Australia legislates public register of approved work sponsors from October 2026
The Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Act received Royal Assent on 8 April 2026 and commences 8 October 2026 — affecting Subclass 482 sponsors.
The Australian Parliament passed the Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Act 2026, receiving Royal Assent on 8 April 2026. The Act establishes a public register of approved work sponsors and commences six months after assent — on 8 October 2026 — or earlier by ministerial proclamation.
What's changed
The Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 8 April 2026 and is now part of Australia's migration law. The Act introduces a public register of approved work sponsors operated by the Department of Home Affairs, building on commitments first set out in the Australian Government's Migration Strategy released in December 2023.
The register will list Standard Business Sponsors approved under the Subclass 482 visa programme — the Skills in Demand visa, formerly the Temporary Skill Shortage visa. Sponsors with accredited status will also appear on the register. The Department of Home Affairs has indicated the register will identify the sponsoring entity and the scope of its sponsorship approvals.
The stated purpose of the register is to promote transparency in the sponsored-worker market and to help temporary skilled migrants identify alternative sponsors when their existing sponsorship arrangement ends or breaks down. Sponsorship transferability has been one of the structural concerns the Migration Strategy aimed to address.
Who's affected
The register affects Australian employers approved as Standard Business Sponsors under the Subclass 482 visa programme — historically a group of around 23,000 sponsoring entities, though the figure changes over time. Sponsored workers under Subclass 482 — many of whom come from India, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, China, and Ireland — gain a new tool to identify and approach alternative sponsors lawfully when seeking to change employers.
The Act does not change the underlying eligibility rules for sponsorship approval, the visa-grant requirements for Subclass 482 holders, or the labour-market testing framework. It introduces a transparency mechanism — the public register — without altering the substantive sponsorship regime.
When it takes effect
The Act commences six months after Royal Assent — by default on 8 October 2026 — or earlier on a date set by ministerial proclamation. As of 3 May 2026, the public register is not yet operational; it will be published once the Department of Home Affairs has built the supporting infrastructure within the commencement window.