This page has been updated. Please see here.
A business can apply to become an Accredited Sponsor as part of their sponsorship application. If a business is approved for Accredited Status, they will receive priority allocation for all subclass 457 nomination and visa applications.
There are four categories of sponsors who may be eligible for Accredited Status. To qualify for Accredited Status, a sponsor must meet all the requirements for standard business sponsorship in addition to the characteristics listed for one of the four categories below:
| Characteristic | Category 1 | Category 2 | Category 3 | Category 4 |
| be a Commonwealth, State or Territory government agency | Y | – | – | – |
| be an Australian Trusted Trader | – | Y | – | – |
| be a publicly-listed company or a private company with at least AUD 4 million annual turnover for the last 2 years | – | – | Y | Y |
| have Australian workers comprising at least 75% of their workforce in Australia | Y | Y | Y | |
| have Australian workers comprising at least 90% of their workforce in Australia | – | – | Y | – |
have all 457 holders engaged as employees under a written contract of employment that includes at least the minimum employment entitlements as required under the National Employment Standards (unless their occupation is exempt from this requirement)
|
– | Y | Y | Y |
have all Australian employees paid in accordance with an Enterprise Agreement or an internal salary table that reflects the current market salary rates for all occupations in their business
|
– | Y | Y | Y |
| have been an active subclass 457 visa sponsor for at least 2 years | – | – | Y | Y |
| have no adverse monitoring outcomes unless reasonable to disregard | – | – | Y | Y |
| have nominated at least 10 primary subclass 457 visa holders in the 2 years prior to the application for accreditation | – | – | – | Y |
| have nominated at least 1 primary subclass 457 visa holder in the 2 years prior to the application for accreditation | – | – | Y | – |
| have a nomination non-approval rate of less than 3% for the previous 2 years | – | – | Y | Y |
have provided details of all business activities undertaken by their business to the Department
|
– | – | Y | Y |
have provided details of all Principals / Directors of their business to the Department.
|
– | – | Y | Y |
