Registered Migration Agents · Department of Home Affairs Compliant

Labour Market Testing (LMT): Proving Your Case the Right Way

Name: I am happy of the result that they provided and how easy they made applying for the visa through them.
Item: ONEderland Consulting
Rating: 5
Author: May Lee

Don’t risk a nomination refusal over a technicality. We manage your LMT from end-to-end, ensuring every advertisement meets the Department of Home Affairs’ strict compliance standards.

LMT Compliance — at a glance

28 days

Minimum ad duration

4 mo

Lookback window

3+

Compliant platforms required

AUD 96,400

Salary disclosure threshold

About LMT

Secure Your Nomination with Bulletproof Recruitment Evidence

In today’s migratory case, labor market testing (LMT) is an essential component of a successful employer sponsorship strategy. A well-prepared LMT portfolio does more than just satisfying the Department of Home Affairs’ requirements; it serves as the structural foundation for the validity and overall strength of your nomination application.

For Australian employers, precision is mandatory. The specific wording of your job descriptions, the duration of the advertising period, and the strict selection of acceptable recruitment sites must all be completely consistent with current legal standards. Even tiny technical errors might cause delays, requests for information, and costly nomination refusals.

ONEderland Consulting prevents this operational risk. Our team oversees the entire LMT lifecycle with the utmost professionalism, ensuring that your recruitment data is bulletproof, fully compliant, and well positioned for approval long before lodgement.

In the current 2026 migration landscape, Labour Market Testing (LMT) is far more than a tick-the-box exercise. For Australian employers, it is often the most scrutinised part of the sponsorship process.

A single error in your job advertisement, whether it’s the wording, the duration, or the platform, can lead to an immediate nomination refusal with no refund of the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy. At ONEderland Consulting, we ensure your LMT is decision-ready before you lodge.

What is Labour Market Testing?

Labour Market Testing (LMT) is the formal process of proving that you have made a genuine attempt to find a suitable Australian citizen or permanent resident to fill a position before offering it to an overseas worker.

In 2026, this is a mandatory requirement for:

Skills in Demand (subclass 482) nominations
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (subclass 494) nominations
Some Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) pathways

2026 Requirements

LMT Requirements in 2026

To satisfy the Department of Home Affairs, your recruitment efforts must meet these exact requirements:

The 28-Day Rule

Ads must be live for a minimum of 28 consecutive days within the 4 months immediately preceding your nomination lodgement.

Approved Platforms

You must use at least three compliant recruitment methods. One must be a national recruitment website with Australia-wide reach, such as SEEK or LinkedIn.

Mandatory Content

Your ads must clearly state the job title, required skills/experience, the name of the approved sponsor, and the salary (unless it exceeds the current high-income threshold).

Why Professional Assistance Matters

Why Professional Assistance Matters for the LMT Process

In 2026, Labour Market Testing remains one of the most common reasons for 482 and 494 nomination refusals. The Department requires more than just posting an ad; they require evidence of a genuine and highly specific recruitment attempt.

Our team manages this for you

We prepare the exact documentation your specific pathway mandates, lead the union or regional stakeholder consultations on your behalf, and structure your submission so it passes federal risk audits on the first attempt.

Even small inconsistencies, such as an advertisement not meeting the required publication period or omitting key details like the salary range, may impact the outcome of a nomination application.

Our Process

How We Work

A clear, managed process from requirement check to approved nomination — no guesswork, no costly surprises.

Requirement Audit

We check if your role requires LMT or if an exemption applies.

Advertisement Preparation

We assist with preparing compliant advertisement drafts and guidance on suitable advertising platforms to ensure the LMT requirements are properly addressed prior to publication.

Compliance Monitoring

We will work closely to ensure advertisements remain active and publicly accessible for the required period.

LMT Reporting Support

Following the advertising period, we assist in preparing the supporting LMT summary and documentation for nomination lodgement purposes.

Risk Assessment

The Cost of a Mistake

The costs you must prepare for the SBS application involve:

Financial Risk

You risk losing the Nomination fee and the SAF Levy, which for Australian businesses can range from AUD 1,200 to AUD 1,500+.

Project Delays

A refusal can set your hiring timeline back by months, leaving critical roles in your business operations unfilled.

Our Services

Our Professional Services for LMT

We take the guesswork out of recruitment compliance. Our team provides:

Ad Strategy & Copywriting

We draft your advertisements to ensure they comply with migration law and meet your specific business needs.

Platform Selection

We identify the most cost-effective, compliant platforms for your specific industry.

The LMT Summary Report

We compile a comprehensive evidentiary report that explains why local candidates were not suitable, addressing the “genuineness” requirement head-on.

Pre-Lodgement Audit

We review your existing recruitment efforts to ensure they are 100% compliant before you pay any government fees.

Exemptions

Exemptions & International Trade Obligations (ITO)

Not every nomination requires LMT. You might be exempt from this requirement if:

International Trade Obligations

The nominee is a citizen/national of a specific country (e.g., UK, Japan, Singapore, or China).

Intra-Corporate Transfers

Senior executives moving within a global entity.

High Earners

Positions with annual earnings above a specific threshold (typically AUD 250,000).

Unsure if you need to advertise? Check if you're eligible for an exemption.

Common Pitfalls

Common LMT Issues That Can Affect Employer Sponsorships Process

Labour Market Testing (LMT) is one of the most important steps in sponsoring an overseas worker. While many companies see it like a standard job posting, the Department of Home Affairs carefully assesses this stage. They want to see genuine proof that you genuinely tried to find a local worker before looking abroad.

Here are the most common issues in LMT process that business often overlook:

Running the Ads too short

Your job advertisement must stay live and completely visible to the public for a minimum of 28 days. If the advertisement drops off early, even by a single day, the Department will consider the LMT invalid.

Posting job ads on unapproved websites

You must post the job advertisement on recognised, nationwide recruitment platforms. If you use standard social media posts or small local notice boards that the Department doesn’t recognise, your LMT will be deemed invalid.

Wrong timing and expired ads

Timing is everything in the LMT process. Your job advertisement must fit into a strict four-month window right before you lodge the nomination. If you run your ads too early and let that window close, you have to restart the entire 28 day process from scratch.

Incomplete hiring summaries

You must show the entire results of your job advertisement. If local Australians applied for the role, you must provide a clean and clear summary explaining why their skills or experience didn’t fit the job requirements. Missing notes can make the Department think you didn’t give local applicants a fair chance.

We review your job descriptions, double-check your platforms, and build your recruitment summaries to match exactly what the Department is looking for. We ensure your application is bulletproof and decision-ready.

Client Results

What Our Clients Say

At St Louis Nursing Home in South Australia, we engaged with ONEderland for assistance in becoming an approved sponsor and nominating our employees for the Skilled Employer Sponsored Visa. Throughout the multiple applications, our case coordinator, Alvita Chatarine, maintained consistent communication, provided valuable knowledge and guidance, and drafted all the required application documents for our approval. We are fortunate that both of our applications were successful, and we received the Visa grant. We greatly appreciate their hard work and dedication – it has been a pleasure working with the team at ONEderland.

Bronte Edgecombe

Approved Sponsor & Visa Granted

FAQ

FAQ About Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS)

Can I use social media posts for LMT?

No. The Department of Home Affairs does not recognise Facebook, Instagram, or personal LinkedIn posts as “national recruitment platforms”. We use only government-approved job boards to ensure your application is safe.

What is the 4-month rule?

Your LMT must have been completed within the 4 months immediately before lodging the nomination. If your ads are older than that, they are legally invalid for a new application.

Do I have to list the salary?

If the position’s annual earnings are below AUD 96,400, the salary (or a salary range) must be visible in the advertisement. Failure to do so is a leading cause of refusal.

What if I receive applications from Australian citizens?

You must demonstrate why any local applicants were not suitable based on their skills, qualifications, or experience. We help you document this process legally and transparently.