Work visas that employers sponsor: a guide for Kenyans

How sponsorship works

A sponsored visa turns the usual sequence around. First comes a job, then comes permission to take it. Nobody flies to Australia or New Zealand holding a work visa and starts knocking on doors; a company there selects you and then stands behind your application.

In practice, a business that cannot hire locally for a post will interview you, often over video while you sit at home in Nairobi, Mombasa or another part of Kenya. If it wants you, it makes the offer and secures whatever clearance its own government requires. Only then do you file a work visa application attached to that employer and that post. Every company advertising on JobsAbroad Kenya has said it is willing to sponsor the right person.

• Australia: the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482). The company becomes an approved sponsor and nominates the post, and you then file your own application. Some 482 holders later switch to permanent residence under the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186).
• New Zealand: the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). The company is accredited, gets a job check approved and emails you a link to apply. A few occupations, those on the Green List for example, open a route to residence.

Both visas at a glance

Key rules for both visas, as of October 2026. Each figure carries a link to the official page, and that is where you should check it before applying.

Start from the vacancy

Because the visa depends on the job, begin with the vacancies. You can open sponsored jobs in Australia, sponsored jobs in New Zealand or the full list of vacancies. These are the searches Kenyans run most often: Electrician, Nurse, Chef, Plumber.

Read each advert against your own history, line by line: your years in the trade, KNEC or NITA papers, licences, tickets and professional registration. Experience counts for a great deal, yet it is the employer and the visa rules that judge whether it is enough, and a business cannot sponsor anyone who falls short of what the role requires. A qualification gained in Kenya is not automatically equal to an Australian or New Zealand one. Neither country has a working holiday arrangement with Kenya either, which is why these guides deal with sponsored work.

Your document folder, from Kenya

Both applications can be made from Kenya, or from whatever country you currently work in. Assemble one tidy folder and you will have most of what either government asks for.

1. Passport. Check when it expires. New Zealand requires at least 3 months of validity after the date you intend to depart.
2. Police clearance. The Certificate of Good Conduct from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and a certificate from every other country you have lived in. Each government has its own list of countries that count and its own age limit for certificates, so follow the country guides.
3. Qualifications. Put KNEC or NITA certificates, apprenticeship papers, degrees and licences in the folder. A Kenyan qualification is never treated as automatically equal to an Australian or New Zealand one, and trades tend to be assessed again. In Australia certain occupations need a skills assessment and certain trades a state licence; in New Zealand certain trades need occupational registration.
4. Nursing. Registration in Kenya does not follow you abroad. Nurses register with the nursing regulator of Australia or New Zealand ahead of starting work.
5. Experience evidence. Reference letters and payslips from each employer; a CV says nothing on its own.
6. English. Write your CV in English. Where the visa calls for it, add an approved English test result: Australia does not exempt Kenyan passport holders, and employers or registration bodies may impose their own standards.
7. Copies. Documents in English seldom need translation, yet certified copies of the main originals are sensible.

In work now? Keep the job until a visa decision comes through. For more on each country, see Australia and New Zealand.

Fake offers and costly mistakes

Fraudulent offers for Australia and New Zealand turn up on Facebook, in WhatsApp groups and on well-designed websites. They are easy to unmask once you know what the real rules say.

• Paying for a job is a red flag. New Zealand forbids employers and agents from charging workers for a job, and paying for an offer can wreck the visa. Australian sponsors may not shift their sponsorship or recruitment costs onto you, and paying for sponsorship may cost you the visa.
• Anyone who "guarantees" a visa is bluffing. Only the government of Australia or New Zealand can decide.
• Paid advice has to come from someone permitted. That means a registered migration agent or lawyer in Australia, and a licensed immigration adviser or exempt person in New Zealand. You may also lodge your own application.
• Official channels only for government fees: ImmiAccount for Australia, and the online application of Immigration New Zealand.
• Tell the truth throughout. A false or misleading statement or document can get you refused.

Both governments publish their own warnings: Home Affairs on visa scams and INZ on immigration scams.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an offer before I can apply?

Yes, in both cases. In Australia the employer nominates your post for the Skills in Demand (482) visa before you lodge your application. In New Zealand an accredited employer first gets a job check approved, then sends you the link that starts your AEWV application.

Which of the two visas is faster?

As of October 2026, Home Affairs says 50% of Core Skills stream 482 applications are decided in 4 months and 90% in 9 months, while INZ decides 80% of AEWV applications in 5.5 weeks. Every case differs, so look at the official pages.

Will my husband or wife and our children be able to come?

Normally yes. In Australia a partner and dependent children can be part of your 482 application. In New Zealand each relative lodges a separate application, and the visa on offer depends on your job and pay.

Can a sponsored job turn into permanent residence?

Yes, it can. Australia's Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) is open to many 482 holders after 2 years with their sponsor, and New Zealand offers residence to some workers through the Green List and the Skilled Migrant Category. The rules on the day you apply are the ones that count.

Is a working holiday visa an alternative?

Not now. Kenya has no working holiday arrangement with either Australia or New Zealand, so this site concentrates on the sponsored visas. Any change will be announced on each government's website.

Someone says I must pay to "secure" a job or visa. What should I do?

Refuse. In both countries, paying for a job offer or sponsorship breaks the rules and may cost you the visa. New Zealand prohibits job fees, and sponsors in Australia may not pass their sponsorship or recruitment costs to you. What you should expect to pay is limited to government charges plus your own tests, medicals and police certificates.

Can I lodge my application from inside Kenya?

Yes, because neither visa requires you to be in Australia or New Zealand when you apply. The papers you need are listed above under "Your document folder, from Kenya".