The short answer: employer-sponsored visas are designed for full-time, ongoing employment. Part-time and casual arrangements face significant hurdles within the sponsorship framework, and in most cases, they are not supported.
But there is more to the picture than a simple yes or no.
Employer-sponsored visas are designed to address genuine, ongoing skill shortages in the Australian workforce. The premise is that a business needs a specific person, in a specific role, for a sustained period.
This is why the framework is built around employment that is:
The intention is not to create short-term arrangements. It is to allow businesses to address structural gaps in their workforce, and that requires the kind of employment stability that a part-time or casual position typically does not provide.
When reviewing a nomination, immigration is asking whether the role is genuine and sustainable. A part-time or reduced-hours arrangement immediately prompts a set of questions:
The last point is particularly important. Salary thresholds for sponsorship are expressed as annual figures, and the Department expects those figures to reflect genuine, substantive employment. If a role is genuinely part-time, the actual annualised salary may fall below the threshold, making sponsorship unavailable.
There are limited circumstances where non-standard hours may be accepted, but these are exceptions rather than rules:
Industry-specific patterns — In some sectors, the standard full-time employment model differs from 38 hours per week. Healthcare is the most notable example: nursing and other clinical roles may have rostered arrangements that are considered full-time within that industry context, even if the weekly hours appear irregular.
Award or enterprise agreement hours — If the applicable workplace instrument defines full-time employment differently, the Department will take this into account.
Reduced hours due to specific business circumstances — In very limited cases, there may be justification for non-standard hours arrangements. However, these require clear, documented evidence and are assessed carefully.
FIFO — where employees may be rostered on for 8 days, and off for 6; 2 weeks on, 1 week off, etc.
The key in any of these situations is that the employment must still be genuine, substantive, and ongoing. There is no pathway for casual or purely ad-hoc arrangements.
If a role is currently structured as part-time or casual, the most practical question to ask is: can this role be restructured as a full-time position?
In many cases, this is achievable without fundamentally changing the nature of the work. A business might:
This approach benefits the employer as well, a full-time sponsored worker in a well-defined role is easier to manage, creates stronger operational continuity, and meets immigration requirements naturally.
These sectors are where the question of part-time sponsorship comes up most often, and it is worth addressing directly.
In hospitality, the casual employment model is deeply embedded in how businesses operate. However, this does not make sponsorship unavailable, it means the employer needs to structure the sponsored role as an ongoing, full-time position, even within an industry where casual work is common. Many hospitality businesses do this successfully.
In aged care, shift-based and rostered employment is standard. Provided the total annualised salary meets the threshold and the employment is genuinely ongoing, these arrangements can work within the sponsorship framework.
Before deciding whether to pursue sponsorship, the most useful question is: can we offer this person full-time, ongoing employment at the required salary?
If yes (even if the current role is not structured that way) it may be worth considering whether the position can be restructured before lodging.
If no (if the role is genuinely casual, short-term, or cannot support the salary threshold) then sponsorship is unlikely to be viable for that position, and it is better to understand this before investing in the process.
Can I sponsor someone for 30 hours per week instead of 38? In most cases, no, unless the applicable award or enterprise agreement defines full-time employment as fewer than 38 hours. The salary must also meet the annual threshold regardless of hours.
What if my business is seasonal? Can I still sponsor workers? Seasonal employment is generally not suited to the standard 482 sponsorship framework. Regional visa pathways exist for some regional industries, but these also require genuine ongoing employment for the visa period.
I already have someone on a part-time arrangement Can I convert them to a sponsorship? This depends on whether the role can genuinely become full-time. It is not about the history of the employment, it is about what you are proposing going forward.
Unsure whether your role qualifies for sponsorship as currently structured? Seven Corp can assess the situation and advise on the best path forward. Book a free consultation.