Work Visa Lawyers in Australia

Work and Skilled Visas Explained

Australia's temporary and permanent skilled migration system changed substantially over the past two years. The old Temporary Skill Shortage visa closed and was replaced by the Skills in Demand visa in December 2024, and the pathway from that visa to permanent residency was shortened in late 2025. Understanding which visa applies to your situation depends on whether you already have an Australian employer willing to sponsor you, and whether your occupation and points score can support an independent or state-nominated application.

Subclass 482: Skills in Demand Visa

The Subclass 482 is Australia's main employer-sponsored temporary work visa. An approved Australian business sponsors you to fill a role it cannot find a suitably skilled local worker for. The visa is issued for up to four years and gives full work rights with the sponsoring employer, plus Medicare access and the ability to include a partner and dependent children. The 482 now runs across three streams, and which one applies depends on your salary and occupation rather than a single fixed list. See our detailed guides on the 482 employer sponsorship process and the visa conditions attached to a 482.

Subclass 186: Employer Nomination Scheme

The Subclass 186 is the main direct pathway to permanent residency through an employer. Most applicants transition from a 482 visa into the 186 once they have worked for their sponsoring employer for the required period. A smaller number of highly experienced applicants may qualify through the Direct Entry stream without first holding a 482. Once granted, the 186 gives permanent residency immediately, with a pathway to citizenship after meeting the standard residence requirement.

Subclass 494: Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional Visa

The Subclass 494 is the regional equivalent of the 482. An employer in a designated regional area sponsors you for a five-year provisional visa, with a pathway to permanent residency through the Subclass 191 after meeting the residence and income requirements. The 494 uses the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold rather than the Core Skills Income Threshold, though both figures currently sit at the same amount. Because almost all of Australia outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane counts as regional for this visa, the 494 is often overlooked by applicants who assume they need a metropolitan employer.

Subclass 189: Skilled Independent Visa

The Subclass 189 does not require an employer or state sponsor at all. It is a points-tested permanent visa open to applicants whose occupation sits on the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List, who hold a positive skills assessment and who score highly enough on the points test to receive an invitation through SkillSelect. Because there is no sponsor, applicants can live and work anywhere in Australia once granted.

Subclass 190: Skilled Nominated Visa

The Subclass 190 works the same way as the 189 but requires nomination by an Australian state or territory government, which usually commits the applicant to living in that state for a period after grant. In exchange, the nominating state adds bonus points to the applicant's score, and a broader range of occupations become available since the 190 draws on both the Medium and Long-Term list and the Short-Term Skilled Occupation List. If you are weighing the two, read our full 189 versus 190 comparison.

When to Use an Immigration Lawyer for Work Visas

Both MARA-registered migration agents and immigration lawyers can lodge and manage a work visa application. The practical difference is what happens when something goes wrong. A registered migration agent is qualified to handle the full sponsorship, nomination and visa process, and for the majority of straightforward 482, 186 and 494 applications that is exactly the right level of help. An immigration lawyer becomes the better choice when the matter moves beyond a standard lodgement.

Choosing an immigration lawyer for work visas is usually worth it in the following situations. Note that many immigration lawyers are also MARA-registered, so you are not choosing between two separate systems.

Work Visa Lawyers by City

Visa rules are national and do not change from one city to another, but employer sponsorship markets and state nomination programs do. These pages cover the local layer, including which state or territory nomination program applies, where the panel health clinics are, and which Administrative Review Tribunal registry hears local matters.

Eligibility Requirements

Each pathway has its own eligibility framework, but a few requirements run across all of them: a positive skills assessment or occupation match against the correct skilled occupation list, health and character checks, and English language proficiency, usually Competent English or higher. Employer-sponsored pathways add a genuine job offer and an approved sponsoring business, while points-tested pathways add the points test itself, currently requiring a minimum of 65 points to lodge an expression of interest, though most invitations in 2026 are going to applicants scoring well above that minimum.

Not sure how many points you have? Try the PR points calculator.

The Three Streams of the Subclass 482 Visa

Which 482 stream applies to you depends entirely on your salary and occupation, not on your job title alone.

How to Get From a Work Visa to Permanent Residency

For most 482 visa holders, the standard route to permanent residency runs through the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme, via the Temporary Residence Transition stream. As of late 2025 this now requires only two years of full-time work with the sponsoring employer, reduced from three, which has meaningfully shortened the overall timeline for many applicants. That two-year qualifying period is now portable across multiple approved sponsors, so changing employers does not automatically reset the clock. For the full breakdown, see our guide to the 482 to permanent residency pathway.

1. Get sponsored on a 482 visa. Your employer becomes an approved Standard Business Sponsor and nominates you into the appropriate stream.
2. Work in the nominated role for the required period. Generally two years for the Temporary Residence Transition stream, though this can vary by circumstance.
3. Employer nominates you for the 186. The nomination confirms the role is ongoing and genuinely needs to be filled permanently.
4. Lodge the 186 application. You provide updated evidence of your employment, health, character and English requirements.
5. 186 visa is granted. You become a permanent resident of Australia, with a pathway to citizenship after meeting the residence requirement.

Work out your fastest path to permanent residency. Start your free assessment.

Costs and Processing Times

Government charges and processing times vary significantly across these pathways. For the 482 visa, the primary applicant charge depends on the stream, with the Specialist Skills stream sitting at a lower flat charge and Core Skills applicants typically paying more depending on the size of the sponsoring business and any Skilling Australians Fund levy the employer must pay separately. For the 189, 190, 494 and 186 visas, the government charge is a single payment covering the grant. Processing times differ just as much: Specialist Skills 482 applications can be decided in as little as seven days, while Core Skills 482 applications are currently taking up to eight months, and 189/190 visas typically take five to twelve months after an invitation is accepted, longer for high-volume occupations such as accounting and ICT.

For current government charges by stream and family size, the Department of Home Affairs publishes the full fee schedule on its website. Employers should also budget for the Skilling Australians Fund levy, which is separate from the visa application charge and must be paid by the sponsoring business, not the applicant.

Common Mistakes That Derail Work and Skilled Visa Applications

Why Get Matched Through Us

AussieMigrationGuide is an independent information and referral platform. We are not a law firm and not a registered migration agency, and we never provide immigration advice ourselves. What we do is help you understand the work and skilled visa system in plain language, then connect you with a MARA-registered migration agent or immigration lawyer from our network who can review your occupation, salary and points position and represent you directly with the Department of Home Affairs. There is no cost to you to be matched, and no obligation to proceed.

How Our Matching Works

1. Submit your free assessment. Tell us your occupation, whether you have an employer willing to sponsor you, and roughly where your points might sit.
2. We review your situation. We look at which pathway, employer-sponsored or points-tested, and which specialist experience fits your case.
3. We connect you with a MARA-registered agent or immigration lawyer. They contact you directly to review your occupation, skills assessment and salary position.
4. You decide how to proceed. There is no obligation, and the advice you receive comes from the registered professional, not from us.

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