Important: the 457 visa has closed
The 457 visa closed to new applicants on 18 March 2018. It was replaced by the TSS visa, which was in turn replaced by the 482 Skills in Demand (SID) visa on 7 December 2024. The training benchmarks described below were replaced by the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy on 12 August 2018, which employers now pay when they nominate a worker. The information below is kept for reference.
Training Benchmarks for Approval as a 457 Business Sponsor
As the employer, you must pay the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy. The below training benchmark payment obligations do not apply to new applications.
The training benchmarks no longer apply. They stopped applying from 12 August 2018.
For the ENS visa, the training benchmarks only applied to nomination applications lodged before 12 August 2018.
For TSS visas, the sponsorship obligation regarding the training benchmarks only applied for the 12 month period ending on or before 12 August 2018.
| Businesses which have been operating for 12 months or more must show that they are able to meet a training benchmark to be approved as a business sponsor. The benchmark has been created by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and is intended to be an objective measure of the employer’s commitment to training Australians in the business. |
| Startup companies which have been operating for less than 12 months must show that they have an auditable plan to meet the benchmarks.
Businesses have two options in meeting the training benchmark:
The business must show recent expenditure at the required level, and also commit to maintaining this level of funding for each 12 month period following approval of the sponsorship. |
For the second option, costs which would be considered will include:
On the job training can only be included if it is structured with a clearly defined time frame and skill progression. |
Expenditure will not be counted towards the benchmark if the training is:
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Recent expenditure for Training Benchmark A is defined as expenditure made in the previous financial year or the previous 12 months, as evidenced by a receipt for the payment or a letter from the relevant fund.
