Religious Worker Visa (subclass 428)
Step 1 - Organisation Applies to be a Sponsor
On this page
When sponsors apply for sponsorship they will be applying for the relevant sponsor class to allow them to nominate a person applying for the visa subclass that relates to that class.
Sponsor approval may be valid for up to three years and enables the sponsor to employ or engage people from overseas through a nomination process.
This page outlines the steps required for a religious institution to apply to be an approved sponsor. A nomination cannot be approved until the sponsorship application is approved.
Sponsorship form
The sponsor must complete the sponsorship application and attach all necessary documentation.
See: Form 1377 Application for approval as a temporary residence sponsor (252KB PDF File)
Sponsorship checklist
The sponsorship application checklist details the documents the sponsor needs to provide with their sponsorship application. Complete applications are likely to be processed more quickly. Incomplete applications may be delayed or, in some cases, refused.
See: Sponsorship Document Checklist ( 62KB PDF file)
Sponsorship fee
There is a non-refundable fee for this application.
See: Specialist Entry Visa Charges
How and where to apply
The religious institution can lodge the sponsorship application: by courier, post, fax or in person.
The sponsorship application with any supporting documentation must be lodged in Australia with the ACT Specialist Temporary Entry Processing Centre.
See: Specialist Temporary Entry Processing Centre
After the sponsor lodges the application
The sponsorship will be considered by the department. In some cases the sponsor may be asked to provide additional information to enable a decision to be made.
If the sponsorship is approved, the department will send an approval letter by post or email. The sponsor will need to retain this letter and provide a copy to each applicant that is nominated to fill a position. The visa applicant will need to provide this letter or a receipt that the sponsorship has been lodged with their visa application.
If the sponsorship is not approved, the department will send a refusal letter by post or email advising of the decision, reasons for the decision and information about any review rights.