Can an accredited sponsor character reference replace overseas police certificates in 2026?
When an accredited sponsor's written reference lets a subclass 482 applicant skip police certificates from outside Australia, and what the sponsor risks.
Yes, but only in a narrow set of circumstances. According to the Department of Home Affairs Accredited sponsor (Sponsoring skilled workers) page, applicants who are sponsored by an accredited sponsor are not required to obtain police certificates from countries other than Australia, provided they attach a written reference from that accredited sponsor confirming they are of good character and have not been convicted of any criminal offences. The Department states that it generally relies on that reference instead of overseas police certificates provided by applicants to show good character. This is general information only and is not a substitute for advice on an individual case.
What exactly does the reference replace?
It replaces police certificates from countries other than Australia. It does not remove the character requirement itself, and it does not change what is required for Australia: any Australian police certificate that the application calls for is still a separate matter.
Two conditions sit on top of that. The applicant must have been nominated by the sponsor, and the sponsor must hold accredited status at the time. A standard business sponsor that has not been granted accreditation cannot issue this reference, and a reference from an ordinary employer, a recruiter or a migration agent carries no weight under this arrangement.
The option is described for applicants for the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), which the Department refers to as the SID visa. It is not described as a substitute arrangement for other visa subclasses.
Why the sponsor's status, not the applicant's, decides this
The exemption is a benefit that attaches to the sponsor. Under the Department's accreditation framework, an accredited sponsor must first be a standard business sponsor and must then meet the characteristics of one of six categories at the time of application:
| Category | Core characteristic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Commonwealth, state or territory government department or agency |
| 2 | Current Australian Trusted Trader |
| 3 | Low volume usage, at least 85% Australian workforce |
| 4 | High volume usage, at least 75% Australian workforce |
| 5 | Major investment in Australia of at least AUD 50 million |
| 6 | STEM start-up funded by an Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnership |
Most of these categories also require an Australian workforce share of at least 75% (category 3 requires at least 85%, while categories 5 and 6 have no workforce-share criterion), no adverse monitoring outcomes, written contracts meeting the National Employment Standards, and pay set by an Enterprise Agreement or an internal salary table reflecting current market salary rates. Categories 3, 4 and 5 additionally require that the Department has approved more than 97% of the sponsor's nomination applications in the relevant period. Category 3 additionally requires annual turnover of at least AUD 4 million over the last two years and at least one year as a standard business sponsor; category 4 requires the same turnover threshold and at least two years.
Accreditation runs with the sponsorship. Standard Business Sponsorship is valid for five years from the date of approval, and accreditation status remains in effect throughout that period. If the current sponsorship has not ceased when a new sponsorship agreement period is lodged, the sponsor does not need to reapply for accreditation.
For the applicant, the practical test is simple: check whether the sponsoring business is accredited, not whether it has sponsored workers before.
What must the reference contain?
The Department sets three mandatory content requirements. The reference must:
- be on company letterhead
- include the sponsor's name and the full name of the person signing the reference
- include the visa applicant's full name and date of birth
Content is separate from form. The published pro-forma has the signatory, acting with authority for the business, confirm three things:
- that they have read the Department's character requirements information and understand the character requirement for the grant of an Australian visa
- that to the best of their knowledge the listed visa applicant or applicants meet the character requirement
- that they acknowledge the accredited status of the sponsor may be revoked if the applicant is subsequently found not to satisfy the character test on the basis of information that was available to the signatory when making the declaration
The pro-forma also records the company name, the accredited sponsor name, the sponsored persons, and the signature, position and date of the referee. A letter that carries the letterhead and the three identity items but omits the good character and no-conviction confirmation does not do the job, because the exemption is tied to a reference that confirms exactly those two things.
What does the sponsor risk by signing?
Accreditation can be revoked if a sponsor stops meeting the characteristics required for accreditation. It can also be revoked where the sponsor gave a reference confirming the good character of a sponsored employee or their family members for the purpose of not undertaking police clearances from countries other than Australia, and at least one of those people has a criminal conviction from a country other than Australia.
The consequence is loss of accreditation, not automatic loss of sponsorship. If accreditation is revoked, the business remains a standard business sponsor until its sponsorship approval expires, unless the Department also suspends or cancels that sponsorship as permitted by law. What is lost is access to accredited benefits, including the ability to offer this reference in future.
Separately, the Department's Sponsor responsibilities page sets out the sanctions that can follow a failure to meet sponsorship obligations. These include cancellation of approval as a sponsor, bans on sponsoring other workers or on making future applications for approval, compliance notices, enforceable undertakings, infringement notices of $79,200 for a body corporate or $15,840 for an individual per failure, and civil penalties imposed by the courts of up to $396,000 for a body corporate and $79,200 for an individual per failure. More than one sanction can be imposed.
The acknowledgement in the pro-forma is therefore the sharp edge of the arrangement. It ties revocation to information that was available to the signatory when the declaration was made, so the risk sits with whoever signs, not with the business in the abstract.
How the applicant and employer put this together
Confirm the business holds accredited sponsor status.
Confirm the nomination is for a subclass 482 (SID) position.
Prepare the reference on company letterhead.
Add the sponsor's name and the full name of the signatory.
Add the applicant's full name and date of birth.
State that the applicant is of good character and has not been convicted of any criminal offences.
Have an authorised representative sign, with position and date.
Attach the signed reference to the visa application instead of overseas police certificates.
Where the arrangement stops short
Suppose an applicant has lived in three countries outside Australia and holds an Australian police certificate from an earlier period. A valid accredited sponsor reference removes the need to obtain police certificates from those three countries. It does not erase a conviction, and it does not bind the Department if the reference later proves to be wrong: the Department's language is that it generally relies on the reference, and the revocation ground exists precisely for the case where a conviction from outside Australia turns up.
Suppose instead that the sponsoring business applied for accreditation but has not yet been approved. The exemption is not available, and the overseas police certificates are still required. Accreditation is a status, not a pending application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the reference remove the character requirement entirely?
No. It is a way of evidencing good character in place of overseas police certificates. The applicant must still satisfy the character requirement for the grant of the visa.
Does the sponsor have to be accredited, or is a standard business sponsor enough?
Accredited status is required. To hold it, a business must be a standard business sponsor and meet the characteristics of one of the six accreditation categories.
Are Australian police certificates still required?
The exemption is limited to police certificates from countries other than Australia. Anything required for Australia is unaffected by the reference.
Who has to sign the reference?
A representative of the accredited sponsor who has authority to act on behalf of the business. The reference must include the sponsor's name and that person's full name, along with their position, signature and the date.
Can accreditation be lost over a single bad reference?
Yes. If the sponsor gave such a reference and at least one of the covered people has a criminal conviction from a country other than Australia, the Department may revoke the accreditation, while the business remains a standard business sponsor until its approval expires unless that sponsorship is also suspended or cancelled.
Does the reference cover family members?
The revocation ground refers to references given for a sponsored employee or their family members, so a sponsor should treat the declaration as covering everyone named in it rather than the employee alone.
Does the Department always accept the reference instead of overseas certificates?
The Department states that it generally relies on the reference. "Generally" is the published wording, so treat the exemption as the standard practice for accredited sponsors rather than an absolute guarantee in every case.