186 TRT Visa: What Employers Must Pay and Prove (2026)

What an Australian employer must do to nominate an existing subclass 482 worker for permanent residence under the 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream. Covers the two-years-in-three eligibility rule, the salary threshold, the SAF levy, and the sponsorship obligations that continue after approval. Figures as at September 2026.

Read the full guide, with official sources →

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Chapters

  1. 0:00 Sponsored a subclass 482 worker for 2 years?
  2. 0:15 2 years of eligible sponsored employment
  3. 0:30 Changed employers?
  4. 0:51 $79,423
  5. 1:08 SAF levy: $3,000 or $5,000
  6. 1:19 The employer can't pass these costs to the worker
  7. 1:29 The worker's own visa charge (1 July 2026)
  8. 1:44 Obligations that continue after approval
  9. 1:57 TRT vs Direct Entry
  10. 2:08 Processing times (period to 30 June 2026)
  11. 2:22 Keep Standard Business Sponsor status current
  12. 2:33 Where to read more

Transcript

If your business has sponsored a subclass 482 worker for two years, the 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream can move them to permanent residence, with no formal skills assessment.

The eligibility rule: at least 2 years of eligible sponsored employment in the 3 years before applying. It must be full-time, in Australia, on a subclass 457, 482 or eligible bridging visa.

Changing employers doesn't reset the clock. Time worked for an earlier approved sponsor still counts toward those 2 years.

The employer must also hold Standard Business Sponsor status. Most 482 sponsors already have it. If it's lapsed, it has to be renewed before the nomination is lodged.

The nominated salary must meet the Core Skills Income Threshold: 79,423 dollars a year for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026, a rule that's applied to Employer Nomination Scheme cases since 7 December 2024.

At lodgement the employer pays a one-off Skilling Australians Fund levy: 3,000 dollars for a small business, 5,000 for a larger one, plus a 540 dollar nomination fee.

None of that can be passed to the worker, even if the worker agrees. Doing so breaches sponsorship obligations and can bring civil penalties.

Separately, the worker pays their own visa charge: 6,140 dollars for the main applicant, 3,070 for an adult dependant, 1,535 for a child, as at 1 July 2026.

Approval doesn't end it. The employer must keep paying at least the nominated salary, keep employment records, and notify the Department within 28 days of events like the job ending or the business changing hands.

Against Direct Entry, TRT generally skips the skills assessment and has no upper age limit. Direct Entry requires the nominee to be under 45.

For the period to 30 June 2026, half of TRT applications were processed within 11 months and 90 percent within 15. Direct Entry ran slightly faster, at 10 and 14 months.

The trap employers miss most: letting Standard Business Sponsor status lapse. Eligibility and every ongoing obligation depend on it staying current.

The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.

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