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Employer-sponsored Filipino workers for Australia

Sponsoring means your company becomes the visa sponsor and the employer of record. Here is what that involves — approvals, obligations, routes — and how the Philippine side runs alongside without adding to your desk.

Direct employer · you sponsorDMW-licensed agency in ManilaReviewed 10.09.2026

What sponsorship actually commits you to

Employer sponsorship is not outsourcing. Your company is approved as a Standard Business Sponsor, nominates each position, pays the Skilling Australians Fund levy and takes on sponsor obligations: paying at least the nominated salary, keeping records, notifying Home Affairs of changes, and meeting return-travel and related obligations. In exchange you get a worker who is yours — directly employed, on your site, for up to four years with a permanent pathway.

That is the same direct-employer model on which the whole Philippine system is built: the worker's contract is with the employer, verified by both governments.

Choosing the route

  • Skills in Demand (482), Core Skills stream — trades on the Core Skills Occupation List, anywhere in Australia; four years; then the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) — Direct Entry where eligible, or the Temporary Residence Transition stream usually after two years of eligible sponsored employment.
  • Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (494) — regional employers; five years; permanent via 191.
  • Labour agreement stream — DAMAs for regional occupations and concessions; industry agreements such as the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement.
  • Employer Nomination Scheme (186) direct entry — permanent from the outset for eligible occupations and candidates with the required experience.

How the Philippine side fits

Recruitment in the Philippines runs through our own DMW-licensed agency, Prime Search Manpower Agency Inc. in Makati (licence DMW-027-LB-11182024). Your employment documents are verified by the Migrant Workers Office at the Philippine Embassy in Canberra, the job order is registered with the Department of Migrant Workers, and every selected worker leaves Manila with a verified contract, medical clearance, pre-departure orientation and an Overseas Employment Certificate.

This matters in Australia more than in most markets: the Philippines bans direct hiring of its workers. An Australian employer may name-hire at most five Filipino workers under a DMW exemption; beyond that, recruitment through a DMW-licensed Philippine agency is mandatory.

The two systems are independent. We run the Philippine chain in parallel with your sponsorship so that neither waits for the other; the only fixed sequence is that the contract is verified before the worker departs. Everything here is subject to applicable Australian skills assessment, licensing, occupation and visa requirements and is general information, not migration advice.

Frequently asked questions

  • Is sponsoring a big administrative burden?

    Sponsor approval is a one-off; per nomination, the work is the advertising evidence, the nomination form and the levy. A registered migration agent usually handles lodgement; we prepare the recruitment and Philippine side.

  • What does it cost to sponsor?

    Government fees and the Skilling Australians Fund levy are set by Home Affairs and depend on turnover and visa length; your migration agent will quote them. Our recruitment service is quoted separately, to the employer.

  • Can a sponsored worker change employer?

    Yes, under the rules of the visa; sponsorship does not bind the worker to you. Retention comes from the job and the community, which is why we brief candidates thoroughly before they accept.