Sponsored work visas explained for people in the UK

What employer sponsorship actually means

With a sponsored visa, the job comes before the visa. You do not get a work visa first and hunt for work once you land; an employer in Australia or New Zealand picks you, and then backs your application.

The usual pattern runs like this. A business cannot fill a role with local staff, interviews you (often over video while you are still in the UK), makes an offer and gets the approval it needs from its government. You then apply for a work visa linked to that employer and that job. Every employer on JobsAbroad UK is willing to sponsor the right candidate.

• Australia: the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482). The employer is approved as a sponsor and nominates the role, and you then lodge your own application. Some people on a 482 later move to permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186).
• New Zealand: the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). The employer holds accreditation and has a job check approved, then sends you a link to apply. Certain roles open a route to residence, for instance through the Green List.

Australia and New Zealand compared

The headline rules for each visa, as of October 2026. Each figure links to its official page, and that is where to confirm it before you apply.

Start with the job, not the visa

The visa depends on the job, so that is where to begin. Browse sponsored jobs in Australia, sponsored jobs in New Zealand or every open vacancy. What people in the UK search for most: Electrician, Nurse, Chef, Plumber.

Before you apply, hold the ad up against your own background point by point: time served in the trade, qualifications such as an NVQ, SVQ or City & Guilds award, tickets and licences, and any professional registration. UK experience counts for a lot, but the employer and the visa rules decide whether it is enough, and an employer cannot sponsor someone who falls short of the role's requirements. Younger readers can also look at working holiday visas, which UK citizens can apply for up to an age limit; each government's website sets out the conditions.

Getting your papers ready in the UK

You can apply for either visa from home in the UK, or from wherever you happen to be working now. One well-organised folder covers most of what both governments ask for.

1. Passport. Check the expiry date. New Zealand wants it valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave.
2. Police certificates. A police certificate from ACRO Criminal Records Office, plus certificates from any other countries you have lived in. Australia and New Zealand each count those countries, and how old a certificate may be, in their own way; the country guides spell out each rule.
3. Qualifications. NVQs or SVQs, City & Guilds certificates, apprenticeship papers, degrees and licences. Trades are usually assessed again abroad: in Australia some occupations need a skills assessment and some trades a state licence, and in New Zealand some trades need occupational registration.
4. Nursing registration. UK registration does not carry over automatically. Nurses register with the nursing regulator in Australia or New Zealand before they can work there.
5. Proof of experience. Reference letters and payslips from each employer. A CV on its own does not prove what you have done.
6. English. A CV written in English. For many Australian work visas a current UK passport counts as meeting the English requirement, though employers and registration bodies can set their own rules.
7. Copies. UK documents are in English, so translations are rarely needed, but keep certified copies of the important originals.

Working at the moment? Stay in your job until a visa decision arrives. More detail for each country: Australia and New Zealand.

Fake offers and costly slip-ups

Fake job offers for Australia and New Zealand turn up on social media, in messaging apps and on polished websites. Once you know the official rules, most of them are easy to spot.

• Do not pay for a job. In New Zealand employers and agents may not charge you for a job, and paying for an offer can sink the visa. In Australia sponsors cannot pass sponsorship or recruitment costs on to you, and paying for sponsorship can cost you the visa.
• "Guaranteed visa" means walk away. Only the Australian or New Zealand government makes that call.
• Know who may charge for advice. In Australia that is a registered migration agent or a lawyer; in New Zealand, a licensed immigration adviser or an exempt person. You are allowed to apply yourself, too.
• Government fees are paid through official systems: ImmiAccount for Australia, and Immigration New Zealand's online application for New Zealand.
• Tell the truth on every form. A false or misleading statement or document can lead to refusal.

Each government's own warning: Home Affairs on visa scams and INZ on immigration scams.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a job offer before applying?

Yes, for both. In Australia your employer nominates the role for the Skills in Demand (482) visa before you lodge yours. In New Zealand an accredited employer gets a job check approved and then sends you a link to begin the AEWV application.

Which is quicker to get, the Australian or the New Zealand visa?

As of October 2026, Home Affairs reports 50% of Core Skills stream 482 applications decided within 4 months and 90% within 9 months, while INZ decides 80% of AEWV applications within 5.5 weeks. Individual cases vary, so check the official pages.

Can I take my partner and children?

Usually. In Australia your partner and dependent children can be included in your 482 application. In New Zealand each family member applies for their own visa, and what they can get depends on your job and pay.

Could a sponsored job lead to permanent residence?

It can. In Australia many 482 holders apply for the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) after 2 years with their sponsor. New Zealand offers residence to some workers through the Green List and the Skilled Migrant Category. The rules in force on the day you apply are the ones that count.

What about a working holiday visa instead?

UK citizens can look at working holiday visas for Australia and New Zealand up to an age limit. They are a separate route from the sponsored visas in these guides, and each government's website sets out the conditions.

Someone is asking me for money to "secure" a job or visa. Should I pay?

No. Paying for a job offer or for sponsorship breaks the rules in both countries and can cost you the visa. New Zealand bans job fees, and Australian sponsors cannot pass sponsorship or recruitment costs on to you. Your genuine costs are the government charges plus your own tests, medicals and police certificates.

Can I apply while I am still living in the UK?

Yes. Neither visa requires you to be in Australia or New Zealand when you apply. The documents are listed above, under "Getting your papers ready in the UK".