Australia's Banned Visa Sponsors: Check Before You Sign

There is a public list on the Australian government's website with hundreds of employers on it. Every one of them has been caught breaking their sponsorship obligations, and many are now barred from sponsoring a single visa. Most people applying for sponsored jobs have never heard of it.

I found it last week going down a rabbit hole on the Border Force site, and it genuinely unsettled me. This post breaks down what the register is, how to check any employer in two minutes, what actually happens to your visa if your sponsor gets sanctioned, and why handing money to the wrong "sponsor" can land you in trouble too.

Why this matters

A job offer with sponsorship attached feels like the finish line after months of applying. That is exactly when people stop asking questions. But an employer sanctioned by the Australian Border Force cannot lawfully sponsor a new worker, so a nomination through them can stall or fail, and any money or time you put in can vanish. The register exists precisely so workers can vet a sponsor before signing, and almost nobody uses it. Two minutes of checking beats months of cleaning up the mess.

Who this is for

This is for you if:

• You have a job offer with 482 (Skills in Demand) or employer-nominated sponsorship and want to confirm the employer is clean.
• You are being asked to pay an employer or agent for a sponsorship offer.
• You are already on a sponsored visa and worried about what happens if your employer gets in trouble.
• You are job-hunting for sponsored roles and want to filter out risky employers early.

What the register actually is

The Register of Sanctioned Sponsors is a free, public page run by the Australian Border Force. No login, no fee. It lists sponsors who have breached their obligations since 18 March 2015, and it is updated roughly every month, so a name that is clean today can appear next month.

As of early July 2026 there are around 667 sanctioned sponsors on it. A sanction is not always a full ban. Under section 140M of the Migration Act, an employer can be barred from sponsoring new workers for a set period, or have their sponsorship approval cancelled entirely.

The part that surprised me most: these are not all dodgy-looking operations. Hospitality has historically made up around a third of the list. These are ordinary restaurants and cafes that looked completely normal from the outside. You cannot spot a sanctioned sponsor by the office or the offer letter. You have to check the name.

If your sponsor gets sanctioned, your visa is not gone overnight

This is where a lot of scary online advice is simply outdated. In general, a sponsor sanction is legal action against the employer, not against your visa, and it does not by itself cancel your visa. The exact outcome depends on your visa type and your own circumstances, so treat the below as the general rule and confirm yours.

Since 1 July 2024, if condition 8607 applies to your visa and you stop working for your approved sponsor, it generally gives you up to 180 consecutive days (and 365 days in total across the life of the visa) to find a new approved sponsor, apply for another visa, or leave. The old "60 days" and "90 days" figures still floating around blogs are wrong under the current rules. The clock is real, but for most affected holders it is 180 days, and it starts when the job ends, not the instant a sanction is announced.

Paying for sponsorship can burn you too

If anyone asks you to pay for a sponsorship offer, walk away. Asking for, offering, or paying a benefit in return for a sponsorship outcome is a criminal and civil offence under sections 245AR and 245AS of the Migration Act, with penalties running into six figures. It has been illegal since 2015, and it catches the person paying, not just the employer taking the money. A genuine migration agent's professional fee is different and allowed. Buying a visa outcome is not.

What you can do about it

Step 1: Check the employer before you say yes

Open the Register of Sanctioned Sponsors and search the exact business name on any offer before you accept it or hand over documents. It takes two minutes.

Step 2: Treat a clean result as one check, not a guarantee

The register only lists sponsors already caught, and it updates monthly. A name that is absent today is not proof the employer is safe, it just means they have not been sanctioned yet. Pair it with the basics: a real ABN, a real workplace, a written contract, and award-rate pay.

Step 3: Never pay for a sponsorship offer

A legitimate employer sponsors you because they need your skills. If the deal involves you paying them to be sponsored, that is a red flag and, under ss 245AR and 245AS, a crime you can be caught in too.

Step 4: If you are already sponsored, know your 180 days

If your employer loses their sponsorship, you are not immediately out. If condition 8607 applies to your visa, you generally have up to 180 consecutive days to line up a new approved sponsor or another visa. Check whether it applies to yours, then start that search the day the job ends, not the day the clock runs out.

Sources and further reading

📋 ABF Register of Sanctioned Sponsors: the official, free, public list of sponsors sanctioned since 18 March 2015. abf.gov.au

📊 OpenSanctions mirror of the register: dated counts of the sanctioned sponsors (around 667 as of July 2026), updated monthly. opensanctions.org

🎯 Migration Act s140M: the legal difference between barring a sponsor and cancelling their approval. austlii.edu.au

📋 Condition 8607 (180-day rule): what actually happens to a 482 holder when their sponsorship ends, under rules in force since 1 July 2024. roammigrationlaw.com

❌ Migration Act ss 245AR / 245AS: paying for a sponsorship outcome is a criminal and civil offence, for the payer too. austlii.edu.au

This is general information based on public government sources, not personal migration advice. I am not a registered migration agent. For advice on your specific situation, check the primary sources above or speak to a MARA-registered agent.