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482 Sponsorship: Job Offers, Changing Employers and Job Loss

Checked 30 September 2026General information

A practical employment checklist for Skills in Demand subclass 482 holders: check a sponsored offer, separate employer costs, plan a sponsor change and record the limits after a job ends. For stream eligibility and the detailed family-fee example, use our 482 application guide.

In this guide
  1. Before accepting a sponsored offer
  2. Check the role and stream
  3. Separate employer costs from your budget
  4. Plan the start date without a processing promise
  5. While sponsored employment continues
  6. Changing sponsor or occupation
  7. Check each family member separately
  8. Keep the records that may support a later 186
  9. If employment ends: record two clocks
  10. Frequently asked questions
  11. Sources and review scope
Employee and employer discussing 482 visa sponsorship in Australian workplace

Use this guide to prepare questions and organise evidence. Your grant notice, current visa conditions and the official rules control your situation. Get individual advice from a registered migration agent or Australian legal practitioner before a visa, work or travel decision with legal consequences.

Before accepting a sponsored offer

A job offer, a nomination and a visa are different things. The employer handles sponsorship and nomination; you apply for the visa. Ask which stage has actually been approved before agreeing to a start date or resigning.

  1. Get the legal employer name, work location, duties, nominated occupation and stream in writing. A job title alone is not an occupation assessment.
  2. Separate base salary, superannuation, allowances and any accommodation deductions. Ask which figures the employer is relying on for nomination.
  3. Ask for the nomination reference and who will tell you when it is approved. Keep your own visa application and grant records.
  4. Make any start-date plan conditional on lawful work rights. Check your current grant notice and VEVO rather than assuming a lodged application permits work.

Check the role and stream

For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, Core Skills has a $79,423 income threshold with no salary ceiling; Specialist Skills has a $146,576 threshold. The annual market salary rate also matters. Home Affairs salary requirements.

Core Skills uses the Core Skills Occupation List. Specialist Skills covers eligible ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6, excluding Groups 3, 7 and 8; a high salary does not make every occupation eligible. Labour Agreement terms depend on the agreement. Core and Specialist applicants generally need at least one year of relevant work experience in the previous five years; other skills, English and visa criteria also apply. Core Skills; Specialist Skills.

Separate employer costs from your budget

CostWhat to ask
Sponsorship and nominationEmployer pays the applicable application costs and SAF levy; these are not a worker reimbursement item.
Your visa applicationStandard Core/ Specialist main-applicant charge starts at $4,015, checked 30 September 2026. Check concessions and family charges in the official estimator.
Checks, insurance and professional helpObtain written quotes for your actual requirements. Do not accept a generic all-in estimate as a fee schedule.

Official sponsorship cost rules and visa pricing estimator.

If a contract bundles recruitment, sponsorship and visa charges into a repayment clause, ask for an itemised breakdown and independent advice before signing. Keep receipts and messages. Employers must not transfer prohibited costs to you or your family.

Plan the start date without a processing promise

Use the official processing-time guide for recently decided applications. It is not your place in a queue or a promised decision date. Sponsorship, nomination and visa decisions are separate dependencies; this page does not add them into a fixed end-to-end wait.

Build two budgets: one if you can lawfully keep working on your current visa, and one if you cannot. Keep relocation deposits, notice periods and accommodation cancellation terms beside the visa timeline.

While sponsored employment continues

The usual condition 8607 rule links work to the nominated occupation and sponsor, subject to specific exceptions. Do not assume casual side work or freelancing is permitted. The cessation flexibility below begins after the sponsored employment has ended. Check occupational registration and any health-insurance condition too. Read condition 8607.

Visa holders retain workplace rights. Save contracts, payslips, hours and bank deposits. If pay or deductions are wrong, use Fair Work help for visa holders; immigration sponsorship does not replace employment-law protections.

Changing sponsor or occupation

ChangePractical distinction
Same nominated occupation, different sponsorUsually a new approved nomination is needed, not a new visa, if the existing 482 remains valid. The approved transfer does not extend the visa expiry date.
Different nominated occupationGenerally requires a new nomination and new 482 visa. A similar job title is not enough to assume it is the same occupation.
Temporary work after cessationThe limited cessation-period permission is separate from completing a permanent sponsor or occupation change.

Home Affairs change-of-situation rules. Before starting a new sponsored role, confirm the nomination approval and any new visa requirement. Get advice if duties change, an exemption may apply, or the application is still pending.

Check each family member separately

Eligible family can be included, and secondary 482 holders can generally work and study. Check each person’s own grant notice and VEVO record rather than using the primary worker’s conditions. School fees depend on state and visa status. Medicare access is not automatic for every 482 family; reciprocal arrangements and other eligibility pathways need separate checking.

Keep the records that may support a later 186

The 186 TRT route generally needs 2 years of eligible sponsored employment in the 3 years before application, full-time in Australia. Work with different employers can count, subject to Home Affairs’ nomination-date rules. An employer nomination, age/English requirements or exemptions, and the other visa criteria still apply. Official 186 TRT eligibility.

Keep a dated employment ledger with employer, occupation, nomination approval, visa held, actual start/end dates, hours and unpaid leave. Do not assume every day of interim unsponsored work counts toward this requirement.

If employment ends: record two clocks

From 1 July 2024, the permitted cessation limits are 180 consecutive days and 365 days in total during the visa period. Days before that commencement are disregarded under the transitional rule. This does not extend your visa or protect against unrelated cancellation grounds. 2024 work-condition amendments.

During the permitted period after cessation you may work for other employers, including in other occupations, while arranging a new sponsor, another visa or departure. Stay within licensing requirements and all other conditions. Current condition guidance.

Illustrative ledger: earlier cessation periods total 250 days. A new period cannot simply use the full consecutive limit: only 115 aggregate days remain, and an earlier visa expiry may shorten that further. This arithmetic is a planning example, not a ruling on which dates count.

  1. Save the final employment date and check all earlier cessation periods on this visa.
  2. Confirm the visa expiry, present conditions and licensing status.
  3. Ask the prospective sponsor which approvals are still outstanding. A lodged nomination or job offer is not an approved transfer.
  4. Get individual migration advice well before a limit is near. Do not assume lodging any other visa application resolves current compliance.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a new visa to change employers?

Not normally for a sponsor change in the same nominated occupation while your 482 remains valid. The new employer needs an approved nomination. A change of nominated occupation generally requires a new nomination and a new 482 visa; get advice about any applicable exception.

How long can I be between sponsors?

Condition 8607 permits up to 180 consecutive days and 365 days in total during the visa period outside the usual sponsored work. The visa expiry date still applies. Track both limits; a new job offer alone does not complete the sponsorship process.

Can I earn money while looking for a sponsor?

After sponsored employment has ceased, permitted work during the cessation period can include other employers and other occupations. This is not general permission to take a second job while still working for your sponsor. Licensing and other visa conditions still apply.

Can my employer charge me for sponsorship?

The employer must bear sponsorship, nomination and associated sponsorship costs, including the SAF levy. These cannot be transferred to you or your family. Applicant visa charges are separate and the employer may agree to cover them.

Does changing sponsors restart my permanent-residence clock?

Eligible sponsored employment with different employers can count for the 186 Temporary Residence Transition requirement. The current employer nomination and all other requirements still matter. Keep nomination approvals and work records; the visa is not automatic after two years.

Sources and review scope

Checked 30 September 2026. This is an editorial source check, not professional certification or an assessment of your eligibility. Fees, country arrangements and processing data can change; reopen the linked official pages before acting.