How to Get an Australian Work Visa: Applying for the 482 and 186, Step by Step

When Filipinos ask about "the Australian work visa", they usually mean an employer-sponsored visa - and there are two that matter: the subclass 482 (Skills in Demand), which replaced the old TSS visa in December 2024, and the permanent subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme).

Here is the catch most people miss: you do not apply alone. A work visa is a three-party process between you, an approved Australian employer, and the Department. This guide shows exactly how it works, who pays for what, and how a 482 can lead to PR.

First, the catch: the employer sponsors you

You cannot self-apply for an Australian work visa. Three things have to line up, in order:

1. An approved employer with a genuine, skilled job offer they could not fill locally.
2. That employer becomes a Standard Business Sponsor and lodges a nomination for the specific position.
3. You (the worker) lodge the visa application.

Crucially, by law the employer pays the sponsorship, nomination and SAF levy costs - not the worker. A worker who "reimburses" these can jeopardise the visa.

The step-by-step application

1. Secure an eligible employer and a genuine job offer in a real, skilled, full-time vacancy (onshore or offshore).
2. Confirm the occupation is eligible - on the Core Skills Occupation List for the 482, or the relevant list for the 186 - and check any mandatory licensing or registration.
3. Employer becomes an approved Standard Business Sponsor (approval lasts five years).
4. Employer lodges the nomination for your position, pays the nomination fee and the SAF levy, and does Labour Market Testing where required.
5. You gather your evidence - skills and at least ~1 year of relevant experience, competent English, health examinations, and police clearance (NBI plus any country lived in 12+ months). For the 186 Direct Entry stream, also a positive skills assessment and being under 45.
6. You lodge the visa application and pay the Visa Application Charge in ImmiAccount, choosing your stream.
7. Await the decision and comply with your conditions - 482 holders work only for the sponsoring employer in the nominated occupation.

482 streams and the 186 PR pathway

The 482 has two main streams: Core Skills (occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List, salary at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold of AUD 76,515) and Specialist Skills (high-salary specialist roles, AUD 141,210+). Both can run up to four years.

The 186 is permanent and has two main streams: Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) - for workers already sponsored for around two of the last three years, usually with no skills assessment - and Direct Entry for skilled workers with limited Australian sponsorship history (needs a skills assessment, generally under 45). This is why the 482 is so attractive: it is a realistic runway to PR via the 186 TRT after about two years. See our guide on the 482-to-186 pathway.

Who pays what

The employer carries the sponsorship application, the nomination fee, and the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy. You pay your own Visa Application Charge (around AUD 3,210 for the 482 Core Skills, around AUD 4,910 for the 186 - indicative), plus your skills assessment, English test, medical and NBI clearance. If an "employer" asks you to cover their nomination or SAF costs, treat it as a red flag.

How Visa Alliance Philippines can help

Employer-sponsored visas have a lot of moving parts on both sides. Here is where we help:

• A free assessment to check your occupation, your offer and the right stream.
• Document preparation for your skills, experience, English and police evidence.
• Step-by-step guidance through the sponsorship, nomination and visa stages.
• Professional migration advice at Visa Alliance Australia for the formal advice and lodgement.

Start with a free assessment - honest guidance, no false promises.

Avoid these common mistakes

• Paying the employer's costs. The SBS, nomination and SAF levy are the employer's by law - covering them can void the visa.
• Wrong or unlicensed occupation. Applying for a role not on the list, or ignoring mandatory Australian registration (nursing, trades, engineering).
• Embellished experience letters. Unverifiable PH references trigger genuineness and PIC 4020 fraud refusals - and forgetting the NBI clearance.
• Lapsed English or medical. Letting a test or health check expire before lodgement, or assuming prior study removes the English requirement.

Have an offer (or a sponsor in mind) and want to check the occupation, stream and documents? We can help in a free assessment.