— The Real Pathway | Australia Work Migration Assessment 2026
Australia
Employer Sponsored Pathway
Clear Answers, Zero Guesswork
Australia
Employer-Sponsored Pathway
Clear Answers, Zero Guesswork
20 years. 20,000+ stories. One clear path. Our lawyer-led, MARA-registered team explains your realistic options — what applies to you, what doesn't, and what to expect along the way.
How the free assessment works
There's no downloadable guide and no generic checklist waiting in your inbox. The offer is a conversation with a qualified person who has read your details first.
Book your free assessment
A two-minute form. Name, contact details, and a few lines about your situation — that’s all we need to prepare.
Speak with our MARA-registered team
A real conversation about your occupation, your business, or your current visa — not a script read back at you.
Get an honest, in-depth breakdown
The options that realistically apply to you, the ones that don’t, and why. Plain English, no jargon left unexplained, no obligation.
Decide how you'd like to proceed
Take the information and act on it yourself, or ask us to act for you. Scope and fees are set out clearly before anything starts.
No cost. No pressure. No guarantees of outcome — every application is assessed on its own circumstances and current Department of Home Affairs criteria.
Most immigration information online is either unreadable or designed to scare you.
We sit in between. We give away the generous, honest, plain-English explanation you'd normally have to pay for — what your options actually are, what they involve, and where the genuine difficulties sit. It's the same guidance we've given across two decades and more than 20,000 cases.
FOR EMPLOYERS
You need the role filled, and you need it done compliantly.
HR managers, business owners and site supervisors come to us for certainty: what sponsorship commits the business to, how long it realistically takes, and what happens if circumstances change.
What sponsorship actually asks of your business — obligations, records, market salary rate.
Which pathway suits the role you're filling, and how the two commonly used ones differ.
Where applications typically slow down, so you can plan around it.
FOR SKILLED WORKERS
You want a straight answer about where you stand.
Engineers, healthcare workers, IT professionals and tradespeople ask us the same thing: is this pathway open to me, and what does the road to permanent residency honestly look like from here?
Whether your occupation and experience fit an employer-sponsored or points-tested pathway.
How temporary work can relate to a later permanent application — and when it doesn't.
What to prepare now (skills assessment, English, references) so nothing stalls later.
The four pathways we assess most people against
Two are employer-sponsored, two are points-tested. Most people arrive thinking they need one and leave the assessment considering another — which is exactly the point of having the conversation.
Skills in Demand (Temporary Skill Shortage)
Workers with an employer ready to sponsor them now.
This is usually the quickest way into the Australian workforce when a business has a role it can’t fill locally. Depending on the stream and occupation, time on a 482 can count toward a later permanent application — but that depends on your circumstances and current criteria, so it’s worth checking before you commit.
See if this fits your situation →Employer Nomination Scheme (permanent)
Workers whose employer wants to sponsor them permanently, or 482 holders approaching eligibility.
For many people this is the destination they’ve been working toward. The employer nominates the role, and the application is assessed against work experience, skills and age criteria. We’ll tell you honestly whether you’re close, or what still needs to happen first.
See if this fits your situation →Skilled Nominated (state or territory nominated, permanent)
Skilled workers without a single sponsoring employer, but with an in-demand occupation.
A state or territory nominates you, which adds points and usually comes with a commitment to live and work in that region for a period. Requirements differ between states and change through the year, so the right question is which state currently suits your occupation.
See if this fits your situation →Skilled Independent (permanent, points-tested)
Skilled workers who qualify on points alone — no employer, no state nomination.
The most independent option: you can live and work anywhere in Australia. It’s also the most competitive, because invitations depend on points scores and occupation demand at the time. We’ll give you a realistic read on where your score sits.
See if this fits your situation →Not ready to book yet?
Start with a quick eligibility check — same free assessment, lower commitment.
Why Think Visa
20+ years in the industry
Two decades of migration practice, through many rounds of policy change.
Multilingual, 20+ person team
Multi-credentialed advisers who can talk you through it in your language.
20,000+ successful cases
A firm-level record built across employer-sponsored and skilled pathways.
Plain-language approach
If we use a term, we explain it. No acronym goes unexplained.
MARA-registered, lawyer-led
Advice from registered migration agents, with legal oversight in the room.
Honest expectations
We never promise an outcome. We tell you what we can see, and what we can't.
The people you'll actually speak to
More than 20 advisers, lawyers and case managers — multilingual and multi-credentialed. When you book an assessment, you speak with a qualified person, not a call centre.
Richard Tan
CEO | Principal Migration AgentLead case architect with 27 years of complex strategy across skilled, business and ministerial intervention matters.
Michelle Yu
Principal SolicitorAdmitted to the Supreme Court of VIC. Heads merits review, AAT appeals, and judicial review proceedings.
Jack Chen
Senior SolicitorDecision-influencer on partner, employer-sponsored, and citizenship matters. Known for forensic submissions.
Myth vs fact
A few things we correct almost every week, explained without the jargon.
A 482 visa can never lead to permanent residency.
For many people it can. Depending on the stream, your occupation and how long you've worked for the sponsoring business, a 482 can lead to a permanent application such as the subclass 186. It isn't automatic, and criteria change — which is why it's worth checking your specific position rather than relying on a forum post.
If my occupation isn't on a list today, the door is closed.
Occupation lists are reviewed and updated, and different pathways draw on different lists — including state and territory lists that vary by region and time of year. An occupation that doesn't suit one pathway may suit another.
Sponsoring a worker means the business takes on unlimited risk.
Sponsorship comes with defined obligations: record-keeping, paying the market salary rate, and notifying the Department of certain changes. They're specific and manageable when you know them upfront, and we set them out plainly before a business commits.
Frequently asked questions
For employers and applicants alike. If your question isn't here, ask it in the assessment.
20 Years. 20,000+ Stories. One Clear Path.
Find out where you actually stand — in one honest conversation.
Free, no obligation, and with a MARA-registered adviser. Whether you're sponsoring or being sponsored, start with the facts.
Australia's calm, trusted partner for premium migration advice.
CONTACT US
Email Us: support@thinkvisa.com.au
Call us: +61 3 9078 6819
WhatsApp: +61 4 5019 9127
VISIT US
Level 3, Suite 9 / 517 Flinders Ln
Melbourne VIC 3000
FOLLOW US
Important
General educational information only. Not legal or migration advice. Based on publicly available Department of Home Affairs guidelines. Always consult a Registered Migration Agent for advice tailored to your circumstances.
© 2026 Think Visa. All rights reserved.
ABN 82 345 010 670 | ACN 603511959