Australian visa sponsors: the data
All 2,947 companies accredited to sponsor skilled workers on 482 or 186 visas — analysed by state, sector, and size.
January 2025 · FOI FA 25/01/01229 · 2,947 companies
9 in 10 accredited sponsors are private companies — and most are small
92% of accredited sponsors have fewer than 1,000 employees. Visa sponsorship is not just for large multinationals: the typical sponsor is a mid-sized private company with 50 to 200 employees.
2,947
Accredited sponsors
22
Industry sectors
17%
In regulated industries
505 companies
Filter by state
Click a state to filter all charts
Sponsors per state
Global counts — click a row to filter all charts
NSW and Victoria account for 75% of sponsors. New South Wales holds 44.3% of all accredited sponsors (1,306 companies), followed by Victoria at 30.2% (891 companies). Add Queensland and three east-coast states cover 85% of the national list.
Sponsors by industry
Top 15 sectors
Technology & IT is #1 — Mining ranks 11th. Technology & IT leads with 577 accredited sponsors, nearly double the next sector (Healthcare & Medical, 308). Despite assumptions, Mining & Resources ranks 11th with just 97 sponsors — well behind Tech, Healthcare, Education, Engineering & Construction, and Manufacturing.
Who's sponsoring
- Private2,555(87%)
- Multinational143(5%)
- Government98(3%)
- ASX83(3%)
- University35(1%)
- Non-profit33(1%)
Regulated industries
505
Regulated
17%
2,442
Non-regulated
83%
Small companies do most of the sponsoring. The most common sponsor size band is 50–200 employees, which covers 77.9% of all accredited sponsors. Companies with 1,000 or more employees make up just 7.6% of the list. There are no sponsors below 50 employees in the dataset — that appears to be the effective floor for accreditation.
About this data
This data comes from Freedom of Information request FA 25/01/01229, submitted to the Department of Home Affairs and released in January 2025. The dataset lists 2,947 companies accredited to sponsor skilled workers under the 482 (Temporary Skill Shortage) and 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme) visa programs. 'Accredited' covers both Standard Business Sponsors and Accredited Sponsors as classified by the Department. This is a single point-in-time snapshot — it does not represent trends or changes over time. Some records may have missing state or industry fields.
Frequently asked questions
- How many companies are approved to sponsor skilled visas in Australia?
- As of the January 2025 FOI dataset (FA 25/01/01229), 2,947 companies were accredited by the Department of Home Affairs to sponsor skilled workers on 482 or 186 visas. This is a point-in-time figure — the current number may differ.
- Which Australian state has the most visa sponsors?
- New South Wales leads with 1,306 accredited sponsors (44.3%), followed by Victoria with 891 (30.2%). Together NSW and Victoria account for about 75% of all accredited sponsors in the dataset.
- What industries sponsor the most skilled visa workers in Australia?
- Technology & IT leads with 577 sponsors (19.6%), followed by Healthcare & Medical (308), Education (225), Engineering & Construction (202), and Manufacturing (164). These five sectors account for about 50% of all sponsors.
- Do you need to work for a large company to get visa sponsorship?
- No. About 92% of accredited sponsors have fewer than 1,000 employees, and 78% are in the 50–200 employee range. Large enterprises (1,000+ employees) make up only 7.6% of sponsors. You are far more likely to find sponsorship at a small or mid-sized company.
- Does the mining industry dominate visa sponsorship in Australia?
- No — that is a common misconception. Mining & Resources ranks 11th out of 22 sectors with just 97 sponsors (3.3%). Technology, Healthcare, Education, Engineering & Construction, and Manufacturing all have significantly more accredited sponsors.
- Can small businesses sponsor visas in Australia?
- The dataset shows no accredited sponsors with fewer than 50 employees, which suggests that is the effective floor for accreditation eligibility. The most common sponsor size is 50–200 employees — small-to-medium businesses dominate the list.
- Where does this data come from?
- From a Freedom of Information request (FA 25/01/01229) submitted to the Department of Home Affairs, released in January 2025. SponsorMap has cleaned, categorised, and geocoded the raw dataset. The FOI response is a single snapshot that does not update automatically.
- How many visa sponsors are based in Sydney or Melbourne?
- The dataset records state-level location, not city. New South Wales (which includes Sydney) has 1,306 sponsors; Victoria (which includes Melbourne) has 891. Together they cover about 75% of all accredited sponsors.