Preparing a Japanese Chef for the 482 Visa: English, Papers, Family

A chef heading to Australia on a 482 visa has three main things to prepare in Japan: English language employment certificates showing at least one year of cooking experience in the last five years; an English test result such as IELTS 5.0 in each band (for tests taken from 13 September 2025); and, if family are coming, their documents and charges (A$4,015 per adult, A$1,005 per child). Japanese nationals do not need a TRA skills assessment.

What the chef must meet

For obtaining the police certificate, see getting a Japanese police certificate.

Employment certificates: what to include, with a template

Home Affairs asks for evidence that the applicant has the skills and experience to do the nominated job. Japanese employment certificates often say only that the person worked there, which does not show what they did. Ask each past employer for a certificate that includes:

• Company name, address, phone number, the signatory's name and title, signature and date of issue
• Dates of employment and type of employment (full time, part time)
• Hours worked per week
• Position and the specific duties performed

For translation, see translating employment certificates for a visa. A 調理師免許 (cook's licence) or culinary school certificate is not required, but can be attached as supporting evidence.

English: where most candidates fall

A strong chef without the English score will not get this visa. Check English in the first interview, and if it is short, have the candidate sit the test before anything else. Minimum results for tests taken on or after 13 September 2025:

• Results must be from within 3 years before the visa application.
• Tests delivered entirely online, such as IELTS Online or TOEFL iBT Home Edition, are not accepted.
• For TOEFL iBT taken on or after 21 January 2026, the candidate must select "Taking TOEFL for Australia" when registering.
• For tests taken from 13 September 2025, a single skill retake result may be accepted.

Exemptions cover passport holders of Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK and the US, and people with at least five years of full time study taught mainly in English, among others. A Japanese passport is not on the list. The exemption for your own employees is in a later section. For setting language requirements in your kitchen, see language requirements for Japanese kitchens.

Bringing family

On a 482 visa, a spouse or de facto partner and dependent children can be included in the same application as secondary applicants. Family members can live, study and work in Australia.

• Charges: A$4,015 for each family member aged 18 or over, A$1,005 for each child under 18. For the chef, a partner and one child, visa charges total A$9,035.
• Adding later: family cannot be added after the application is lodged. Anyone left out applies later as a subsequent entrant.
• Checks: family aged 16 and over face character checks, and health examinations are needed. Health insurance must cover the family for the whole stay.
• Who pays: whether the restaurant covers family charges is a matter of agreement. Put it in writing.

For the practical side (housing, schools, a partner's work), see bringing family when working abroad.

Sending your own employee from Japan: lighter requirements

If your Australian entity nominates a cook your group currently employs in Japan, two requirements may ease:

• Labour market testing: Home Affairs says LMT (job ads) is not required where the nominee is a current employee of an associated entity located in Japan, under Australia's international trade obligations.
• English: the English requirement is waived if the chef is an employee of an overseas business, that business or its associated entity nominates them, and guaranteed annual earnings are at least A$96,400.

Both depend on the chef being employed by the group at the time. If they resign and then join the Australian restaurant, neither applies. For how to structure the move and the secondment contract, see overseas secondment contracts.

What to explain to candidates, with a briefing to copy

• They may work only in the nominated occupation and only for the sponsoring business (or, in some cases, an associated entity).
• The stay matches the nomination, up to 4 years. If eligible, there is a path to employer sponsored permanent residence (the 186).
• Pay is at least the CSIT (A$79,423 for nominations from 1 July 2026). Housing and other benefits cannot count towards it.
• If the job ends, they have up to 180 days to find a new sponsor or leave.
• Paying the employer in return for sponsorship is illegal.

Preparation schedule in Japan

Work back so the chef can lodge the visa application on the day the employer lodges the nomination.

These intervals are a planning guide, not official processing times. Home Affairs does not publish a fixed decision time; check its guide tool when you lodge. For the full schedule to the start date, see the backward table on the employer page.

General information checked against Australian Government sources and legislation on 27 September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. Amounts and thresholds change each July. For individual cases, consult a registered migration agent or a lawyer.