Sponsorship and compliance

Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186)

The Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme lets an Australian employer nominate a skilled worker for permanent residence, usually through the Temporary Residence Transition stream after a qualifying period working for an approved sponsor. Resource Visa prepares these nominations for Australian employers as part of a workforce plan rather than as a last-minute response to a visa expiry.

Why nominate

Why employers nominate for permanent residence

The argument is retention economics, not goodwill.

Supporting permanent residence reduces turnover, removes recurring renewal costs, and stabilises the workforce in exactly the roles where replacement is hardest, remote sites, specialist trades, FIFO rosters where a departure leaves a slot nobody local can fill.

It is the difference between an employee who is planning their next three years with you and one who is planning them somewhere else.

The cost of nominating is often lower than the cost of losing an experienced person from a role that was hard to fill.

Sponsorship and nomination charges, the Skilling Australians Fund levy and recruitment costs sit with the sponsor. Australian law prohibits passing them to the sponsored worker, directly or through deductions or bonds.

Streams

The two main streams

Temporary Residence Transition

For workers who have held a subclass 482 visa and completed the qualifying period working for an approved sponsor.

The role must still be genuine and ongoing
English, skills and salary requirements apply

Direct Entry

For workers who have not held a qualifying temporary visa, or have not completed the qualifying period.

Relevant skilled work experience is required
A positive skills assessment is generally required
More documentation is needed upfront
No waiting period, available where the criteria are met

Typical: new hires recruited offshore, regional specialists.

Timing

When to start

Six to twelve months before eligibility, not at visa expiry.

Starting early gives you time to fix the things that turn out to be problems: employment records that do not cleanly evidence the qualifying period, a role that has drifted from the nominated occupation, a salary that has not kept pace with the threshold, a skills assessment with a lead time of its own.

Each is easier to deal with given notice.

Requirements

What your business has to show

The 482 is a temporary visa. Permanent residence is a separate step, usually through the subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream after a qualifying period working for an approved sponsor. For that stream the nomination comes from the sponsoring employer; a Direct Entry nomination doesn’t need sponsorship approval. Either way, the position must be full-time and available for at least two years.

A genuine, ongoing, full-time position
Salary meeting the applicable threshold and the market rate for the role
Consistent documentation of the worker’s employment and the nominated role
A clean sponsorship compliance record

A nomination is assessed against a business whose sponsorship history is visible to the Department.

Sponsor obligations and monitoring

Obstacles

What gets in the way

Role drift. The worker was nominated for one occupation and has grown into another. Common, entirely innocent, and it complicates a transition nomination.

Records that do not evidence the qualifying period cleanly.

A role that is not genuinely ongoing. Project-tied roles need care on any permanent-residence pathway.

Salary drift against a threshold that indexes. A salary that met the threshold at nomination may not at permanent residence stage.

We will tell you which of these applies before you commit, rather than after.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

How long must a worker be sponsored before the Temporary Residence Transition stream is available?

A qualifying period working for an approved sponsor. The exact requirement depends on the visa held and current settings, and we check it for each worker.

Can a worker go straight to permanent residence without a temporary visa first?

Through the Direct Entry stream, yes, where they meet the skills assessment and experience requirements. More documentation is needed upfront.

Does our business have to be an approved sponsor for the 186?

Not for every stream. The 482 is a temporary visa. Permanent residence is a separate step, usually through the subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream after a qualifying period working for an approved sponsor. For that stream the nomination comes from the sponsoring employer; a Direct Entry nomination doesn’t need sponsorship approval. Either way, the position must be full-time and available for at least two years.

The worker’s duties have changed since we nominated them. Is that a problem?

It can be. The permanent nomination needs to align with what they actually do, and consistency across the employment history matters. Raise it early, it is usually solvable with notice.

When should we start planning?

Six to twelve months before eligibility. Starting at visa expiry removes every option except urgency.

What if the role is tied to a project rather than being ongoing?

Project-tied roles need care on any permanent-residence pathway. The 482 is a temporary visa. Permanent residence is a separate step, usually through the subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream after a qualifying period working for an approved sponsor. For that stream the nomination comes from the sponsoring employer; a Direct Entry nomination doesn’t need sponsorship approval. Either way, the position must be full-time and available for at least two years.

Reviewed by a Registered Migration Agent (MARN 1686595) · Last reviewed [date]

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Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)

Sponsoring an ongoing role under the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa. The three streams, what your business must do, and the obligations that follow.

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