The number one reason employers say no to sponsorship isn't cost — it's unfamiliarity. Most hiring managers have never been through the process and assume it's a bureaucratic nightmare. Your job is to make it feel easy.
Lead with value, not visa status. Get through the first interview on merit. When sponsorship comes up, frame it as a solved problem: you know the process, you know the costs (roughly $3,000–$7,000 all-in for a 482), and you can point them to a migration agent.
Small and medium businesses are often the easiest converts. A family-run trade business or a local services company — think the kind of operator offering window cleaning in Kensington — can become an approved sponsor in weeks, and they tend to be fiercely loyal to the people they sponsor.
Finally, offer certainty. A signed commitment to stay two to three years, in writing, answers the employer's biggest fear before they ask it.