Subclass 482 — Skills in Demand
The main employer-sponsored work visa. Two-to-four-year initial grant depending on the stream. Can lead to PR via the 186 Temporary Residence Transition pathway after two years with the same employer.
Subclass 482
Regional employer-sponsored visas
Employer-sponsored visa agent on the Mid North Coast
Whichever side of the table you're on, employer-sponsored visas reward businesses that prepare properly and frustrate those that don't. We help local employers sponsor cleanly — and we help sponsored workers stand on their own merits.
Sponsoring a worker, or being sponsored?
We help Mid North Coast employers — from Taree mechanics and Forster marine operators to Coffs Harbour aged-care providers and Port Macquarie hospitals — sponsor workers cleanly. Pradeep Kaur (MARN 2619342) runs every employer-sponsored file from our office at 75 Neave Way. Where there's no conflict between sponsor and worker, we can run both sides for efficiency; where there is a conflict, we tell you and refer one side out — the professional standard the MARA Code of Conduct requires.
Visa subclasses we handle
The visas we work with
Subclass 494 — Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional
The Mid North Coast is a designated regional area. Five-year initial visa, PR via the 191 after three years. Generally a better retention tool than the 482 for regional employers.
Subclass 494 → 191Subclass 186 — Employer Nomination Scheme
Permanent residence through ongoing employment. Three streams: Direct Entry, Temporary Residence Transition (after two years on a 482), and Labour Agreement.
Subclass 186 · DE · TRTLabour Agreements & DAMA
Where standard occupation lists don't fit, we help businesses explore Labour Agreements — negotiated case by case where the standard pathway isn't viable.
Labour AgreementFor employers
- Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) applications and renewals — valid five years, supports multiple nominations.
- Nominations — the role-specific application, where many cases fall over on "genuine position" grounds.
- Labour Market Testing done properly: the right channels, the right salary, at least 28 days, ending within four months of nomination.
- Salary benchmarking against TSMIT (currently around $73,150, indexed) and the market rate.
- Compliance management — record-keeping, salary maintenance, change-of-circumstance notifications, the SAF levy.
- Renewal planning — we diary the five-year SBS renewal so it doesn't lapse.
For workers
- Visa application preparation and lodgement.
- Skill-assessment coordination — TRA for trades, ANMAC for nurses, EA for engineers, AITSL for teachers, VETASSESS for general professional roles.
- Family inclusion — partner and dependent children, with full work and study rights from grant.
- Bridging-visa management for onshore applicants whose existing visa is winding down.
- PR pathway planning — typically 482 → 186 TRT after two years, or 494 → 191 after three.
Industries we work with locally: aged care, nursing and allied health; construction and trades; hospitality; automotive; agriculture and dairy; education; IT; and marine.
Case example · three 482 nurses in six months
A Coffs Harbour aged-care provider needed three registered nurses on 482 visas inside six months. We coordinated the SBS, three nominations and three applicant files in parallel, including overseas skills assessments through ANMAC and family inclusions for two of the three nurses. All three arrived inside the window, and the provider now has three skilled workers on a PR pathway via the 186 TRT stream. Names withheld.
Did you know?
The Mid North Coast falls inside the designated regional area
That means employers here can sponsor under the 494, which has a longer initial visa and a regional PR pathway via the 191 — meaningful for retention and for the visa holder's family. For most Mid North Coast sponsorship cases, the 494 is the smarter long-term choice over the 482.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Most established businesses can, but you need to be approved as a Standard Business Sponsor first. We assess your eligibility at consultation — financials, structure, the role itself, any compliance history — before recommending a path. New businesses can be approved but generally face more scrutiny on financial-capacity grounds.
At a minimum, the TSMIT (currently around $73,150 — confirm at nomination, it indexes annually) and the annual market salary rate for the role. We benchmark the market rate using job-advertisement evidence. Underpaying a sponsored worker is a serious sponsorship breach.
SBS approval is usually 1–2 months. Nomination and visa together typically run 2–4 months depending on stream. Total time from SBS lodgement to grant is usually 3–6 months for a standard case.
Yes. Partner and dependent children can be included on the same application or added later. Family members have full work and study rights once the primary visa is granted.
Yes, generally through the 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream after two years with the same employer. We plan for this from day one. For 494 holders, the PR pathway is via the 191 after three years of regional residence.
Related
Explore related services
Sponsoring a worker — or being sponsored?
Call 0402 942 136 or book online. We'll map the SBS, nomination and visa timeline for your business or your role.