There is no "482 visa transfer" in the Migration Regulations. If you hold a subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) visa and want to work for a new employer, the new employer lodges a new nomination naming you. In the usual case you do not lodge a new visa application. The employer pays every government charge. You should not start work for the new employer until the nomination is approved.
This article is for the new employer. It covers the steps, who pays what, and a worked cost table. It also covers how changing employer affects your 186 permanent residency count. It does not repeat the 180-day rule. If you have already lost your job, start with the 180-day rule in condition 8607. The visa itself, its streams and salary thresholds are on our 482 visa page.
Figures current as at 28 October 2026; confirm with the Department of Home Affairs before lodgement.
The short answer
| Question | Answer | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a visa transfer? | No. The new employer nominates you as the holder of a current 482 visa | Regs 2.72(1)(b)(iia) and 2.73(1)(ab) |
| Do I lodge a new visa application? | Not for the nomination itself. See "When a new visa application may be needed" below | Regs 2.72 and 2.73 |
| Who pays the nomination fee and SAF levy? | The new employer, in full, when it lodges the nomination | Dept "Cost of sponsoring"; reg 2.73(5), (5A) |
| Can the employer recover those costs from me? | No. That includes migration agent costs | Reg 2.87(1A) and (1B) |
| When do I start with the new employer? | After the nomination is approved, never before | Reg 2.86A(3); Sch 8, cl 8607 |
| Does my time count towards the 186 TRT stream? | Time on a 482 can count across employers, with conditions. See below | Sch 2, cll 186.226 and 186.227 |
How a change of employer works
Regulation 2.72(1) lets a standard business sponsor nominate a proposed occupation for "a holder of a Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) visa". Regulation 2.73(1)(ab) sets the process for the same nominee. The employer lodges the nomination online. It pays the fee and any nomination training contribution charge (the Skilling Australians Fund, or SAF, levy) with it: reg 2.73(3) to (5A).
The steps are:
- The new employer must be an approved sponsor. If it is not, it applies to become a standard business sponsor first. The Department lists that cost at AUD420.
- The employer lodges a nomination. It names you, your occupation, the salary and the proposed period of stay. It pays the fee and levy at lodgement.
- The Department decides the nomination. Your 482 visa stays in effect while this happens.
- You start with the new employer after approval.
The Department's cost page confirms this route. It says the levy must be paid "where a nomination application is being lodged to allow a SID visa holder to change employer or occupation."
What the new employer must meet
A new nomination is a full nomination. It is not a paperwork transfer. It is assessed on its own facts.
| Requirement | What to check |
|---|---|
| Salary | The new job must meet the salary requirements for its stream. For nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, the Department lists Core Skills AUD79,423 and Specialist Skills AUD146,576 |
| Labour market testing | For most nominations, the position must have been advertised for at least four weeks within the four months before lodgement, with two valid advertisements. For existing visa holders, the Department lists one alternative only: a new nomination for the same position because earnings or the business structure changed. A move to a different employer is not in that list. Assume testing applies unless you have confirmed an exemption |
| Occupation | The occupation must be one the employer can nominate in the stream that applies. It must be the job you will actually do |
Who pays which charge
| Charge | Who pays | When | Amount (as at 28 October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard business sponsorship application (only if the new employer is not already approved) | Employer | On applying to become a sponsor | AUD420 |
| 482 nomination fee | Employer | At nomination lodgement | AUD330 |
| SAF levy, business turnover under AUD10 million | Employer | At nomination lodgement | AUD1,200 per year or part year of the proposed period |
| SAF levy, turnover AUD10 million or more | Employer | At nomination lodgement | AUD1,800 per year or part year of the proposed period |
The Department says: "You must pay for all costs associated with becoming a sponsor and nominating and sponsoring an applicant. You can't transfer these costs to the visa holder or their family members." On the levy it says: "Employers must not pass the SAF levy on to the visa applicant."
The legal basis is regulation 2.87(1A). A sponsor must not take any action that would make another person bear the costs of a nomination. Those costs include the nomination fee, the nomination training contribution charge and "migration agent costs". Regulation 2.87(1B) separately bars recovering those costs.
It is also illegal for a worker to pay for sponsorship. The Department says this includes salary deductions and any other benefit given in return. If an employer asks you to contribute to the nomination, treat it as a red flag.
Worked cost: what the new employer pays
The SAF levy is the base amount multiplied by the number of years in the proposed period of stay (1, 2, 3 or 4): SAF Charges Regulations, s 5(2). The table adds the AUD330 nomination fee. It assumes the employer is already an approved sponsor. It also assumes the Labour Agreement stream and minister of religion nominations do not apply. The levy is nil for ministers of religion and religious assistants in the Labour Agreement stream: s 5(3).
| Nomination period | Levy, turnover under AUD10m | Total with AUD330 fee | Levy, turnover AUD10m or more | Total with AUD330 fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | AUD1,200 | AUD1,530 | AUD1,800 | AUD2,130 |
| 2 years | AUD2,400 | AUD2,730 | AUD3,600 | AUD3,930 |
| 3 years | AUD3,600 | AUD3,930 | AUD5,400 | AUD5,730 |
| 4 years | AUD4,800 | AUD5,130 | AUD7,200 | AUD7,530 |
The 4-year, AUD10 million-plus levy matches the Department's own example of AUD7,200 (4 years at AUD1,800). These totals do not include advertising for labour market testing, migration agent costs or other business costs. The Department says levy payments are tax deductible.
Refunds and your previous employer
The Department does not refund costs if an application is not successful. Two refund points matter when an employee changes employer:
- Where a SID visa holder leaves the sponsoring employer within the first 12 months of employment and the visa period was more than 12 months, the Department lists a refund of the unused full years of the levy as one of its limited refund cases.
- If the new employer withdraws the nomination before any decision, the Department may refund the nomination fee and the levy.
Neither refund goes to you. Neither changes what the new employer owes.
When a new visa application may be needed
For a current 482 holder moving to a new employer, the Regulations provide for a nomination. Regulation 2.72(1)(b) separates a holder of a 482 visa from "an applicant or a proposed applicant" for one. The Department's cost page quotes the levy for a nomination "to allow a SID visa holder to change employer or occupation".
A new visa application is a real question if:
- you do not hold a 482 visa (for example, you hold a bridging, student or temporary graduate visa), so the employer would nominate you as a proposed applicant; or
- your 482 has expired or been cancelled; or
- you want to stay beyond the date your current visa expires. The Department's Core Skills page says that takes a new nomination and a new visa application.
If your visa was granted before 7 December 2024, the earlier version of condition 8607 still applies to it (Sch 13, cl 14502(4)). The new employer can still nominate you as the holder of that visa (reg 2.72(1)(b)(ii)).
Get advice on your own visa history before lodging anything.
When can I start with the new employer?
Start after the nomination is approved. Never start before.
Here is why. The sponsorship obligations to the new employer start on the day the Minister approves its nomination. The old sponsor's obligations end on that same day (reg 2.86A(3)(a)(i) and (b)(i)). The Department applies that approval date as the day you switch employers.
One point of care. The text of condition 8607 refers to "the nomination identified in the application for the most recent Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) visa granted". It does not say in terms that you may work for the new employer once a later nomination is approved. The approval-day start is how the Department applies the condition, using regulation 2.86A. A nomination that is only lodged does not move the obligations and is not one of the exceptions in condition 8607(3).
Starting early is a breach of a visa condition. It can be a ground for cancellation under section 116(1)(b) of the Migration Act. For the 180 consecutive-day limit, the 365-day total and the pre-7 December 2024 version of the condition, read our article on condition 8607.
Practical rule: agree a start date that follows the approval notice. Keep a copy of the notice.
Does changing employer affect my 186 PR pathway?
Clauses 186.226 and 186.227 of Schedule 2 set the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream test in two parts:
| Test | What it says | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Visa time | In the 3 years before you apply, you held a 457 or 482 visa (or in some cases a linked bridging visa) for at least 2 years in total | 186.226(1) |
| Employment | In the same 3 years you were employed by an approved work sponsor, in the occupation the visa was granted for, for at least 2 years in total (not counting unpaid leave), full-time and in Australia. Different rules apply to occupations in the instrument made under reg 2.72(13) | 186.227(1) and (2) |
The wording is "an approved work sponsor", not "the same sponsor". Time with different approved sponsors can add up. Changing employer does not by itself reset the count. Two cautions come from the same text:
- Occupation. The employment must be in the occupation the visa was granted for. If the new nomination is for a different occupation, settle how the earlier time counts before you move. This is our reading of the wording.
- Gaps. Time not working for a sponsor is not employment. A gap while you wait for the new nomination to be approved can reduce the total.
Which employer must nominate you for the 186 is covered in the 482 to 186 pathway and on our 186 employer nomination page.
Common failure points
| Failure | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Starting work when the nomination is lodged | Obligations move only on approval (reg 2.86A(3)); a breach of condition 8607 is a cancellation ground |
| Employer asks you to share the levy or fee | Employers must not recover those costs; paying for sponsorship is illegal |
| Not allowing for labour market testing | Advertising for at least four weeks within four months of lodgement can delay lodgement |
| Employer is not an approved sponsor | Sponsorship approval comes before the nomination can be lodged |
| Changing occupation without checking the 186 count | Clause 186.227 ties employment to the occupation of the visa |
| Waiting until the 180 days are nearly spent | Nomination processing time is outside your control |
Frequently asked questions
Is there such a thing as a 482 visa transfer? No. The Regulations provide for a new employer to nominate you as the holder of a 482 visa: regs 2.72(1)(b)(iia) and 2.73(1)(ab). "Transfer" is a common label for it, not a legal step.
How much does it cost me to change employer on a 482? The cost page lists no government charge on you for the nomination. The employer pays the nomination fee (AUD330) and the SAF levy (AUD1,200 or AUD1,800 per year or part year of the proposed period). It cannot pass them on to you. Reg 2.87 also stops a sponsor passing on its migration agent costs for the nomination.
Does the new employer pay the SAF levy even though I already hold the visa? Yes. The Department states the levy must be paid when a nomination is lodged "to allow a SID visa holder to change employer or occupation".
Can my old employer be refunded? Only in the limited cases the Department lists. One is a visa holder leaving within the first 12 months where the visa period was longer than 12 months. That is for unused full years of the levy only.
Do I lose my 482 when I change employer? No. Your visa stays in effect. Condition 8607 and its time limits still apply while you are between jobs.
Will changing employer delay my permanent residency? Not by itself, on the wording of clauses 186.226 and 186.227. A change of occupation, a gap between sponsors or a short remaining qualifying period can affect the count. Check it against your dates.
Can the new employer nominate me for a different occupation? It can nominate the occupation of the new job, if that occupation is available in the stream that applies. Check the effect on your 186 count first.
Get the order of steps right before you resign
The mistakes that cost the most are starting before approval, and assuming the employer will not pay costs that the law says it must pay. Both can be checked before you hand in notice.
Migration Vision advises 482 holders and sponsoring employers across Australia and offshore. Nobody can promise an outcome. What can be done is to check your visa history and conditions, and test whether the new nomination is likely to meet the salary, occupation and labour market requirements. We can also help you plan a start date that keeps you within your conditions. If you are already between jobs or have received a notice from the Department, start at complex cases.
Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525. Last reviewed 28 October 2026. Regulations 2.72(1)(b), 2.73(1) and (3) to (5A), 2.86A(3) and 2.87(1A) and (1B), Schedule 2 clauses 186.226 and 186.227, Schedule 8 clause 8607 and Schedule 13 clause 14502(4) verified against the Migration Regulations 1994, Compilation No. 289 (F2026C01017, compilation date 2 October 2026), and section 5 of the Migration (Skilling Australians Fund) Charges Regulations 2018, Compilation No. 2 (compilation date 7 December 2024), on legislation.gov.au. Fees, levy, refund and labour market testing statements were checked against the Department of Home Affairs "Cost of sponsoring" and "Labour market testing" pages, and salary thresholds against its "Salary requirements" page, all read on 28 October 2026. Figures current as at 28 October 2026; confirm with the Department of Home Affairs before lodgement. This article is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances, and the law may change.
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