Cost to Sponsor a Chef From Abroad: One Hire, Totalled

One chef hired from Japan costs salary, employer on-costs, government fees, relocation and adviser fees. With verified 2026 fees and the salaries below, year one comes to about A$97,300 in Australia (482), S$65,400 in Singapore (S Pass), US$85,100 on a US E-2 or US$89,600 on an O-1, and C$78,000 in Ontario (high wage LMIA). Adviser fees and flights come on top and must be quoted, because no official figure exists for them.

1. The cost model

2. Verified government fees by route

Gulf fees are on the Dubai, Qatar and Saudi Arabia pages. Not verified here: Singapore pass renewal fees, the US visa integrity fee created by P.L. 119-21 (not shown on the State Department fee page when we checked), and fees for dependants.

3. Worked totals: year one and three years

Assumptions: a sushi chef at the salary the offer builder gives for each route, held flat for three years; the employer pays every government fee, including charges the chef could legally pay. Australia: small business, three year nomination, super guarantee 12%. US: national 75th percentile, employer Social Security and Medicare 7.65%. Canada: Ontario high wage threshold, C$36.92 × 2,080 hours. Singapore: chef 75th percentile (MOM, June 2025), no CPF for foreign employees.

What moves these totals over three years: Australia's income threshold is indexed each 1 July, so the floor salary rises; Singapore's S Pass floors rise on 1 January 2027 and the first pass lasts up to two years; an O-1 is granted for up to three years; a high wage LMIA work permit can run up to three years. None of the totals includes lines 4 to 6.

4. The lines you must get quoted

We publish no figure for adviser fees, flights, housing, insurance or state payroll taxes, because no official source sets them. For an O-1 in particular, legal fees can exceed the government fees, so a budget without a written quote is incomplete. Ask each adviser:

• Is the fee fixed or hourly, and does it include government fees?
• What is charged if the application is refused or needs a further evidence response?
• Are renewals, extensions and the chef's visa interview preparation included?
• Which costs may not be passed to the worker on this route? (Australia, H-2B, low wage LMIA and UK sponsorship all prohibit some.)

Also get quotes for: one way flight with extra baggage for knives; two to four weeks of temporary housing; health insurance until public cover starts (compulsory in Singapore for S Pass holders); state payroll tax and workers' compensation (Australia), unemployment insurance and workers' compensation (US), CPP and EI (Canada).

5. When the money goes out: a backward schedule

Count back from the chef's first shift. Only the lead times the rules fix are shown; processing times change, so check the official page on the day you plan.

Detailed timelines per route are on the 16 week staffing timeline.

6. Budget template

7. What to do this week

• Fix the route and the salary; the route decides which fees apply.
• Copy the matching column above into the template.
• Request two written adviser quotes using the questions in section 4.
• Put the backward schedule against your opening date.

General information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. The worked totals show a method, not a quote. Confirm every fee on the official page before you commit a budget.