Australian and New Zealand work visas, explained

The basics of employer sponsorship

If you are a Nigerian worker weighing up Australia or New Zealand, employer sponsorship is one of the most transparent legal ways to japa: a genuine employer hires you and backs your work visa. Here is the short version of how it works and where to begin.

With sponsorship, the job always comes before the visa. When an Australian or New Zealand business cannot find a local person for a skilled position, it can offer that position to you and obtain government approval to sponsor or recruit you; you then lodge a work visa tied to that particular job. Every employer listed on NaijaAbroad is willing to sponsor a visa for the right candidate.

• In Australia the route is the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482). Once your employer is an approved sponsor and has nominated your position, you apply for the visa. Down the line, some 482 visa holders become eligible to apply for permanent residence via the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186).
• In New Zealand it is the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). Your employer needs accreditation and an approved job check, after which they send you a link to apply. Certain roles open a path to residence, the Green List being one example.

The two visas side by side

Here they are next to each other, as of October 2026. Click any figure to open the government page it comes from, and confirm it there before you lodge anything.

First, find the right job

Neither country will look at a work visa until a job offer exists, so begin by hunting for the right role. See the openings in Australia, the openings in New Zealand or every listing on the site. Searches people run most often here: Nurse, Welder, Chef, Aged care, Electrician, Mechanic.

Read each listing line by line before applying. Missing the English level, qualifications or years of experience a vacancy demands? Work on that first; a role you cannot be sponsored for is wasted effort.

Preparing your application from Nigeria

You do not need to leave Nigeria to apply for either visa, and most of the documents serve both countries:

• Passport with plenty of validity remaining; New Zealand requires at least 3 months beyond your planned departure from the country.
• Police certificates from Nigeria and from other countries where you have lived. Which countries you need them from, and how fresh they must be, is not the same for Australia as for New Zealand; each country guide spells this out, and each government explains how to get a certificate from any country.
• Licences, trade certificates and qualifications, and a skills assessment where your Australian occupation calls for one.
• Evidence of your experience from the employers themselves, such as payslips, employment certificates and reference letters, rather than a CV alone.
• English test results, from an accepted test sat in person, when your visa requires them.
• Translations into English of anything written in another language.

Full detail per country: the Australia guide and the New Zealand guide. Check too whether your government has rules for citizens working abroad, relying on official sources only.

Avoiding fake offers and costly mistakes

Too many Nigerians have handed money to "agents" for a job abroad that never existed. The official rules are blunt about this, and learning them is the surest way to protect yourself: a genuine employer will never ask you to pay for a job offer.

• Do not pay for a job offer, ever. New Zealand bans employers and agents from charging you job fees, and paying for an offer can lead INZ to decline your visa. Australia bars sponsors from passing recruitment or sponsorship costs to you, and paying for sponsorship can cost you the visa.
• Nobody can promise you a visa. Only the government of Australia or of New Zealand makes that call.
• Paid help must be licensed help. On the Australian side, lawyers and registered migration agents are the only people who may charge for immigration assistance; on the New Zealand side, immigration advice has to come from a licensed adviser or a person who is exempt. You are free to apply on your own instead.
• Government fees are paid in the official online systems only: ImmiAccount for Australia, and the Immigration New Zealand online application for New Zealand.
• Tell the truth, consistently. Misleading or false claims or documents can lead to a refusal.

From the governments themselves: Home Affairs on visa scams and INZ on immigration scams.

Frequently asked questions

Must I have a job offer before the visa application?

Yes. Neither the Australian Skills in Demand (482) visa nor the New Zealand AEWV can be applied for without one. Australia starts with your employer nominating the position; New Zealand starts with an accredited employer completing a job check, after which you get a link to apply.

Which country processes faster?

It depends. As of October 2026, Home Affairs reports that 50% of 482 Core Skills stream applications are processed in 4 months and 90% in 9 months, while Immigration New Zealand decides 80% of AEWV applications within 5.5 weeks. The official processing-time pages carry the most recent numbers.

Can I take my family?

Usually. Your partner and dependent children can go on your 482 application in Australia. New Zealand works differently: each family member applies for a visa of their own, and what is available to them turns on your pay and job.

Can a sponsored job turn into permanent residence?

Sometimes. Many 482 visa holders in Australia apply for the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) after 2 years with their sponsor. In New Zealand, certain roles lead to residence via the Skilled Migrant Category or the Green List. Whether you qualify depends on the rules in force when you apply.

Should I pay an agent or employer for a sponsored job?

No, and a genuine employer will never ask you to. Australian sponsors may not pass recruitment or sponsorship costs to you, and New Zealand employers and agents may not charge you job fees. Your only costs are the government charges and your own expenses, such as police certificates, medicals and tests.

Is it possible to apply from home in Nigeria?

Yes. You can be outside Australia and New Zealand when you apply for either visa. For the documents to gather, scroll up to "Preparing your application from Nigeria".

Official sources

• Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), Home Affairs
• Core Skills stream of the 482, Home Affairs
• English rules for the 482, Home Affairs
• Income thresholds and salary rules, Home Affairs
• Processing times for all visas, Home Affairs
• Subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream, Home Affairs
• Visa scams, Home Affairs
• Accredited Employer Work Visa, INZ
• Wage rates for work visas, INZ
• Maximum stay on an AEWV, INZ
• Residence based on your skills, INZ
• Avoiding immigration scams, INZ