Employer Sponsored Visa Australia: 482, 186, and Requirements

Australia runs three employer sponsored visas: the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) for temporary work of up to four years, the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) for permanent residency, and the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa (subclass 494) for work in designated regional areas. All three work the same way at a structural level. The employer becomes an approved sponsor, nominates a specific position, and the worker then applies for the visa. Each step has its own criteria, and a failure at any one of them sinks the whole application.

The Three Visas at a Glance

The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) is temporary and lets a sponsored worker live and work in Australia for up to four years.¹ It replaced the older Temporary Skill Shortage visa and now runs through three streams: Core Skills for occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List, Specialist Skills for higher-paid roles, and Labour Agreement for positions covered by a formal government-employer agreement. Most people begin their sponsored journey here, and the 482 can be a stepping stone to permanent residency.

The Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) grants permanent residency outright.² It has two main streams. Direct Entry is for people applying for PR from scratch. The Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream is for workers already holding a 482 or legacy 457 visa who have worked for their nominating employer for at least two of the three years before applying.³

The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa (subclass 494) is a provisional visa for filling shortages outside Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.⁴ Holders must live and work in the designated regional area for the visa’s duration. After three years, they may become eligible for permanent residency through the subclass 191 visa.

How the 482 Streams Compare

The Core Skills stream covers occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List, which replaced the earlier Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List and Short-term Skilled Occupation List.⁵ Applicants need at least one year of relevant work experience and must earn at least the Core Skills Income Threshold: AUD 76,515 for nominations lodged between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026, rising to AUD 79,499 from 1 July 2026.⁶

The Specialist Skills stream is for higher-earning professionals in ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5, or 6. It also requires one year of experience, but the salary bar is much higher: AUD 141,210 for 2025–26, rising to AUD 146,717 from 1 July 2026.⁷ The Specialist Skills stream tends to process significantly faster than Core Skills.

The Labour Agreement stream operates under a negotiated agreement between the Australian Government and a specific employer or industry group. It exists for niche industries and regional employers where standard occupation lists and thresholds don’t fit.¹

What the Employer Has to Do

Before sponsoring anyone, a business needs approval as a Standard Business Sponsor. This means showing the business is lawfully operating in Australia and has no history of non-compliance with immigration or workplace laws.⁸ Once approved, the employer lodges a nomination for the specific position. The occupation must appear on the relevant list: the Core Skills Occupation List for the 482 Core Skills stream, the relevant ANZSCO Major Groups for Specialist Skills, and the occupation shortage data maintained by Jobs and Skills Australia for the 494.⁹

Labour Market Testing

For most 482 Core Skills, Specialist Skills, and 494 nominations, the employer must show they advertised the role locally for at least four weeks within the four months before lodging.¹⁰ The advertising must have accepted applications for the full four-week period, and the Department checks platform choice and ad wording carefully. This is a common reason otherwise solid nominations fail.

Salary: Threshold and Market Rate

The salary rules trip up more employers than any other requirement. The sponsored worker must be paid at least the applicable income threshold, but the employer must also pay the Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR) — whatever an equivalent Australian worker would earn in the same role and location. If the AMSR is higher than the threshold, the AMSR wins.⁶

For workers earning under AUD 250,000 per year, the employer has to prove the AMSR using enterprise agreements, salary surveys, recent job ads, or employer association advice. If there’s an equivalent Australian worker on staff, that person’s pay sets the floor. Paying a sponsored worker less than an equivalent Australian colleague results in refusal. Non-monetary benefits like accommodation, a company car, or meal allowances are extras — they don’t count toward the minimum salary.

Skilling Australians Fund Levy

Employers pay the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy for each nomination, on top of any visa charges:¹¹

Small businesses (annual turnover under AUD 10 million): AUD 1,200 per year for the Skills in Demand visa, or AUD 3,000 as a one-off for the 186 and 494.
Larger businesses (turnover of AUD 10 million or more): AUD 1,800 per year for the Skills in Demand visa, or AUD 5,000 as a one-off for the 186 and 494.

The levy is paid by the employer, not the worker, and funds training for Australian citizens and permanent residents.

What the Worker Has to Qualify For

Age

Most permanent residency pathways require applicants to be under 45 at the time of application. High-income earners are exempt: if your base salary meets the Fair Work High Income Threshold (AUD 183,100 for 2025–26, indexed annually), the age cap doesn’t apply.³ Academics nominated by Australian universities and scientists nominated by government research agencies are also exempt. The temporary 482 has no age limit.

English

You need to sit an approved English test within three years before applying. For the 482 Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams, IELTS scores taken on or after 13 September 2025 must be at least 5.0 in each band.¹² PTE Academic is also accepted, with minimums of 33 listening, 36 reading, 29 writing, and 24 speaking. The 186 Direct Entry stream generally requires “competent English” — IELTS 6.0 in each band. Passport holders from certain English-speaking countries may be exempt.

Skills Assessment

A skills assessment confirms your qualifications and experience meet Australian standards for the nominated occupation. It’s carried out by the relevant assessing authority, and there are 39 approved authorities, each with its own procedures, timeframes, and fees.¹³ For the 482, only certain occupations need one. For the 186 Direct Entry stream, most applicants do.¹⁴ The 186 TRT stream usually skips it, because two years of documented employment already demonstrates competence.

Work Experience

The 482 (both Core Skills and Specialist Skills) requires at least one year of relevant full-time experience in the nominated occupation or a closely related field, gained within the last five years.¹⁵ Part-time or casual work counts if it adds up to 12 months full-time equivalent. The 186 Direct Entry stream requires at least three years of relevant experience unless you qualify for an exemption.¹⁴

Health and Character

Every applicant and any included family members must pass a health examination with a Department-approved panel physician. Character requirements mean police certificates from every country where you’ve lived a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16.¹⁶ Time in Australia calls for an Australian Federal Police check. If you’re in the United States, request an FBI Identity History Summary, which can be submitted electronically for faster processing.¹⁷ Start police clearances early. Overseas processing times vary widely and can’t be rushed.

Health Insurance

Subclass 482 and 494 visas carry condition 8501: you must hold adequate private health insurance for the whole time you’re in Australia. The standard product is Overseas Visitor Health Cover from an Australian-registered private insurer.¹⁸ The policy has to cover at least public hospital rates for overnight and day-only admissions, emergency department visits leading to admission, and post-operative services. Even with cover you may face co-payments or excesses. Holders from countries with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement, such as the UK and some European nations, may have some costs covered through Medicare, which affects the private cover level needed.

Cost, Lodgement, and Processing

Applications go through the Department of Home Affairs’ ImmiAccount portal, where you upload documents and pay the visa application charge.¹⁹ For the 482, the base charge for a primary applicant starts at AUD 3,210. Permanent residency through the 186 costs considerably more. Check the Department’s current visa pricing page before lodging, since fees are updated periodically.²⁰

Documents not originally in English need certified translations from an accredited translator. Untranslated documents will not be accepted.

If you’re already onshore on another valid visa, a Bridging Visa A is generally granted automatically with your application, so you can keep living and working lawfully while it’s decided.²¹ To travel internationally during processing, you need to apply separately for a Bridging Visa B, which permits re-entry inside a specified travel window.²²

Processing varies significantly. As a rough guide, the 482 Specialist Skills stream is fastest, with half of applications decided in under two weeks. The 482 Core Skills stream is slower, with 90% decided within about four months. Subclass 186 applications generally take longer, particularly through Direct Entry.

Bringing Your Family

Your spouse or de facto partner and dependent children under 23 can be included as secondary applicants. Dependent children 23 or older qualify only if they can’t work because of a physical or mental disability. All family members must meet the same health and character rules as the primary applicant and must be included in the nomination or have written agreement from the sponsoring employer.

Family members cannot be added after lodgement. If your circumstances change — you marry after applying, say — your partner has to apply separately as a subsequent entrant. Additional applicant charges apply: for the 482, AUD 3,210 for each family member aged 18 and over, and AUD 805 for each child under 18.²³

Partners included on a 482 get full work rights. They can work for any employer, in any industry, without separate sponsorship, and they can study.

Working in Australia on a Sponsored Visa

Subclass 482 holders are bound by condition 8607: you can only work in your nominated occupation for your approved sponsor. You must start work within 90 days of arriving in Australia (if the visa was granted offshore) or within 90 days of the grant date (if you were already onshore). If your occupation requires a licence or professional registration, get it inside that same window.

To change employers in the same occupation, your new employer must lodge a nomination before you can start. A different occupation entirely means both a new nomination and a new visa grant before work begins.

If your employment ends — whether you resign or are let go — you have up to 180 consecutive days without working in your nominated occupation before you risk breaching your visa. Over the whole life of the visa, the cumulative cap on non-employment is 365 days. During these gaps you can work in other occupations for other employers. If no new sponsor turns up inside 180 days, you’ll need to either apply for a different visa or leave the country.

Moving From a 482 to Permanent Residency

The most common route to PR from a 482 runs through the subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream. You’re eligible if you’ve worked full-time for your nominating employer in the sponsored occupation for at least two of the three years before applying.³ This covers holders of any 482 stream and of the legacy 457.

TRT has a lighter documentation load than Direct Entry. You generally don’t need a skills assessment because sustained employment already shows competence. You still need to be under 45 (unless the high-income exemption applies), hold at least competent English, and meet health and character requirements. Your employer lodges the nomination, and you must apply for the visa within six months of that nomination being approved.

For 494 regional visa holders, the pathway runs through the subclass 191 visa after living and working in a designated regional area for at least three years.

Workplace Rights

Sponsored workers have the same workplace rights as Australian citizens and permanent residents. The Fair Work Ombudsman regulates wages, leave, termination, and workplace conditions for all employees regardless of visa status.²⁴ If your employer is underpaying you, denying leave, or imposing conditions not in your contract, the Fair Work Ombudsman offers free advice and assistance.

The Department of Home Affairs has stated that contacting the Fair Work Ombudsman will not result in your visa being cancelled, even if you’ve breached a visa condition. Employers found to have committed serious or repeated breaches can be placed on the Australian Border Force’s Prohibited Employers register, banning them from hiring migrant workers at all.

1
Department of Home Affairs. Skills in Demand Visa (Subclass 482)
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Department of Home Affairs. Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186)
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Department of Home Affairs. Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) Temporary Residence Transition Stream
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Department of Home Affairs. Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 494)
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Australian Government. Migration (Specification of Occupations – Subclass 482 Visa) – Core Skills Occupation List
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Department of Home Affairs. Salary Requirements to Nominate a Worker
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Department of Home Affairs. Skills in Demand Visa (Subclass 482) Specialist Skills Stream
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Department of Home Affairs. Becoming a Sponsor – Standard Business Sponsor
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Jobs and Skills Australia. Occupation Shortage List
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Department of Home Affairs. Labour Market Testing
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Department of Home Affairs. Cost of Sponsoring
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Department of Home Affairs. English Proficiency (Subclass 482)
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Department of Home Affairs. Skills Assessment
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Department of Home Affairs. Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) Direct Entry Stream
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Department of Home Affairs. Skills in Demand Visa (Subclass 482) Core Skills Stream
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Australia in the USA. Visa Requirements – Section: Character Requirements
17
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions
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Department of Home Affairs. Adequate Health Insurance for Visa Holders
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Department of Home Affairs. Applying Online in ImmiAccount
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Department of Home Affairs. Current Visa Pricing
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Department of Home Affairs. Subclass 010 Bridging Visa A (BVA)
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Department of Home Affairs. Subclass 020 Bridging Visa B (BVB)
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Department of Home Affairs. Skills in Demand Visa (Subclass 482) Subsequent Entrant
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Fair Work Ombudsman. Visa Holders and Migrants