If my employer ends my employment, or I choose to resign, while I am holding a subclass 482 visa, What should I do for next?

From the date you finish employment, you generally have up to 180 days in one period, and no more than 365 days in total across your visa grant period, to find a new sponsor, apply for another visa, or depart Australia. You should confirm your final working date in writing, keep payslips and an employment separation letter or email, notify the department that your employment has ceased, and get migration advice early. If you want to stay on an employer-sponsored pathway, find a new employer who is willing and eligible to sponsor you. You cannot work before nomination approval. If you cannot find a sponsor, consider applying for a different visa you are eligible for or making plans to leave Australia before you risk breaching your visa conditions.

Employer Sponsored Visa Adelaide | TSS 482, ENS 186, RSMS 494

The Three Main Subclasses

Temporary Skill Shortage Visa — Subclass 482

The 482 is the standard short-term employer sponsored visa. It operates in two streams:

Stream	Occupation list	Max stay
Short-term	STOL	2 years (4 years under labour agreement)
Medium-term	MLTSSL	4 years

To sponsor a worker, the employer must be an approved Standard Business Sponsor, demonstrate genuine recruitment efforts from the local market, pay at least the market salary rate, and pay the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy annually.

Employer Nomination Scheme — Subclass 186

The 186 is a permanent residence visa. It has three streams:

Temporary Residence Transition (TRT): For 482 holders who've worked for their sponsor for at least 2 years in the same occupation
Direct Entry: For applicants who haven't held a 482 but meet the occupation, age, and skills requirements directly
Labour Agreement: For employers with an approved labour agreement

Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme — Subclass 494

The 494 is a 5-year provisional visa for regional employers. After 3 years of living and working in a designated regional area, holders can apply for permanent residence through the subclass 191.

For Employers — Standard Business Sponsorship

Before nominating a worker, you need to be an approved Standard Business Sponsor. This involves demonstrating your business is actively and lawfully operating in Australia. Once approved, you take on a set of ongoing obligations — salary requirements, record-keeping, notification events, and SAF levy payments.

We assist employers with the sponsorship application, nomination preparation, and maintaining compliance with the ongoing obligations. Whether you're applying for an employer sponsored visa or managing sponsorship duties, breaching obligations can result in bans and fines.

Read more: Standard Business Sponsorship →

For Workers — Reviewing Your Nomination

If your employer has offered to sponsor you, it's worth having the nomination reviewed before you lodge. Errors in the occupation, salary, or nomination conditions create delays — sometimes significant ones. We review nominations to make sure everything is correctly structured.

Pathway to Permanent Residence

Most medium-term 482 holders can transition to the 186 (TRT stream) after two years. We plan your employer sponsored visa pathway from the start so the timing, occupation, and employer obligations are all on track.

Changing employers on a 482? You must be sponsored by the new employer before you stop working for the current one. Contact us before you resign — the timing matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

We need the job offer details, your qualifications, and your work history. We check the occupation against the relevant list, confirm your eligibility, and then manage both the employer nomination and your visa application.

Yes. Your partner and dependent children can be included in both the 482 and 186 as secondary applicants. They receive the same visa conditions.

The Skilling Australians Fund levy is paid by the employer, annually, for each sponsored worker. The amount depends on the business size and the nomination period. Employers cannot pass this cost to the worker — doing so is a breach of sponsorship obligations.

A: In general, any lawfully operating Australian business can sponsor you for an employer-sponsored visa (such as subclass 482), as long as they meet the sponsorship and nomination requirements.

There is no fixed minimum turnover number set as a general rule. However, the employer’s financial capacity is very important. They must show they can afford the required salary threshold (where applicable) and that they have a genuine need for you in the position, which brings long-term benefits to the business.

What the employer must be able to demonstrate

1) Financial capacity

Ability to pay the offered salary (including superannuation)
Ability to meet the required salary threshold (where applicable)
Ability to meet ongoing employment costs across the nominated period

2) Genuine need for the position

The role is a real position in the business (not created just for visa purposes)
The duties match the nominated occupation
The business has a genuine, ongoing need for you in that role

3) Long-term benefit / business rationale

Filling a skills gap that is hard to recruit locally
Supporting expansion, service demand, project delivery, or new contracts
Improving productivity, quality, or capacity in a key area of the business

Step 1 — Know your time limit
From the date you finish employment, you generally have:
- up to 180 days in one period, and
- no more than 365 days in total across your visa grant period, to find a new sponsor, apply for another visa, or depart Australia.
Step 2 — Start planning immediately
- Confirm your final working date in writing (keep payslips and an employment separation letter/email).
- Notify the department that your employment has been ceased
- Get migration advice early (especially if your visa expiry date is close, or you have any past visa issues).
Step 3 — If you want to stay on an employer-sponsored pathway
- Find a new employer who is willing and eligible to sponsor you. YOU CANNOT WORK BEFORE NOMINATION APPROVAL
- The new employer will usually need to lodge a new nomination, and you may need to lodge a new 482 visa application (depending on your circumstances).
- Aim to lodge as early as possible — don’t wait until the end of the 180-day period.
Step 4 — If you can’t find a sponsor
You should consider:
- applying for a different visa you are eligible for (if available), or
- making plans to leave Australia before you risk breaching your visa conditions.
Step 5 — Understand the risk
If you exceed the allowed time period without a new sponsor/visa solution, you may be in breach of visa conditions and the Department may consider visa cancellation.

Employer Sponsored Visa 482, 186 & 494 Explained