482 Visa Renewal and Extension: What Happens When Your Visa Expires

Your 482 visa was granted for four years and you are now approaching the end of that period. You are still working for the same employer, you have not yet accumulated two years of qualifying experience for the 186 PR transition, or your employer is not ready to nominate you for permanent residency yet. What are your options?

The answer is more straightforward than many people expect — but it requires planning several months in advance, not days before your visa expires.

482 Visa Duration

The maximum duration for a 482 Skills in Demand visa depends on the stream:

• Core Skills stream: Up to four years per grant
• Specialist Skills stream: Up to four years per grant
• Essential Skills (Labour Agreement) stream: Up to four years (or as specified in the Labour Agreement)

Unlike some visa types, the 482 visa cannot simply be "extended" by lodging a variation. To continue on employer-sponsored status past the expiry date, a new nomination and a new visa application are required.

Can You Renew a 482 Visa?

Yes — but "renewal" in common parlance actually means applying for a new 482 visa via a new nomination from your employer. There is no extension button or one-page renewal form. The full three-stage process (SBS — Nomination — Visa Application) applies again:

Stage 1: SBS Status

Your employer's Standard Business Sponsorship may still be valid (SBS approval lasts five years). If so, they do not need to re-apply for SBS. If the SBS has lapsed or is about to expire, the employer must renew it ($420 renewal fee) before or simultaneously with the nomination.

Stage 2: New Nomination

Your employer lodges a new nomination for your continued employment. This involves:

• Confirming your occupation is still on the CSOL (or that your salary still meets the SSIT threshold)
• Labour Market Testing — yes, again — unless an LMT exemption applies for your nationality. The LMT for the renewal nomination must be fresh advertising, not the advertising done three years ago for the original nomination
• Confirming your salary still meets the indexed CSIT ($76,515 currently, rising to $79,499 in July 2026) and the current AMSR
• Paying the SAF levy again for the new visa period: $1,200 to $1,800 per year depending on business size

Stage 3: New Visa Application

You lodge a new visa application through your ImmiAccount. Your visa application charge ($3,210) applies again. If your dependants are included, their charges apply again too. Onshore applicants pay the additional $700 STAC surcharge.

What Happens to Your PR Countdown?

Time spent on a renewed 482 visa continues to count toward the two years of qualifying work experience needed for the 186 TRT permanent residency pathway. Importantly, the two-year requirement does not restart with each visa grant — it is a cumulative count across all periods of eligible employment in Australia in your nominated occupation.

If you have worked for 18 months on your first 482 grant and you renew for another four years, you only need 6 more months of qualifying employment before being eligible to lodge the 186 TRT (assuming all other conditions are met at that point).

This also means that if you are approaching the two-year mark when your visa expires, you may be better served applying for the 186 TRT immediately rather than renewing your 482 — provided your employer is ready to nominate you for permanent residency.

Timing: When to Apply for Renewal

Do not wait until your visa expires to lodge the renewal application. Start the process at least three to four months before expiry:

• One month to arrange LMT advertising (28 consecutive days minimum)
• Two to four weeks for employer SBS renewal if needed
• Two to four weeks for nomination processing
• Six to ten weeks for visa application processing under the Core Skills stream

If you lodge your renewal application before your current 482 expires, a bridging visa automatically activates the moment your substantive visa expires. This bridging visa maintains your lawful status and your work rights during the assessment period. However, the bridging visa typically has the same work condition as your expiring visa — meaning you remain tied to your sponsoring employer and occupation.

Note: If your application is still being assessed and you need to travel outside Australia, departing means your bridging visa ceases. Returning to Australia on a bridging visa is possible but requires specific bridging visa conditions. Confirm your travel position with the ImmiAccount or a migration agent before booking international travel.

Changing Employers at Renewal Time

If you are approaching the end of your 482 visa and want to change employers at the same time as renewing, the process is the same as any other employer change — your new employer must lodge a nomination for you. The difference is timing: you ideally want the new nomination lodged (and ideally decided) before your current visa expires, otherwise you will be relying on the bridging visa to cover any gap period.

Your new employer must meet all standard nomination requirements: SBS approval, LMT, salary benchmarking, SAF levy payment.

When Renewal Is Not the Right Option

The 186 TRT is within reach: If you have completed (or are close to completing) two years of qualifying work in Australia, applying for the 186 TRT may be the right move rather than renewing the 482. The 186 is a permanent visa and removes the ticking-clock dynamic of the temporary visa entirely. However, 186 applications take 18 to 24 months to be processed, so you will be on a bridging visa for that period — which has its own practical implications.

Your occupation has been removed from the CSOL: If your occupation is no longer on the CSOL and your salary does not meet the SSIT threshold, a standard Core Skills stream renewal may not be available. You may need to explore whether a Labour Agreement pathway or a different occupation code is applicable.

Your employer will not continue sponsoring you: If your employer is unwilling or unable to renew your nomination (due to business changes, restructuring, or performance issues), you are in the position of needing to find a new sponsor within the 180-day window that begins when your employment ceases.

For a renewal timeline checklist — including a week-by-week schedule for getting LMT advertising, nomination, and visa application in sequence — see the Australia TSS 482 Visa Guide.

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