Chef 482 Visa Pathway: TRA Assessment to Permanent Residence

TRA Skills Assessment: The Job-Ready Program

Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) assesses chef qualifications through several programs. The most common for chefs already working in Australia is the Job Ready Program (JRP), which runs in stages: a Provisional Skills Assessment reviewing formal qualifications and work experience against the Australian Certificate III in Commercial Cookery competency standards; a period of Job Ready Employment working as a chef in Australia in an approved, documented employment relationship; a Job Ready Workplace Assessment once that period is complete; and a Job Ready Final Assessment. TRA's fees and processing times change without notice, and a verified source pass in September 2026 found no TRA-published figure supporting the specific dollar amounts and durations this page previously quoted for each stage — check the current fee and timeframe for your program on TRA's own site before budgeting or planning around a number quoted elsewhere. An offshore applicant who hasn't yet worked in Australia in the role uses a different TRA program — the Migration Skills Assessment, or, if their specific occupation and passport combination requires it, the Offshore Skills Assessment Program — not the Job Ready Program's employment stages, which only apply once you're working in Australia.

Pathway A: TRA Pre-Visa Application Pathway

If you're outside Australia and want to come on a 482, the typical sequence is: (1) Complete TRA Provisional Skills Assessment from offshore (you can submit your formal qualifications and overseas work experience for review); (2) Find an Australian employer willing to sponsor you on a 482. The employer must be a Standard Business Sponsor (SBS) or apply to become one; (3) The employer lodges a nomination for your specific chef position; (4) You lodge the 482 visa application. Whether a skills assessment is mandatory before the 482 is granted depends on your specific occupation — Home Affairs' Core Skills stream eligibility criteria require a relevant skills assessment only where it's required for that occupation, and state that where it isn't mandatory, other evidence of your skills and experience is still required. Check the current position for chefs on Home Affairs' own site rather than assuming either way before lodging.

Finding an Australian Sponsoring Employer

Finding a sponsoring employer is often the hardest step. Strategies that work: (1) Apply directly to Australian restaurants and hospitality businesses — hotel groups, restaurant chains, regional pubs and hotels often have sustained chef shortages. Many post their visa-sponsoring positions on industry job boards (Seek, Indeed, Hospitality Jobs); (2) Use recruitment agencies that specialise in hospitality migration — they have relationships with sponsoring employers and can match you to current vacancies; (3) Network through Australian hospitality contacts — many chef positions are filled through industry word-of-mouth before being advertised; (4) Consider regional Australia — chef shortages are most acute in regional areas, where 482 (and the regional-friendly 494) sponsorship is more accessible. Regional positions often pay less than metropolitan but provide the visa pathway and progression to permanent residence. Migratio's matching service can connect you with agents who specialise in hospitality migration and may have contacts with sponsoring employers.

Salary and Labour Market Testing Requirements

For your 482 visa, the employer must demonstrate: (1) The chef position is genuinely needed — evidence of business activity, customer volume, organisational structure; (2) The salary meets the Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR) for chefs in that region. Chef AMSR varies by location and seniority — head chef and sous chef positions typically pay above commi/line cook positions; (3) Labour Market Testing (LMT) — for most nominations the position must have been advertised for at least 4 weeks within the 4 months before lodging the nomination, with at least 2 valid advertisements meeting Home Affairs' advertising requirements (a general classifieds site or a social-media-only post doesn't count), demonstrating they could not find a suitably qualified Australian. LMT documentation must be thorough. As the worker, you should confirm with the employer that LMT has been done before they lodge the nomination — otherwise the nomination may be refused.

From 482 to 186 (Permanent Residence) for Chefs

Chef (351311) sits on both the CSOL and the MLTSSL. CSOL membership is what makes the Core Skills stream nomination possible, with a visa of up to 4 years. From there, the usual route to permanent residence is the 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream. Per Home Affairs' published eligibility criteria, this needs 2 years of eligible sponsored employment in the 3 years before you apply — not 3 years with one employer. That employment must be full-time, in Australia, on a subclass 457 or 482 visa, in the occupation the visa was granted for. If you changed employers within that 3-year window, sponsored employment with the earlier approved sponsor still counts toward the 2-year total, and you're nominated for the 186 by whoever was your last sponsor. The other requirements: being nominated by that employer, and meeting health and character requirements — a skills assessment may still be asked for even where it isn't mandatory, per Home Affairs' own guidance. This guide doesn't have a sourced figure for the typical total wait from 482 grant to 186 grant, since that depends on when the 2-year threshold is reached and on processing times that Home Affairs updates regularly — check its current visa processing time tool rather than relying on an estimate quoted elsewhere. Migratio is Australia's marketplace for finding and comparing MARA-registered migration agents. Migratio matches applicants with MARA-registered agents who specialise in 482 chef and hospitality migration.

Can I do the TRA Job Ready Program before getting a 482?

No — the Job Ready Program requires working as a chef in Australia, which requires a work visa. You can complete the Provisional Skills Assessment from offshore, but Job Ready Employment requires onshore work rights.

Do I need a culinary degree to migrate as a chef?

Not necessarily a degree — but you need formal qualifications equivalent to Australian Certificate III in Commercial Cookery (or higher) AND substantial work experience as a chef. Many migrant chefs have apprenticeship qualifications + 5+ years of professional kitchen experience.

Can I switch employers on a 482 chef visa?

Yes. Visa condition 8607 gives you up to 180 consecutive days at a time — capped at 365 days in total across the visa period — from one sponsored employment ending to have a new approved sponsor and a new nomination lodged. Per Home Affairs' 186 Temporary Residence Transition eligibility criteria, eligible sponsored employment with an earlier approved sponsor still counts toward the 2-year total needed for the 186, provided it meets the same conditions — full-time, in Australia, in the nominated occupation. Changing employers doesn't automatically restart that count.

What if my employer doesn't want to sponsor my 186?

Your other options include: a 482 with a different sponsoring employer, since sponsored time already worked can still count toward the 186's 2-year threshold; the 186 Direct Entry stream (which has its own skills-assessment and other requirements, but no requirement to have been sponsored for 2 years); the 189 if you have the points; a partner visa if applicable; or departing and applying offshore.

Is chef a competitive 482 occupation?

Chef is in shortage in many Australian regions, particularly regional and rural areas. Major capital cities have more competition. The 482 is generally accessible for qualified chefs willing to work where the demand is.