Employer-sponsored · 482 · 186 · 494 · 407 · DAMA
Employer-sponsored visas — five routes, and the employer carries most of the work
An Australian business sponsors a skilled worker it cannot hire locally. Most routes run through three separate applications, and two of them belong to the employer. The 186 needs a nomination and the visa, without prior sponsor approval. Which route fits depends on the occupation, the location and whether permanent residence is the goal from the start.
What are employer-sponsored visas?
In Australia, an employer-sponsored visa (sometimes called a company-sponsored visa) is one where an approved Australian employer nominates a skilled worker for a specific position. There are five routes. The 482 for temporary skilled work, the 186 for permanent residence, and the 494 for regional employers. Then the 407 for workplace training, and the DAMA agreements for designated regions. None of them use a points test or an invitation round. A worker cannot apply alone. An employer must nominate the position first. On the 482 and 494, the employer must also be an approved sponsor.
Key facts
- Three applications on the 482 and 494. Sponsorship, then nomination, then the visa. The 186 skips sponsor approval.
- No points test on any employer-sponsored route.
- The 186 is permanent from grant. The 482 and 494 are not.
- Age under 45 for the 186 and 494, unless an exemption or a DAMA concession applies.
- DAMA concessions can lift the age limit and reduce English and salary settings.
- The employer pays the nomination charge and the Skilling Australians Fund levy.
- Family can be included, with work rights for a partner.
Which employer-sponsored visa is right?
| Route | Status | Streams | Leads to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subclass 482 – Skills in Demand | Temporary, up to 4 years | Core Skills, Specialist Skills, Labour Agreement | The 186, through the Temporary Residence Transition stream |
| Subclass 186 – Employer Nomination Scheme | Permanent from grant | Direct Entry, Temporary Residence Transition, Labour Agreement | Permanent residence itself |
| Subclass 494 – Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional | Provisional, up to 5 years | Employer Sponsored, Labour Agreement | The 191 after three years in a designated regional area |
| Subclass 407 – Training | Temporary | Occupational training, by nomination type | No direct permanent route |
| DAMA – 13 regional agreements | Uses the 482, 494 and 186 | Labour Agreement streams, per region | The 186 or the 191, on the agreement's terms |
The short version
- Permanent residence from day one, and the worker already qualifies? The 186 Direct Entry stream.
- Already working here on a 482 for the same employer? The 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream.
- Position is in a regional area? The 494, or a DAMA if one covers that region.
- Occupation is not on the standard lists? A labour agreement, which includes the DAMA route.
- Training rather than filling a role? The 407.
How does employer sponsorship actually work?
On the 482 and 494, three separate applications, in order. Two of them are the employer's, and the worker's visa is last. A 186 nomination does not need the employer to be an approved sponsor first.
- SponsorshipThe business is approved as a sponsor, or enters a labour agreement where the standard route does not fit. Not needed for a 186 Direct Entry nomination.
- NominationThe employer nominates the specific position, with the salary case, and labour market testing evidence where it applies.
- VisaThe worker applies, meeting the skills, English, health and character requirements for that subclass.
Labour market testing applies to both the 482 and the 494, and it is a nomination requirement, not a visa one. For the 482, requiring it can be displaced where it would be inconsistent with one of Australia's international trade obligations. That does not carry across to the 494 — those obligations are met through the 482 programme, so no trade-obligation relief applies to a regional nomination. A 494 nomination is tested every time. The only relief is for certain occupations and positions, and it is narrower than people expect: the advertising and timing requirements fall away, but the testing requirement itself does not, and the Department must still be satisfied that no suitable Australian worker was available.
What we see in practice
The Temporary Residence Transition route is where the timing goes wrong. The 186 requires at least two years on the visa, within the three years immediately before the application. Two years of full-time work in the occupation, for an approved sponsor, must also fall in that window. It is a rolling window, not a running total. A worker who did two years, left for a year, then returned has done the time. They may still sit outside the window. Where a 482 is bridging or lapsing, or the worker has changed employers, map the window first.
What does the employer have to do?
Most employer-sponsored visa requirements in Australia fall on the business before the worker applies.
- Be lawfully and actively operating in Australia, with a genuine need for the position.
- Test the local labour market for a 482 or 494, and keep the evidence current at nomination.
- Pay the market salary rate for the occupation, and meet the income threshold that applies to the subclass.
- Pay the nomination charge and the Skilling Australians Fund levy. Neither can be recovered from the worker.
- Meet ongoing sponsorship obligations — record keeping, notifying the Department of changes, and cooperating with monitoring.
Sponsorship obligations do not end at visa grant. They run for the life of the sponsorship and can be audited without warning. Read the sponsor obligations guide.
Income thresholds
Most nominations must reach a published income threshold as well as the market rate. The Core Skills Income Threshold applies to the 482 Core Skills stream and the 186. The Specialist Skills Income Threshold applies to the 482 Specialist Skills stream. The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold applies to the 494. All three index on 1 July each year, and a DAMA can concede a percentage of them for eligible occupations.
What does an employer-sponsored visa cost?
An employer-sponsored visa in Australia carries four layers of cost, and the employer pays three of them.
- The sponsorship application, where a standard business sponsorship is the route.
- The nomination charge, per position nominated.
- The Skilling Australians Fund levy, set by business turnover and the visa period.
- The visa application charge, paid by the applicant and indexed every 1 July.
We do not publish the amounts here. They move every year, and a stale figure on a cost page is worse than none. The Department's own pricing estimator carries the current charges, and we itemise all of them in writing before any engagement.
Skills assessments, English tests, health examinations and police certificates are separate costs. Which of them apply depends on the subclass and the occupation.
Can the worker get permanent residence?
| Starting point | Route to permanent residence |
|---|---|
| Subclass 482 | The 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream, needing at least two years held within the three years immediately before the application |
| Subclass 494 | The 191 after three years in a designated regional area, with your taxable income evidenced for the qualifying years and no employer nomination required |
| Subclass 186 | Permanent on grant |
| DAMA | The 186 after the period that agreement sets, or the 494 to the 191 |
| Subclass 407 | No direct route. It can support a later application on another subclass |
Age matters at the permanent stage rather than the temporary one. The 482 has no age limit of its own. The 186 and 494 normally require the applicant to be under 45. That is where a DAMA age concession changes the picture.
Family Members You Can Include
- Spouse or de facto partner: full work rights in Australia.
- Dependent children under 18: study rights, and Medicare on the permanent visas.
- Older dependants: may qualify if financially dependent.
Family must be declared at application stage or added later as subsequent entrants. On the 494 the family carries the regional condition as well.
Free download
The Employer-Sponsored Visas Handbook — 482 · 186 · 494 · 407
What each visa asks of you and your employer, the current income thresholds, the 482 to 186 and 494 to 191 routes, a side-by-side comparison and a document checklist. Written for sponsored workers.
PDF · September 2026 edition · no cost · prepared by a MARA-registered agent
The Employer-Sponsored Visas Handbook
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Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating it as one application. On the 482 and 494, sponsorship, nomination and visa are three, and two are the employer's.
- Counting 482 time as a running total. The 186 transition window is the three years immediately before the application.
- Leaving labour market testing stale. The evidence has to be current at nomination, not just at sponsorship.
- Assuming the regional route is open. The position must sit in a designated area, not just the head office.
- Budgeting from a website. Charges and thresholds index on 1 July, and the levy depends on turnover and visa period.
- Reading a DAMA concession as automatic. Concessions attach to occupations and must be requested.
Tips for Strong Application
- Settle the occupation code first. It drives the list, the assessment and the threshold.
- Fix the position's location before choosing between the 482, the 494 and a DAMA.
- Keep the advertising evidence dated, screenshotted and complete.
- Map the permanent residence route at the start, not in the final year of the temporary visa.
Related visas and resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Employer-Sponsored Visas?
Visas where an approved Australian employer nominates a skilled worker for a specific position it cannot fill locally. They cover the 482, 186, 494, 407 and the DAMA agreements.
Can I apply for an Employer-Sponsored Visa from outside Australia?
Yes. The 482, 186, 494 and 407 can all be applied for offshore. The employer's sponsorship and nomination still come first.
What is the difference between temporary and permanent Employer-Sponsored Visas?
The 482 and 494 are temporary or provisional and run for a set period. The 186 is permanent from the day it is granted. The temporary routes can lead to permanent residence on their own terms.
Can I include my family members in the application?
Yes. A partner and dependent children can be included, with work rights for the partner. They must be declared at application or added later as subsequent entrants.
Can I apply for Permanent Residency with an Employer-Sponsored Visa?
Yes, on most routes. The 186 is permanent on grant. The 482 leads to the 186 through the Temporary Residence Transition stream. The 494 leads to the 191 after three years.
How long must I hold a 482 before applying for the 186?
At least two years, and that time must fall within the three years immediately before the application. It is a rolling window rather than a lifetime total. Two years of full-time work in the occupation for an approved sponsor must also fall in that window.
Is there a points test?
No. Employer-sponsored visas are not points-tested and there is no invitation round. Selection is by the employer, against a nominated position.
What is the age limit?
The 482 has no age limit of its own. The 186 and 494 normally require the applicant to be under 45. Limited exemptions apply, and a DAMA can raise that limit for eligible occupations.
What is the processing time for Employer-Sponsored Visas?
It varies by subclass, stream, country and current departmental workload. The Department publishes current processing times and updates them regularly. We do not publish a figure that would go stale.
What happens if the worker leaves before the visa expires?
The sponsor has obligations to notify the Department, and in some circumstances to meet return travel costs. The worker generally needs a fresh nomination from another approved sponsor before starting new work.
Start with the occupation and the location.
A free eligibility check identifies the right route for the business and the role.
Visa Advisor is a MARA-registered visa agent in Sydney, NSW. We act for Australian employers and for sponsored workers, Australia-wide and offshore.
Sources and last checked dates
- Migration Regulations 1994 — Schedule 2, clauses 186.226 and 186.227 (the Temporary Residence Transition requirement: at least two years holding the visa, and two years of full-time employment in the occupation with an approved work sponsor, within the three years immediately before the application), Compilation No. 288, 1 July 2026 (F2026C00667) read 16 September 2026 open ↗
- Migration Regulations 1994 — regulation 5.19 (a 186 nomination is made by the employer, with no prior sponsor approval; the TRT nominator is the sponsor that last nominated the worker), regulations 2.72(15), 2.72C(15) and 2.72AA (income thresholds by stream; labour market testing prescribed for standard business sponsors), Compilation No. 288, 1 July 2026 (F2026C00667) read 16 September 2026 open ↗
- Migration Act 1958 — sections 140GBA and 140GBC (labour market testing for 482 and 494 nominations; the international trade obligation carve-out, and the occupation and position exemptions), with the Department's procedural instruction on Subclass 494 nominations §3.6.1 and §3.6.4: Australia's trade obligations are discharged through the 482 programme and none applies to the 494 read 16 September 2026 open ↗
- Migration (Exemptions from Skill, Age and English Language Requirements for Subclass 186, 187 and 494 Visas) Instrument 2019 — LIN 19/216, Compilation No. 4, F2024C01274 (age exemption classes) in force, checked 16 September 2026 open ↗
- Migration Regulations 1994 — Schedule 2, clause 191.222 (Subclass 191 taxable income for the relevant income years — no minimum amount is currently specified by instrument), Compilation No. 288 checked 16 September 2026 open ↗
- Department of Home Affairs — Designated Area Migration Agreements (the two-tier framework and the current thirteen agreements) page last updated 5 November 2025 · read 16 September 2026 open ↗
- Department of Home Affairs — cost of sponsoring, including the Skilling Australians Fund levy checked 8 September 2026 open ↗
- Department of Home Affairs — current visa pricing and the pricing estimator checked 8 September 2026 open ↗
- Department of Home Affairs — visa processing times checked 8 September 2026 open ↗
Income thresholds, the levy and visa application charges index on 1 July each year, and occupation lists change during a programme year. Confirm the current position with the Department before acting on anything on this page.