482 to 186 visa through Temporary Residence Transition
Employer Nomination Scheme · Temporary Residence Transition
When does your sponsored employment count?
Build two timelines before choosing a lodgement date. One tracks the visas you held. The other tracks qualifying work. A visa can remain in effect during a break between jobs.
Check the visa-holding period
Gather 457 and 482 grant notices, any bridging visa grants and the related application records. Check clause 186.226 for the qualifying periods within the three years immediately before the application. A bridging visa needs to meet the specified requirements to count. Record travel, changes of occupation and gaps rather than estimating from payslip years.
Check the qualifying employment separately
For ordinary TRT cases, establish at least two years of eligible full-time Australian employment within those three years. Exclude unpaid leave. For applications made on or after 29 November 2025, clause 186.227 expressly requires employment by an approved work sponsor. Compare the occupation with the relevant visa or visas. Qualifying periods across more than one approved sponsor may count. Specified occupations have separate provisions.
Confirm who is nominating you now
Identify the sponsor on the most recent approved nomination and compare it with the proposed permanent employer. Collect nominations, contracts, payslips, leave records and employer references for each period. Check age, competent English, any mandatory registration and the relevant exemption instruments. Home Affairs can request evidence of skills.
Two sponsors and a period of unpaid leave
A worker records 15 months with one approved sponsor and nine months with another, in the qualifying occupation. One of those 24 calendar months was entirely unpaid leave. On those facts only 23 months are available for the ordinary employment calculation. Check exact dates, the separate visa-holding test and which employer can nominate before lodging.
Frequently asked questions
When can I count work after changing sponsors or occupations?
Record the last day with the old sponsor, the new nomination lodgement and approval dates, the visa held and the date paid work actually started. For the same occupation, departmental guidance has allowed qualifying work from lodgement of a subsequently approved nomination. A refused nomination cannot support that claim. For applications from 29 November 2025, verify approved work sponsor status throughout any claimed period. A new occupation also requires checking the associated visa grant and any qualifying bridging period before relying on that work.
My two-year anniversary is just after my visa expires. Is there a five-day grace period?
Plan to meet the qualifying periods before lodging. Historical guidance about narrowly timed cases did not create a general five-day entitlement. Check your actual paid employment, unpaid leave, visa validity and nomination chronology before relying on any flexibility.
Does holding a 482 for two years establish eligibility?
Check the qualifying work dates separately from visa holding. Unpaid leave, unrelated work and time between jobs can change the result.
My job title changed. What evidence should I collect?
Keep both position descriptions, the nomination occupation codes and evidence of actual duties. Check how the positions relate to the relevant approved nominations before combining the periods.
I turn 45 soon. Can I lodge now and finish the work period later?
Calculate the employment period at the proposed application date. Check the age criterion and a specific exemption independently. A forthcoming birthday does not complete a missing employment period.
My payslips show part-time hours but I worked full-time. How do I count that period?
Build a pay-period record using rosters, timesheets, payslips, bank credits, tax records and leave. Identify which records support the hours actually worked and explain discrepancies with dated evidence. A busy overtime month cannot establish full-time work in another month. If a shortfall in wages emerges, retain the original records and separately document any correction or back payment. Recalculate qualifying work using the evidence and the dates of the relevant visas and approved sponsorship.
I held a 482, then a 408, then another 482. Which dates matter?
For the TRT visa-holding calculation, mark the periods on each 482 and set aside the days on the 408. For each bridging period, identify the last substantive visa and the application that led to the bridging visa. Clause 186.226 specifies which combinations count. Then apply the separate employment test in clause 186.227 over the three years before the proposed lodgement date. Record changes of occupation, such as moving from enrolled nurse to registered nurse.
I applied for a 457 before 18 April 2017 but received it later. Could the TRT age exemption apply?
Check whether you held a 457 on 18 April 2017 or had an application pending on that date that was later granted. For the transitional 457 worker under 50 category, also check your age on the day of the new visa application. Retrieve the original lodgement acknowledgement and grant notice. A redundancy or employment gap still needs its own assessment under the TRT work rules. TRT age exemptions under LIN 19/216.
Sources and related guides
Reviewed 7 November 2026.
