In August we opened a transition file for a software business in Richmond. The worker had two clean years on a 482. The problem sat on the employer's side. Twelve months in, the group had moved every employee to a new operating company with a new ABN. The second year of payslips came from an entity that had never sponsored anyone. The nomination could still be made, but only after the group structure was mapped and the associated entity position evidenced. The commercial team did the mapping. The migration team lodged. A restructure nobody had flagged became the file's hardest question. A two year plan, agreed on day one, would have caught it.
In short: The 186 transition stream needs two years of full time sponsored work in the three years before the visa is lodged, an applicant under 45 at lodgement, and a $6,140 visa charge. The visa must be lodged within six months of nomination approval, so both halves are planned together from the first day of the 482.
Two calendars, one file
Day one: the contract names the occupation, the duties and the entity, and payroll runs from that entity. Month twelve: any restructure, sale or change of payroll entity is checked against the sponsorship. Month eighteen: the salary is re-tested against $79,423 and the market rate, and the $540 nomination charge and the $3,000 or $5,000 levy are budgeted. Month twenty-two: the nomination is drafted. Month twenty-four: nomination and visa are lodged together.
Day one: every payslip is kept, and so is every leave record. Month twelve: the 45th birthday is checked against the planned lodgement date. Any promotion or change of duties is raised before it is accepted, because a change of occupation needs a new nomination and visa, and the 186 nomination must be in the most recently approved occupation. Month eighteen: English, health and police documents are gathered. Month twenty-four: the two years are complete and the visa is lodged with the nomination.
The plan by month
- Month 0Contract signed with the occupation, duties and entity fixed. Transition file opened alongside the 482 file.
- Month 12Entity, salary and age check. Any restructure planned with the nomination in mind, not after it.
- Month 18Employer decision and budget: $540 nomination charge, one off levy of $3,000 or $5,000.
- Month 22Nomination and visa prepared in parallel. Health examination, police certificates and English result obtained.
- Month 24Two years complete. Nomination and visa lodged together with the $6,140 charge.
- After approvalThe six month window for the visa is already closed, because the visa was lodged with the nomination.
Where are you in the two years?
How far into the 482 is the worker?
Three changes that need care
A change of employer does not restart the count. Time with an earlier sponsor still counts if it falls in the three years before the visa is lodged. Two conditions apply. The nominating business must be the worker's most recent approved sponsor, and time with a new employer counts only from the date it lodged a nomination that was later approved. A change of occupation needs a new nomination and visa. Work in any occupation the worker was approved for can count, but the 186 nomination must be in the same occupation as the most recent approved nomination. A change of entity needs the same care. The nominating entity must be the most recent approved sponsor, so a restructure that moves payroll to an unrelated company means that company must become the sponsor and nominate the worker before its time counts. Part time periods and long unpaid leave do not break the count, but they stretch it, and the records have to show the hours.
The Richmond file turned on the third. The new operating company was an associated entity, but proving it took company searches, a group chart and a director's statement. All of that could have been prepared at month twelve.
The 2026-27 figures
| Item | Who pays | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Visa application charge, main applicant | Either party | $6,140 |
| Additional applicant aged 18 or over | Either party | $3,070 |
| Additional applicant under 18 | Either party | $1,535 |
| Nomination charge | Employer | $540 |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, one off | Employer | $3,000 under $10 million turnover, otherwise $5,000 |
| Core Skills Income Threshold | Salary floor | $79,423 |
The employer cannot recover the nomination charge or the levy from the worker. Where the English requirement is met by paying a higher charge rather than testing, the main applicant charge rises to $9,800. Testing is nearly always the cheaper route.
The age line and the exemptions
The worker must be under 45 on the day the visa is lodged. The Department does not test age at decision. Exemptions exist for a small number of groups. They include certain academics, researchers, regional medical practitioners and workers paid above a high income threshold in each qualifying year. They are narrow and each has its own conditions. For everyone else the birthday is a hard date, and the plan works backwards from it. Our note on a decision-ready 186 nomination covers the employer's half of that plan.
Sales and restructures during the two years
A business does not stop trading because it sponsors people. Owners sell, groups restructure, and payroll moves. Each of those events touches the nomination, and each is easier to handle before it happens than after. Our commercial practice drafts the sale or restructure documents with the sponsored workforce in the term sheet. Our note on selling with sponsored staff sets out the sequence. The migration practice then lodges the nomination from the right entity. If a restructure is already planned, tell us before it is signed.
Figures verified against Home Affairs visa pricing as at 1 July 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Does a promotion break the two years?
Only if it moves the worker into a different occupation. A pay rise or a more senior title within the same ANZSCO occupation does not. Have the new duties checked against the code before the promotion takes effect.
Does the nominating company need the same ABN as the 482 sponsor?
The nominating entity must be the worker's most recent approved sponsor. A different ABN within the same group can work, with evidence that the two are the same employer. An unrelated company must first become the sponsor and lodge its own 482 nomination. The worker's earlier sponsored time still counts if it falls in the three years before the visa is lodged.
Does paid annual leave count towards the two years?
Paid leave taken as part of full time employment generally counts. Long unpaid leave can stretch the count, so keep leave records and raise any extended absence with us before it starts.
Does the six month window start at nomination lodgement or approval?
Approval. The visa application must be lodged within six months of the nomination being approved. Lodging the visa with the nomination removes the window as a risk.
Can the employer lodge the nomination before the two years are complete?
No. The two years must be complete when the nomination is made. A nomination lodged early is refused, and the charge and levy are spent. Calculate the date precisely and lodge on or after it.
General information as at 30 September 2026. Not legal advice. Transition criteria and charges change, and your position depends on your facts. Speak to a lawyer before relying on any of it.