the worker or to ask for any payment in return for sponsorship. Visa charges for the worker and family are separate; see costs and timeline.

Your obligations as a sponsor

  • Pay the worker at least the salary in the nomination, and provide terms and conditions no less favourable than those of an equivalent Australian worker.
  • Ensure the worker only works in the nominated occupation (and, for doctors, within their registration conditions and approved position).
  • Keep records of employment, pay and duties, and provide them to Home Affairs when asked.
  • Notify Home Affairs within 28 days of certain events, such as the worker resigning or the employment ending.
  • Pay reasonable travel costs for the worker to leave Australia if asked after the employment ends.
  • Cooperate with inspectors and not engage in discriminatory recruitment practices.

Breaches can lead to fines, cancellation of sponsorship and a bar on future sponsorship.

Frequently asked questions for employers

Possibly, but the arrangement needs careful review. The worker must be engaged in the nominated position, and the 186 Direct Entry stream requires a genuine full time employee role. We can review your practice agreements before you nominate.

For medical practitioners other than General Practitioners and Medical Practitioners nec, you can provide a written submission explaining why a suitable Australian is not readily available instead of standard advertising.

You can prepare and often lodge the nomination, but the worker will need registration (or evidence it will be granted) before the visa is granted. Align your timeline with the Board’s approval of the position.

Yes, if the nomination reflects the role and the worker’s registration and any Medicare provider numbers cover each location.

You must notify Home Affairs within 28 days. The worker generally has up to 180 days at a time to find a new sponsor or another visa.

Registration and Board approval are usually the longest steps. Healthcare visa applications are in the highest priority group under Ministerial Directions 121 and 122 (the Directions do not set an order for nominations), and decision ready applications move faster.

Related pages

Related guides for health employers:

Book a consultation with our health visa team