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Visa fees for Australia in ringgit: what Malaysian workers pay and what the employer must cover

Visa guide · 2026-10-17 · 10 min read

Australian visa charges are set in Australian dollars, so the ringgit you pay depends on the exchange rate on the day. At Bank Negara Malaysia's middle rate on 8 Oct 2026, the main Skills in Demand (subclass 482) charge of AUD4,015.00 comes to roughly RM11,420, and the permanent employer-sponsored and regional visas at AUD6,140.00 come to roughly RM17,460. What your employer pays to sponsor and nominate you is their cost, by law, not yours.

Below are the official charges for the visas Malaysians use most, family totals and the smaller costs around them. If you are still choosing a route, our ringgit budget for working in Australia from Malaysia covers savings, flights and the working holiday money rules; this page sticks to the visa charges themselves.

Visa charges in ringgit at a glance

Every ringgit figure below is a rough comparison at Bank Negara Malaysia's middle rate published on 8 Oct 2026 (RM2.8442 for 1 Australian dollar, RM2.2873 for 1 New Zealand dollar). Rates change daily, so use the ringgit column to plan and the official column to pay.

The Australian amounts come from the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Table, the base charge for the main applicant. Charges change, so a figure from an old forum post or an agent's flyer may be out of date; our note on what Australia's July 2026 visa charge rise means for your budget explains the change.

How the ringgit numbers were worked out

Each conversion multiplies the official charge by the Bank Negara Malaysia middle rate at 1700 on 8 Oct 2026. You can see the buying, selling and middle rates for that day and every working day on the Bank Negara Malaysia latest rates page.

The Reserve Bank of Australia's rate that day, 2.8429 ringgit per Australian dollar, was almost identical. Your card statement will show a little more, because banks add a margin, so round up when you save.

Skills in Demand (482): the charge for you and each family member

The 482 is the visa behind most sponsored job offers in Australia, and it has three streams: Core Skills, Specialist Skills and Labour Agreement. The base charge is the same AUD4,015.00 in all three, so the stream your employer picks does not change what the visa itself costs.

Family members are where the total climbs. Each additional applicant aged 18 and over is charged another AUD4,015.00 (about RM11,420), and each applicant under 18 is charged AUD1,005.00 (about RM2,860). Partners and dependent children on the application can live, study and work in Australia.

• You alone: AUD4,015.00, roughly RM11,420.
• You and your partner: AUD8,030 in total, roughly RM22,840.
• You, your partner and two children under 18: AUD10,040 in total, roughly RM28,560.

If you later need a new 482 while still on one, a subsequent temporary application charge of AUD700.00 (about RM1,990) can apply on top of the base charge.

Before any money changes hands, read our Skills in Demand (482) visa guide for Malaysians for the experience, English and skills assessment rules. A 482 lasts up to 4 years and ties you to the employer who nominated you, so the job itself matters as much as the fee.

Working in a salon or barbershop? See what Malaysian hairdressers need before a sponsored job in Australia.

Permanent and regional visas: 186 and 494

The Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) and the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494) each have a base charge of AUD6,140.00, roughly RM17,460. A 482 holder's employer may later be able to sponsor them for permanent residence through the 186, so it is worth knowing this number early.

The 186 has one more charge that surprises people. Applicants aged 18 or over who are assessed as not having functional English pay a second instalment: AUD9,800 for a main applicant (about RM27,870) and AUD4,890 for a secondary applicant (about RM13,910). That is more than the visa charge itself, so sit an English test early.

What your employer pays, and must not pass on

Australian sponsorship has two sets of costs, and only one of them is yours. Home Affairs lists employer fees of AUD420 to become an approved 482 sponsor, AUD330 to nominate for a 482 and AUD540 to nominate for a 186 (subject to stream and location). On top of that, the employer pays the Skilling Australians Fund levy: AUD1200 per year for a small business or AUD1800 per year for a larger one on a 482.

The Home Affairs cost of sponsoring page says the employer must pay all costs of becoming a sponsor and nominating an applicant, and cannot transfer them to you or your family. The levy cannot be passed on either. It is illegal to pay an employer to sponsor you, including through salary deductions, and it can lead to visa refusal or cancellation, fines or imprisonment.

If an agent has already taken money from you for "sponsorship", read what Malaysians can do in the first 24 hours after a job scam.

The visa application charge is a different item: it belongs to your application. Whether an employer covers it is something to ask about and get written into your offer, never something to assume.

New Zealand: AEWV and working holiday charges

New Zealand prices its visas in New Zealand dollars. The Accredited Employer Work Visa costs from NZD $1540, roughly RM3,520, and lets you stay up to 5 years depending on the job. You can only apply once an accredited employer sends you the link to the online form, and INZ showed 80% of AEWV applications processed within 5.5 weeks. Our AEWV guide for Malaysians covers the job offer and experience rules.

The Malaysia Working Holiday Visa costs from NZD $770, roughly RM1,760, with 1,150 places each year. On 8 Oct 2026 INZ showed it as closed for 2026, so treat it as a next-year plan.

Two INZ rules protect your money. New Zealand employers cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay their recruitment costs, even through a third party. And INZ never asks for visa fees to be paid into a bank account: it takes debit or credit card payment on its forms, or payment at an approved Visa Application Centre. Check the current amount on the Immigration New Zealand AEWV page.

Live roles such as this fitter, turner and welder job in Christchurch show the kind of work New Zealand employers are hiring for from overseas.

Costs that sit around the visa charge

Home Affairs says that, besides the visa charge, applicants pay for English language tests, health checks, police certificates and biometrics. Ask each clinic or test centre for its price before you book.

• Police certificate: the Certificate of Good Conduct (Sijil Kelakuan Baik) has an RM20.00 service charge on e-Konsular and is valid for 1 year from approval.
• Medicals for Australia: they must be done at a Home Affairs panel clinic, booked with a HAP ID. Malaysia has panel clinics in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Georgetown, Luyang in Sabah and Port Dickson. For a 482, results are generally valid for 12 months.
• Medicals for New Zealand: if your country has an INZ panel physician you must use one, and Malaysia has six on the INZ list. An AEWV applicant staying more than 6 months may need a chest X-ray.

A step-by-step way to budget your visa charges

1. Confirm the visa: a sponsored job offer usually means a 482 (or a 494 in a regional area), while New Zealand offers mean an AEWV.
2. Open the official pricing page and write down the base charge and the charge for every family member, in AUD or NZD.
3. Convert at the latest Bank Negara Malaysia middle rate, then add a buffer for your bank's margin.
4. Ask your employer, in writing, which costs they will cover beyond their own sponsorship, nomination and levy costs.
5. Get prices from a panel clinic and an English test centre, and plan your Certificate of Good Conduct so it is still valid when you lodge.
6. Pay only through the official system: ImmiAccount for Australia, or INZ's card payment or an approved Visa Application Centre for New Zealand.

Comparing offers? This boilermaker and metal fabricator job in Perth is one of the sponsored trade roles on our site today.

Common mistakes Malaysians make with visa charges

• Budgeting for one person when the family is coming. Every adult on a 482 adds AUD4,015.00 and every child AUD1,005.00, so a family of four pays well over twice the single charge.
• Paying an employer's costs. Sponsorship fees, nomination fees and the levy are the employer's to pay. If someone asks you to cover them, or to accept salary deductions for sponsorship, walk away.
• Sending visa money by bank transfer. Visa charges are paid through the official systems. INZ says it never asks for fees to be paid into a bank account, and the Australian High Commission warns that Australian visas are not for sale.
• Skipping the English test for a 186. The second instalment for not having functional English costs more than the visa charge itself.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the 482 visa fee in ringgit?

The base charge for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa is AUD4,015.00, roughly RM11,420 at Bank Negara Malaysia's middle rate on 8 Oct 2026. Each extra applicant aged 18 and over adds the same amount again, and each child under 18 adds AUD1,005.00, roughly RM2,860.

Do I pay my employer's sponsorship and nomination fees?

No. Home Affairs says the sponsoring employer must pay all costs of becoming a sponsor and nominating you, and cannot transfer them to you or your family. The Skilling Australians Fund levy cannot be passed on to you either.

What does the AEWV cost in ringgit?

Immigration New Zealand lists the Accredited Employer Work Visa from NZD $1540, roughly RM3,520 at the Bank Negara Malaysia middle rate on 8 Oct 2026. INZ only takes card payment on its forms or payment at an approved Visa Application Centre, never a transfer into a bank account.

Is the visa charge the only cost I should budget for?

No. Home Affairs says applicants also pay for English tests, health checks, police certificates and biometrics. In Malaysia the Certificate of Good Conduct is RM20.00 on e-Konsular, while medical and X-ray prices are set by each panel clinic, so ask the clinic for a quote.

Key takeaways

• A 482 costs AUD4,015.00 for the main applicant, about RM11,420 at the 8 Oct 2026 Bank Negara Malaysia rate.
• Each adult on the application adds the same again; each child under 18 adds AUD1,005.00.
• Sponsorship, nomination and levy costs belong to the employer and cannot be passed on to you.
• New Zealand's AEWV costs from NZD $1540, about RM3,520, paid by card or at an approved centre.
• Add medicals, English tests and the RM20.00 police certificate, and recheck the rate before you pay.

#visa fee #ringgit #482 visa #aewv #visa application charge #malaysia