An Accredited Sponsor is an approved Standard Business Sponsor that the Department of Home Affairs has recognised as meeting a higher standard of compliance, workforce composition, and employment practice. It is not a separate sponsorship category – it is an elevated status built on top of an existing SBS approval.
The most significant benefit is priority processing for all Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) nominations and visa applications. For businesses in healthcare, IT, engineering, and professional services where the speed of bringing a skilled worker onboard has direct commercial consequences, this advantage is genuinely worth pursuing.
Accredited sponsors also benefit from relaxed labour market testing – they can advertise on their own company website rather than on national recruitment platforms, reducing both cost and lead time per nomination. Workers sponsored by an accredited sponsor are not required to obtain overseas police certificates, provided the sponsor provides a written character attestation. For internationally mobile professionals, this concession meaningfully shortens the document preparation process.
To be eligible, a business must already hold an active SBS and meet specific characteristics including at least 75 percent of the Australian workforce being Australian citizens or permanent residents, all employees paid in accordance with an Enterprise Agreement or internal market salary table, 482 visa holders engaged under written contracts meeting the National Employment Standards, and a clean compliance record with the Department.
Accreditation application takes one to two months to process. It is not permanent – status can be revoked if the business ceases to meet the characteristics, or if a character reference provided for a sponsored worker is later found to be incorrect.
For businesses sponsoring multiple workers each year, accreditation is worth pursuing. For occasional sponsors or those not yet meeting the 75 percent Australian workforce threshold, the Standard Business Sponsorship pathway remains fully appropriate.
Further information can be found on the Department’s website For further information see https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsoring-workers/becoming-a-sponsor/accredited-sponsor