Running a dental practice is rewarding but finding qualified staff can be tough. Without the right support, you’re stretched thin—impacting patient care and growth.
To address this, the government offers pathways to sponsor skilled dental professionals or retain staff on temporary visas. Our migration services simplify the process, combining dental industry know-how with visa expertise to help you secure the talent you need—efficiently and compliantly.
Your dental practice may be eligible to sponsor a range of dental occupations, depending on your practice’s location. We can assist with employer-sponsored migration visas for the following roles, subject to eligibility:
To discuss your eligibility and business needs, feel free to get in touch with us.
If you’re an employer looking to sponsor a temporary visa holder or an offshore-qualified dental professional for an equivalent role in Australia, several employer-sponsored visa options may be available. It’s important to understand that each case must be assessed individually, taking into account factors such as the practice’s location, the nominee’s qualifications, and the specific needs of your business. Available visa options include:
Unsure which visa best suits your needs? Get in touch with us.
Ideally, finding and hiring qualified dental professionals locally would be straightforward. However, for many dental practice owners, this remains a persistent challenge. Suitable candidates may not be available in your area, may be unwilling to relocate, or may leave shortly after being hired due to the high rate of job-hopping in the industry.
By considering overseas-trained professionals or candidates on employer sponsored visas, your practice can benefit in several ways:
Sponsoring the right team member could be a strategic move toward long-term success and growth.
Sponsoring the right team member could be a strategic move toward long-term success and growth.
There are certain specific criteria to meet to be able to sponsor an overseas or temporary onshore visa staff member. While each dental practice’s profile needs to be assessed on an individual basis, below is checklist of preliminary essential criteria:
If you haven’t yet sponsored a staff member’s visa and would like to explore your options, get in touch with us.
Sponsoring a staff member’s visa involves careful consideration of relevant immigration regulations, proper documentation, and strict adherence to the steps outlined by the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA). While some exemptions or additional steps may apply in specific cases, the general process is as follows:
Your business must first obtain Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) approval from the DoHA. This approval demonstrates that your business is legitimate and is committed to meeting its sponsorship obligations. Once granted, SBS approval is typically valid for five years.
You’ll need to provide evidence that you have actively tried to recruit Australian citizens or permanent residents before turning to overseas candidates. This usually includes at least two nationally placed job advertisements and well documented proof that no suitable local candidates were found for the role.
Once LMT is completed, the next step is to submit a nomination application. This confirms that your business has selected a suitable overseas candidate for the role, after considering all available local options. This is the step where you would nominate your selected candidate.
After the nomination is lodged (or approved), the visa application for the nominated staff member—and their dependents, if applicable—can be submitted. Once the visa is granted, the staff member must commence work within 90 days of the visa grant if already in Australia, or within 90 days of arriving in Australia if they are offshore.
If you’re considering sponsoring an overseas or temporary visa holder dental professional, we offer a complete range of services to support you throughout the process:
We work with you to assess your practice’s circumstances and the nominated candidate’s profile to determine the most suitable visa options and outline the steps involved.
If your business entity (ABN) does not yet have Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) approval, we can assist with preparing the required documentation and lodging the application, guiding you through the process until an outcome is received.
Once you’ve identified a candidate to sponsor, we can help you prepare the LMT and nomination application, gather supporting documents, and liaise with the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) on your behalf until a decision is made.
We assist in preparing the visa application, ensuring all documents and supporting information are accurate and complete to maximise the chances of approval. We’ll handle communication with the DoHA throughout the process on your behalf, right through to the final outcome.
Our support doesn’t end with the visa grant. If you and your sponsored team members are satisfied with the working arrangement and wish to extend through next visas such as permanent residency pathways—such as employer-sponsored options—our registered migration agents are here to assist with the next steps.
Sponsoring a staff member’s visa typically involves three main categories of costs:
These are fees payable to the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) at various stages of the sponsorship and visa process. As the sponsor, your business is responsible for covering these charges.
The total amount can vary depending on the visa type selected, the steps involved, and whether dependents are included. To receive an estimate tailored to your situation, please get in touch with us.
Both the sponsoring employer and the nominated staff member may incur costs for gathering and preparing required personal and professional documents. Each party is generally responsible for their own personal documentation expenses.
These are professional service fees payable to a registered migration agent, such as VIS Healthcare, for handling the application process and providing expert guidance. These costs are usually covered by the employer.
At VIS Healthcare, we tailor our packages based on factors such as the job role, the number of sponsorships required, any follow-up applications, and the level of service needed.
To receive a personalised cost breakdown for your sponsorship case, please contact us directly.
We have a proven track record of successfully managing visa applications for various professional roles across Australia. Here are some of our success stories:
While it is possible to sponsor and hire an overseas-trained dentist to work in your practice, it’s important to note that they must first complete the Australian Dental Council (ADC) assessment process, Ahpra registration and other character and visa-specific requirements.
ADC assessment includes an initial assessment, written and practical exams, and meeting English language proficiency requirements.
An overseas-registered specialist dentist can work as a specialist in Australia. However, they must first gain general dental registration and then apply for specialist registration with the Dental Board of Australia (DBA).
This involves a comprehensive assessment of their overseas specialist qualifications and experience to ensure they meet Australian standards, often through a “qualification equivalence pathway.” Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons have additional specific requirements due to their dual medical and dental recognition.
While the government has prioritised certain occupation visas, the entire process of sponsored visa depends on the visa pursued and milestones to achieve to satisfy the criteria, and the Department’s processing timeframe.
Generally, we recommend allowing at least 2-6 months for the processing if the selected candidate already has necessary occupational certifications and licenses.
OHT and Dental Hygienists are equally highly regulated occupations as dentists. An overseas-registered dentist’s qualifications and registration are for dentistry, not for oral health therapy. While their knowledge might overlap, the legal right to practice in a specific role in Australia is tied to registration with AHPRA for that specific role.
If an overseas dentist wishes to work in Australia while preparing for their ADC exams, they would need to pursue the separate and distinct pathway to become a registered Oral Health Therapist, which would involve a separate ADC assessment and registration process specific to OHTs.
Typically, a sponsored staff member is required to work for the sponsoring employer for the duration of their visa, which is generally two years for temporary visas. However, recent regulatory updates allow sponsored candidates to transfer to a different employer. But this can be a complex process, as they must find a new employer within a specific timeframe who meets the eligibility criteria, is willing to undertake the sponsorship process from the start and pay the legally required salary.
In our experience, when provided with fair working conditions and a supportive environment, sponsored staff members stick with the same employer for at least the duration of their visa period.
Unless exception or concession applies, the sponsoring business is required to pay whichever is higher salary of either at least the TSMIT (AUD $76,515 per annum) or annual market salary rate equivalent to an Australian staff with similar experience and skills performing the same role in the given business area.
Concessions may apply to certain sponsoring locations and occupations.
