Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) Levy
Providing your business with the most up to date advice and assistance regarding sponsorship, nominating overseas workers and remaining compliant with sponsor obligations.
What Is SAF Levy?
Employers who nominate workers for certain temporary or permanent skilled work visas are required to pay an upfront levy to the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF). Nominations for the following visas attract the SAF levy:
- Subclass 482 Temporary Skill Shortage visa
- Subclass 457 Temporary Work Skilled visa (now abolished, but the SAF levy applies where the nomination relates to a subclass 457 visa holder changing occupation or sponsor)
- Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa
- Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme visa
- Subclass 187 Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa
The SAF is administered by the Department of Education and Training, and provides funding for apprenticeships and traineeships in occupations that are in short supply and currently rely on skilled migration, or have future growth potential, including in regional Australia.
SAF Levy Requirements
The SAF levy must be paid by the employer nominating the position at the time that the nomination is lodged. It cannot be transferred or otherwise recovered from a visa applicant or any other party.
Nominations for Subclass 457 and 482 visas
For these visas, the SAF levy varies with the employer’s annual turnover and the nominated visa period.
The SAF levy for employers with an annual turnover of LESS THAN AU$10 million is AU$1,200 for EACH year of the nominated visa applicant’s proposed period of stay in Australia.
The SAF levy for employers with an annual turnover of AT LEAST AU$10 million is AU$1,800 for EACH year of the nominated visa applicant’s proposed period of stay.
The table below sets out the current applicable SAF levy for the various subclass 457 and 482 nominated visa periods:
Skilling Australians Fund Levy Amounts: Subclass 482 & 457 Nominations | ||
Nominated Visa Period: | Employer’s Annual Turnover: <AU$10 million | Employer’s Annual Turnover: >AU$10 million |
One year | AU$1,200 | AU$1,800 |
Two years | AU$2,400 | AU$3,600 |
Three years | AU$3,600 | AU$5,400 |
Four years | AU$4,800 | AU$7,200 |
Nominations for Subclass 494, 186 and 187 visas
There is a one-off SAF levy for the provisional subclass 494 visa, and permanent subclass 186 and 187 visas, which varies with the employer’s annual turnover.
The SAF levy for employers with an annual turnover of LESS THAN AU$10 million is AU$3,000 per nomination.
The SAF levy for employers with an annual turnover of AT LEAST AU$10 million is AU$5,000 per nomination.
The table below sets out the current applicable SAF levy for subclass 494, 186 and 187 nominations:
Skilling Australians Fund Levy Amounts: Subclass 494, 186 & 187 Nominations | |
Employer’s Annual Turnover: <AU$10 million | Employer’s Annual Turnover: >AU$10 million |
AU$3,000 per nomination (one-off payment) | AU$5,000 per nomination (one-off payment) |
NOTES: If a subclass 494 visa holder changes employer, a pro-rated SAF levy is payable by the new sponsoring employer at the nomination stage for the remaining visa period of the subclass 494 visa.
The SAF levy is indexed and adjusted annually on 1 July.
The Department of Home Affairs (the ‘DOHA’) applies a surcharge to levies paid by credit/debit card or PayPal. The surcharge is a percentage of the SAF levy, and is based on the payment method used.
The SAF levy is NOT required for the occupations of Minister of Religion or Religious Assistant when nominated under the Labour Agreement stream for ANY of these visa subclasses.
SAF Levy Refund
The SAF levy may be refunded to the employer, in certain limited circumstances. For example, the DOHA may refund the SAF levy where the nomination or sponsorship has been withdrawn; the applicant fails to commence employment, or the related visa application is refused on health or character grounds (please note that this list is not exhaustive). In ALL cases, the refund may only be paid to the payer of the SAF levy.
Please contact us should you require further details regarding specific, permissible refund arrangements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does our business need to pay the SAF levy every time we nominate a position?
Yes, the nominating employer must pay the SAF levy at the time that the relevant position nomination is lodged with the DOHA.
Can our business pass this SAF levy to the visa applicant, or recoup it from their wages?
No. The SAF levy must be paid by the employer nominating the position, and cannot be recovered or otherwise transferred to the visa applicant, or any other party.
Does our business need to pay the SAF levy for nominations that were lodged before 12 August 2018, but have not yet been decided?
No. The SAF levy applies ONLY to new nominations made on or after 12 August 2018.
The person who paid the SAF levy, using their credit card, has left our business. Can the DOHA refund the SAF levy to another person?
No. You will need to arrange for the individual who paid the SAF levy to have the refund transferred back to your business upon his/her receipt of the monies.
Our business currently employs subclass 482 TSS / subclass 457 visa holders and has a subclass 482 nomination lodged and in processing. Does our business still need to comply with the training benchmark requirement?
Standard Business sponsors are NOT required to meet the training benchmark for periods ending on or after 12 August 2018, as this is when the requirement was replaced by the SAF levy.
If your business was required to meet ONE of the training benchmarks (i.e. EITHER Benchmark A OR Benchmark B) as part of your current sponsorship (or a previous sponsorship), you must maintain records that you met this requirement for EACH completed 12-month period during which you employed a subclass 482 TSS or subclass 457 visa holder, starting from the date that your sponsorship was approved (or the date on which the approval was varied) and ending on 11 August 2018. This is a legally enforceable sponsor obligation.
However, sponsors who were approved for the first time between 12 August 2017 and 12 August 2018 are not required to maintain records of training benchmark compliance for the period between their sponsorship approval date and 12 August 2018.
Our business currently has subclass 186/187 nominations lodged but not yet decided. Does our business still need to comply with the training benchmark requirement?
For subclass 186 ENS Temporary Residence Transition (TRT), subclass 186 Direct Entry (DE), and subclass 187 RSMS TRT stream nominations lodged before 12 August 2018 that are still undecided, employer nominators are obligated to continue to meet one of the training benchmarks until these nominations are decided.
The SAF levy applies to EACH new subclass 186 ENS and subclass 187 RSMS nomination lodged on or after 12 August 2018. Employer nominators are not required to submit training benchmark evidence with nominations lodged on or after 12 August 2018. Employer nominators must however maintain records of their past training benchmark compliance for relevant periods (as applicable) in accordance with the legally enforceable sponsor obligations.
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