After Your 482 Visa Is Granted: What Actually Happens Next

Step 1 — condition 8607: the occupation and sponsor tie, in detail

Condition 8607 is mandatory on every primary 482 grant. Its core requirement: you must work only in the occupation nominated in your visa application, and — depending on your stream — only for the person or business that nominated you (Labour Agreement stream), or only in a position within that business or an associated entity (Specialist Skills or Core Skills stream). This is not a general work permit; it's permission to do a specific job for a specific employer.

Two deadlines matter immediately. First, you must commence work within 90 days — from your arrival in Australia if you were outside the country at grant, or from the date of grant if you were already in Australia. Second, if you're required to hold a licence, registration or membership to perform the nominated occupation (a trade licence, a professional registration), you must obtain that authorisation within the same 90 days, keep it current, and notify Immigration in writing if the application for it is refused or if it later lapses or is cancelled.

If your employment with the sponsor ends for any reason, condition 8607 allows you to go without working in the nominated arrangement for up to 180 consecutive days at a time, with a combined cap of 365 days across the whole life of the visa — but changing employer generally requires the new employer to become an approved sponsor and lodge a fresh nomination before you start there, not after.

Step 2 — condition 8501: health insurance, and why it matters from day one, not eventually

Condition 8501 is also mandatory on every 482 grant (regulation 482.612): you must maintain adequate arrangements for health insurance for the entire time you hold the visa. In practice, for a 482 holder this generally means an appropriately sized OVHC policy — not the OSHC product used by student visa holders. Because the requirement is continuous, the cover needs to be in place before or from the moment you're in Australia on the visa, with no gap between any prior cover and this one.

482 holders are not automatically eligible for Medicare in the way a permanent resident is. Some nationalities have limited additional access under Reciprocal Health Care Agreements — check your current eligibility directly with Services Australia rather than assuming either way, since RHCA coverage depends on your specific passport and current Ministerial Orders. See /blog/best-health-insurance-for-482-visa-australia and /blog/ovhc-for-482-skills-in-demand-visa for how to compare policies.

Step 3 — your first week

Arrange OVHC before or immediately on arrival — this is the one first-week task genuinely more urgent for a 482 holder than for most other new arrivals, because condition 8501 requires continuous, whole-of-visa cover, not "eventually organised." Then the standard sequence: VEVO to confirm exactly what's listed on your grant, TFN (see /blog/get-tfn-tax-file-number-australia), bank account, and myGov (/blog/set-up-mygov-australia). Confirm with your sponsor when you're expected to start — remember the 90-day clock is running regardless of your own preference for a settling-in period.

The next milestone: subclass 186

For most 482 holders, the next visa milestone is the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme via the Temporary Residence Transition stream — typically available after around 2 years working for the sponsoring employer in the nominated occupation, though the exact criteria depend on the stream and should be confirmed against the current rules rather than assumed. See /blog/482-to-186-employer-sponsorship-pathway for the transition detail, and note that once granted, the 186 removes the sponsor and occupation tie entirely — a genuine change from the 482's restrictions.

Documents to keep from day one

The evidence the 186 TRT stream will eventually ask for is largely built during your 482 employment: continuous evidence of 2+ years working for the sponsoring employer in the nominated role, payslips, and any performance or role-change documentation. Building this file as you go, rather than reconstructing it from memory near the 2-year mark, is what the Employment History Pack ($39) is built for — gap detection included, since a documented gap is exactly what a 186 TRT application will need explained.

How long do I have to start work after my 482 is granted?

90 days — from your arrival in Australia if you were outside the country at grant, or from the date of grant if you were already here. If your occupation needs a licence or registration, that also needs to be in place within the same 90 days.

Can I take on a second, casual job on a 482?

Generally no. Condition 8607 restricts you to your nominated occupation for your approved sponsor (with narrow exceptions), so unrelated casual work outside that arrangement is likely to breach the condition. Check your specific circumstances before accepting other work.

What happens if I lose my job on a 482?

You can go without working in the nominated arrangement for up to 180 consecutive days, capped at 365 days total across the visa. Within that window you'd typically need a new approved sponsor and nomination, a different visa, or to make arrangements to leave. Get advice as soon as employment ends rather than waiting to see how the window plays out.

Do I need private health insurance on a 482?

Yes — condition 8501 is mandatory on every 482 grant, requiring adequate, continuous health insurance for the whole time you hold the visa. In practice this means an OVHC policy for most 482 holders, since Medicare eligibility isn't automatic on this visa.

Is the 90-day work-start deadline the same as the licence/registration deadline?

They run in parallel from the same trigger point (arrival or grant, whichever applies), but they're separate requirements under condition 8607 — commencing work is one obligation, and if your occupation needs a licence or registration, holding it is a second, equally binding one.

Can I change employer without losing my 482?

Yes, but generally your new employer needs to become an approved sponsor and lodge a new nomination before you start working for them — starting first and sorting the paperwork afterward is not how the current process works. Confirm the current process before making a move.