Employer-sponsored Visa

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As market leaders and specialist immigration lawyers, we keep abreast of the law and policy. With our expansive network across corporate and government domains, we are well-placed to serve your needs.

In an increasingly shrinking world with global business and the movement of goods and people across borders, BDO’s Global Immigration Services provides a seamless global approach to meet the needs of local and multinational corporatio

How BDO can help

Employer-sponsored services

Our specialist immigration law services include:

  • Advice on Australian and overseas business sponsorship arrangements and employment-related matters
  • Preparation, lodgement and approval of sponsorships, nominations and visa applications
  • Advice on regulatory compliance, sponsorship monitoring, audits and site visits
  • Advice and assistance on work rights, verification of work rights, recruitment protocols and risk management
  • Managing breaches of sponsorship obligations, sanctions and penalties
  • Support with employer nomination and regional sponsorship schemes
  • Advice and assistance on recognition of overseas qualifications, skills assessments, licensing and registration requirements
  • Advice and assistance in negotiating approval of Labour Agreements, including On Hire Agreements and Designated Area Migration Agreements.

Health sector expertise

We assist healthcare providers in sponsoring skilled workers under employer-sponsored temporary and permanent residency programs. Some of our specialised resolutions for the healthcare sector include:

  • Securing the prompt residency of the Chief Executive Officer of one of Australia’s primary teaching and research hospitals.
  • Advising a leading provider of healthcare recruitment and staffing solutions after being barred from sponsoring overseas nurses following a breach of its sponsorship obligations. Our comprehensive submissions and successful merits review application determined that the breach was inadvertent.
  • Acting for and advising the world’s second-largest provider of staffing and HR services (including executive, medical, nursing, paramedical and allied healthcare professionals) on successfully negotiating the approval of a Labour Agreement to enable it to sponsor and on-hire overseas trained nurses.
  • Advising on health and health waiver criteria for temporary and permanent residency applicants who did not meet the mandatory health criteria and achieving successful visa outcomes for these key personnel.

Education sector expertise

We have worked with leading tertiary and vocational education providers for international students for many years and have a fundamental understanding of their needs. We have also advised schools, regarding accommodation and welfare arrangements, the duty of care and such concerning underaged students. We understand the issues you may be facing and have developed practical and effective solutions.

Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Framework Solutions

We provide expert advice to education providers on the Education Services for Overseas Students framework including the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000, the ESOS Regulations 2001, and the National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students.

Our extensive knowledge of the ESOS framework is complemented by our expertise in relation to various state and territory legislation relevant to the education of overseas students. We advise international education providers on the ESOS regulatory requirements including compliance monitoring, reporting, audits, investigations and prosecutions.

Our experience includes providing up-to-date and practical advice to education providers with respect to their policies, practices and procedures to ensure consistency with the National Code and the Australian Quality Training Framework, including in regard to:

  • State and territory legislation regulating international education
  • Provider requirements and obligations
  • Agent agreements
  • Monitoring student visa compliance and reporting
  • Dealing with complaints, audits and investigations including under the ESOS Act and state and territory legislation
  • Dealing with complaints and grievance handling and dispute resolution procedures
  • Enforcement under the ESOS Regulatory Scheme
  • Enforcement under the Migration Act 1958
  • Accommodation and welfare arrangements
  • Australian privacy laws
  • Change of education provider
  • Assurance fund obligations and related issues
  • Equal opportunity laws and obligations, duty of care, harassment and discrimination
  • Other ancillary advices relevant to regulation of education providers and student visas.

We can also assist with changes to Registered Providers’ Ownership or Management and Onshore and Offshore Partner and Affiliation Agreements, including Agreements to deliver Studies Offshore.

We provide advice on, review and we draw policies, procedures, forms, proformas and ancillary documents relevant to the 15 Standards contained in the National Code.

Other migration services

We offer various immigration-related advice and visa services to those seeking temporary/permanent residency in Australia.

These services include:

  • Change of status to permanent residence
  • Resident return visas
  • Family migration
  • Citizenship
  • Health issues
  • Character issues
  • Review rights
  • Visa cancellations
  • Representation at tribunals and courts (Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Federal Circuit Court, and High Court of Australia).

Other BDO services

BDO Migration Services immigration lawyers work closely with BDO Australia’s employment taxes and expatriate teams, which offer a full range of services to employees moving to Australia temporarily or permanently.

We work collaboratively with other business lines across BDO, which include:

This enables BDO Migration Services and BDO to provide:

  • Global workforce planning and talent management strategies to meet business needs now and into the future
  • Remuneration strategies, frameworks and systems
  • Employment and personal tax compliance and management of cross-border employment tax issues.


Contact us

Contact our team to discuss your needs using the request for service form. Alternatively, call us on 1300 138 991 to speak with an adviser in your nearest BDO office.

Meet our team

Maria Jockel

Maria Jockel

Global and National Immigration Leader, Legal Principal, Accredited Specialist, Immigration Law
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