Chef 482 to 186: Home Affairs Says 2 Years, Not 3
How the chef pathway from a subclass 482 to permanent residence via the 186 actually works — the real employment threshold, what happens if you change employers, and the 180-day deadline if a sponsored job ends. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 "Three years for PR"?
- 0:12 Chef (351311) is on the CSOL
- 0:26 186 needs 2 years,
- 0:40 What counts toward the 2 years
- 0:50 Changing employers
- 1:02 180 days to find a new sponsor
- 1:14 The employer must advertise the role first
- 1:27 Mandatory skills assessment?
- 1:40 Metro or regional employer,
- 1:52 The real rule: 2 years.
- 2:03 Where to read more
Transcript
A sponsored chef needs three years before permanent residence, right? Home Affairs' own published criteria say two.
Chef, ANZSCO 351311, sits on the Core Skills Occupation List. That's what makes the subclass 482 Core Skills stream nomination possible, with a visa of up to 4 years.
From there, the usual route to residency is the 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream. It needs 2 years of eligible sponsored employment in the 3 years before you apply — not 3 years with one employer.
That employment has to be full-time, in Australia, on a subclass 457 or 482 visa, in the occupation the visa was granted for.
Changing employers doesn't reset that clock to zero. If you switch sponsors inside the 3-year window, employment with the earlier employer still counts toward the 2-year total.
If a job does end, condition 8607 gives you up to 180 consecutive days at a time, capped at 365 days in total, to find a new approved sponsor and get a nomination lodged.
Before any of that, your employer has their own hurdle. For most nominations, the role must be advertised for at least 4 weeks within the 4 months before lodging, with at least 2 valid advertisements.
Whether a skills assessment is mandatory before the 482 is granted depends on the specific occupation. Check the current position for chefs directly, rather than assuming either way.
A metro employer usually means the 482 Core Skills stream. A regional employer can also use the subclass 494 — its own regional route with a different shape.
The mistake this corrects: don't plan a chef sponsorship around a three-year clock that resets on every job change. The real rule is 2 years, and it can carry across employers.
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.
Short versions
- The chef PR clock isn't 3 years (0:29)
- Changing employers doesn't reset your PR clock (0:35)
- 180 days: the deadline if your chef sponsorship ends (0:30)
Talk it through with a registered agent
Every agent on Migratio is on the official OMARA register. Compare agents and their consultation fees.