Employer sponsored visa options explained: the 482, the permanent 186, and the regional 494. Registered migration agents in Brisbane for workers and employers.
An employer sponsored visa lets an approved Australian business sponsor a skilled worker to live and work here, either temporarily or permanently. If a company wants to hire you or keep you, and your occupation is in demand, sponsorship can be a fast and reliable route into Australia, and for many people it leads to permanent residency. There are three main options, and the right one depends on the job, the location, and how quickly permanent residency matters to you.
Our registered migration agents in Brisbane handle both sides of employer sponsorship, the worker’s application and the employer’s obligations. Here’s how the options compare and where we help.
Most sponsored work in Australia runs through one of these three visas. Each has its own purpose.
Skills in Demand / 482 visa: a temporary work visa that lets an approved employer sponsor you for a role on the relevant occupation list, usually for several years. It’s the most common employer sponsored visa, and several streams can lead toward permanent residency.
Employer Nomination Scheme / 186 visa: a permanent visa. If an employer wants to keep you long term and you meet the requirements, the 186 gives you permanent residency from the start. Many people move onto the 186 after time on a 482.
Skilled Employer Regional / 494 visa: a five-year provisional visa for skilled workers sponsored by an employer in regional Australia. It’s a pathway to permanent residency through the subclass 191.
If you’re not sure which fits, that’s normal. Working that out is the first thing we do.
Whichever visa you’re aiming for, the structure is similar. There are usually three parts to it:
Sponsorship. The business applies to become an approved sponsor, if it isn’t one already.
Nomination. The employer nominates a genuine position and the person to fill it, and the role has to meet pay and occupation requirements.
Visa application. You apply for the visa, and you have to meet the skills, English, health and character requirements that apply.
All three parts have to hold together. A strong applicant with a weak nomination still gets refused, and vice versa. That’s why we treat the employer’s side and the worker’s side as one connected case.
The choice usually comes down to a few practical questions.
Do you want permanent residency straight away? The 186 gives you that, if you and the employer qualify. The 482 and 494 are temporary or provisional first, with pathways to PR later.
Where is the job? If it’s in a regional area, the 494 is built for exactly that, and it comes with its own permanent pathway through the 191.
How settled is the role? A new arrangement often starts on a 482, then moves to the 186 once you’ve built time and experience with the employer.
We’ll look at your occupation, the employer’s situation and your goals, then recommend the path that’s realistic rather than the one that sounds best on paper.
Sponsorship is a two-way commitment. Employers take on real obligations around pay, record-keeping and the genuineness of the role, and getting those wrong can cause problems well beyond a single application. We advise businesses on becoming and staying an approved sponsor, and we prepare nominations that stand up to scrutiny. If you’re an employer trying to secure a valued worker, we can manage the whole process for you.
We work out which visa, 482, 186 or 494, actually fits the job and the person.
We manage the sponsorship and nomination for the employer.
We prepare the worker’s visa application, including skills assessment and English evidence.
We plan the pathway from a temporary visa to permanent residency.
We respond to the department on your behalf and keep both parties in the loop.
It’s a visa where an approved Australian business sponsors a skilled worker to live and work here. The main options are the temporary 482, the permanent 186, and the regional 494. Which one suits depends on the role, the location and your goals.
The 186 is permanent from the start. The 482 has streams that can lead to permanent residency over time, and the 494 leads to PR through the subclass 191 after you meet the regional requirements. We’ll map the pathway for your situation.
The business has to become an approved sponsor and nominate a genuine position that meets pay and occupation requirements. Not every role or business qualifies, so it’s worth checking early. We advise employers through the whole process.
It depends on the visa and your occupation. Some require a positive skills assessment, others may not. We’ll confirm what your specific case needs before you start.
Processing times vary by visa, occupation and how complete the application is. Some are faster than others, and a well-prepared file moves more smoothly. We’ll give you a realistic timeframe at your consultation.
Yes, in most cases you can include your partner and dependent children. They can usually live, work or study in Australia while the visa is valid. We’ll make sure they’re added correctly.
This depends on the visa. There’s usually a period to find a new sponsor or arrange another visa, and acting quickly matters. Talk to us straight away so we can protect your status.
Government charges differ across the 482, 186 and 494, and some costs fall on the employer. Because these figures change, we’ll give you the current fees and who pays what at your consultation.
Ideally the same registered agent handles both sides, so the sponsorship, nomination and visa application line up. We often act for the employer and the worker together, which avoids gaps and mixed messages.
