Industries · Hospitality
Chef and cook sponsorship visas
Hospitality sponsors more workers than almost any other sector, and the Department knows the patterns. Chef versus cook, genuine position in a small venue, salary that meets the threshold once penalty rates are stripped out: these are where hospitality nominations are won or lost.
Where it goes wrong
The sponsor problems we see most in hospitality.
Chef or cook?
The two occupations have different skill levels and different visa consequences. Nominating a cook as a chef, or the reverse, is one of the most common refusal grounds in the sector.
Salary and hours
The guaranteed annual earnings have to meet the threshold without relying on penalty rates or tips, and the hours have to be realistic for the venue.
Genuine position in a small venue
A café with four staff nominating a chef has to show why the role is needed and that the business can sustain it.
Regional venues
Regional employers may have access to additional options and obligations. The location changes the plan.
For employers: If you run a venue and have a chef or cook you want to keep, we tell you plainly whether the role can be nominated as it stands, and what to change if it can’t.
For workers: If a venue has offered to sponsor you, bring your qualifications, your roster and your references. The first check is whether the role is a chef’s or a cook’s.
Google reviews
What clients say about the Solve Migration team.
Cathness D.Solve Migration helped me with my 482 visa. My case was pretty complicated and honestly seemed impossible to get approved, but my case manager Shabna did such an amazing job! She was super helpful and supportive all throughout, and now my visa has been granted!
Lucas K.Pia was knowledgeable, approachable, and always went the extra mile to ensure I understood every step. She made a complex process feel straightforward and manageable. Any questions I had were answered promptly and clearly, and her attention to detail gave me complete confidence that my application was in safe hands.
Reviews are of Solve Migration, the firm behind Trade Visa, and are shown as written by clients on Google. Rating as at 18 October 2026. Every matter is different and no outcome is guaranteed. Read all reviews on Google.
Workers
A business has offered to sponsor you?
Book a SolvePlan. We check the job against the occupation, your experience and your English, and give you a written plan for a hospitality matter.
Book a SolvePlanEmployers
You need to sponsor someone?
Tell us the role and where you are. Employer Client Services replies the same business day with the steps, the costs and what we handle.
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