What ongoing obligations does a Standard Business Sponsor have?

Once a Standard Business Sponsorship is approved, the obligations do not stop at the application stage – they continue for the entire duration of the sponsorship and beyond.  Key obligations include ensuring that sponsored workers receive equivalent terms and conditions of employment to Australian workers in the same role. This means equivalent pay, leave entitlements, and working conditions – not simply meeting the minimum income threshold and assuming everything else is fine.  Sponsors must also cooperate with any Department of Home Affairs audit or inspection, maintain records relevant to their sponsorship obligations for the required period, and notify the Department of significant changes to the business – including changes in ownership, business activity, or if a sponsored worker’s employment ends.  If a sponsored worker’s employment is terminated, the sponsor may also be responsible for the reasonable costs of their return travel to their home country. This obligation catches some sponsors off guard, and we always make sure our employer clients understand it from the outset.  A point we emphasise strongly with our clients: compliance in 2026 is active, not passive. The Department and the Australian Tax Office conduct quarterly data-matching between payroll records and sponsorship details. Discrepancies between what was nominated and what is actually being paid are flagged automatically. Getting the foundations right from nomination day one protects the business from compliance risk down the track.  Full obligations are set out at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsoring-workers/sponsor-obligations