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Employer sponsored visas, from sponsorship to permanent residence.
The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) lets an approved Australian employer sponsor you to work here for up to four years. The Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) turns that sponsorship into permanent residence. We act for the worker, the employer, or both.
Three situations we see every week
Employer sponsorship is the most flexible pathway in the programme, but it only works when the occupation, the salary and the business all line up. Here is where most of our clients start.
I have a job offer, or an employer willing to sponsor me
Your employer needs Standard Business Sponsorship approval, then a nomination for your occupation, then your visa. We run all three in parallel so nothing waits on paperwork. Your occupation must be on the Core Skills Occupation List, or meet the Specialist Skills income threshold.
I am on a 482 and want permanent residence
After two years of full-time work with your sponsor in your nominated occupation, you can be nominated for the subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream. We check your work history, salary records and any employer change before the two-year mark so the nomination is ready on the day you qualify.
I need to change employer while on a 482
You have 180 days to find a new sponsor after leaving your employer, and you may work for other employers in that window. A new nomination must be approved before you start with the new sponsor. We manage the timing so you never fall out of status.
Choose the stream that fits the occupation and the salary
Subclass 482 has three streams. Subclass 186 has three as well. The right combination depends on the occupation, how long you have worked in Australia and what the business can pay.
Core Skills stream
For occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List, paid at least the Core Skills Income Threshold of AUD 79,423 and the annual market salary rate, whichever is higher.
- At least one year of relevant work experience in the occupation or a related field
- Skills assessment where the occupation requires one
- English at the required standard unless exempt
- Work only for the sponsor or an associated entity
Specialist Skills stream
For highly paid roles in ANZSCO major groups 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 where the salary meets the Specialist Skills Income Threshold of AUD 146,576. No occupation list applies.
- Priority processing for specialist roles
- Trades workers, machinery operators, drivers and labourers are excluded
- Same one-year experience and English requirements as the Core Skills stream
Labour Agreement stream
For employers with a labour agreement with the Commonwealth, including aged care, and industry or designated area migration agreements.
- Concessions on age, English, salary and occupation as negotiated in the agreement
- Aged care industry labour agreement for direct care workers
- We advise employers on entering an agreement and workers on the concessions available
Permanent residence: TRT, Direct Entry and Labour Agreement
Temporary Residence Transition after two years of sponsored work; Direct Entry with a skills assessment and three years of experience; or a labour agreement pathway.
- Under 45 at lodgement unless an exemption applies
- Nomination approved within the six months before you apply
- Employer commits to a genuine, full-time position for at least two years
- Health, character and English requirements
What employer sponsored visas cost
Department of Home Affairs charges effective 1 July 2026. The sponsorship application charge, the nomination charge and the Skilling Australians Fund levy are paid by the employer and cannot lawfully be recovered from the worker. The visa application charge below is usually paid by the applicant unless the employer agrees otherwise.
| Visa | At lodgement | Additional adult | Additional child | Second instalment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subclass 482 Skills in Demand, all three streams | AUD 4,015 | AUD 4,015 | AUD 1,005 | None. A subsequent temporary application charge of AUD 700 may apply where you are already in Australia on certain visas. |
| Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme, all three streams | AUD 6,140 | AUD 3,070 | AUD 1,535 | Where an applicant aged 18 or over is assessed as not having functional English: AUD 9,800 for the main applicant and AUD 4,890 for a secondary applicant, payable before grant. |
| Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) | AUD 6,140 | AUD 3,070 | AUD 1,535 | AUD 4,890 for any applicant aged 18 or over assessed as not having functional English. |
| Subclass 191 Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) | AUD 630 | AUD 315 | AUD 160 | None. Available after holding the 494 or 491 for at least three years. |
The income thresholds that go with these charges, for nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027: Core Skills Income Threshold AUD 79,423, Specialist Skills Income Threshold AUD 146,576, and the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold AUD 79,423. In every case the nominated salary must also be no less than the annual market salary rate for the role. Thresholds are indexed each 1 July in line with Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings. Charges are indexed on the same date. Figures are from the Department's current visa pricing table checked 1 September 2026 and are confirmed for your matter before lodgement. Concessional charges for Pacific and Timor-Leste passport holders. Nationals of Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu pay a reduced visa application charge on this visa. We do not publish the concessional amounts here, because they depend on your passport and they change. The Department's own visa pricing estimator will give you the exact figure for your circumstances in under a minute. Not every Pacific country is included: as at 17 September 2026 the Cook Islands, Niue, New Caledonia and French Polynesia are not, and pay the standard charge.
What the Department looks for
These are the core requirements for the worker. The employer must separately meet the sponsorship and nomination criteria, including labour market testing where it applies.
- A nominated occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List, or a salary at or above the Specialist Skills Income Threshold of AUD 146,576
- At least one year of relevant full-time work experience in the occupation or a related field (three years for 186 Direct Entry)
- A positive skills assessment where the occupation requires one
- English language ability at the required level, unless you hold an exempt passport or an exemption applies
- A salary at or above the relevant income threshold (Core Skills AUD 79,423, or Specialist Skills AUD 146,576) and at or above the annual market salary rate, with no recovery of sponsorship costs from you
- Health and character requirements, including police clearances for every country you have lived in for 12 months or more
- A genuine position, a genuine business need and, where required, evidence that the employer tested the local labour market
The law we apply
Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), Schedule 2, subclass 482 and subclass 186 criteria; Division 2.19 and regulations 2.72 to 2.72C on sponsorship, nomination and labour market testing.
Ministerial Direction No. 119 (commenced 25 July 2026) sets the order in which skilled visa applications are processed and replaced Direction No. 105.
Income thresholds are indexed each 1 July in line with Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings. The Department increased them by 3.8 per cent on 1 July 2026: Core Skills and the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold to AUD 79,423, and Specialist Skills to AUD 146,576, for nominations lodged to 30 June 2027. Figures checked 1 September 2026 and confirmed with you at the time of advice.
Sponsorship, nomination and visa, run together
Every matter runs under a written agreement that sets out the work and the fee before anything begins.
Assess both sides
We check the occupation, the salary, the business and the worker against the criteria and tell you candidly whether the pathway holds up.
Sponsorship and nomination
We prepare the Standard Business Sponsorship application, the nomination with labour market testing evidence and the position description, and lodge them in the right order.
Visa application
We prepare the worker's application, skills assessment, English evidence, health and character, and lodge it so that the three decisions land together.
Through to PR
We diarise the two-year mark, monitor conditions and salary compliance, and prepare the subclass 186 nomination when you qualify.
Where employer sponsored applications go wrong
These are the issues that most often decide this visa. We raise them with you at the first consultation, not after lodgement.
Occupation does not match the duties
The Department compares the position description with the ANZSCO occupation. A title that fits but duties that do not is the most common nomination refusal.
Salary below the threshold or the market rate
The nominated salary must meet both the relevant income threshold (Core Skills AUD 79,423 or Specialist Skills AUD 146,576) and what an Australian would be paid for the same role. Awards, enterprise agreements and job advertisements are all checked.
Labour market testing done late or in the wrong form
Advertisements must run for the required period, in the required places, within the required window before the nomination. We check the evidence before it is lodged.
Employer changes mid-visa
Ceasing employment triggers the 180-day rule. Working for a new employer before the new nomination is approved breaches condition 8607 and puts the visa at risk.
Employer sponsored visa questions
Can I bring my family on a subclass 482 visa?
How long does a subclass 482 take?
Do I need a skills assessment for a 482?
What does the employer pay?
Can a regional employer sponsor me for permanent residence?
Find out if sponsorship is realistic before anyone spends money
Tell us the occupation, the salary on offer and where you are now. We will tell you which stream fits, what the employer needs to have in place, and what it will take to get to permanent residence.
The information on this page is general in nature, current as at 1 September 2026, and does not take account of your individual circumstances. It is not immigration assistance or legal advice. Visa criteria, charges, thresholds and processing priorities change; the requirements that apply to your matter are confirmed at the time of advice under a written agreement. No agent can guarantee a visa outcome. Migration Star, Registered Migration Agents, MARN 1797395.