A 482 visa cannot be extended: to stay past its end date, the employer lodges a new nomination and the holder applies for a new 482 visa, which costs $4,015 for the main applicant from 1 July 2026. The new nomination must meet the rules in force on the day it is lodged, including the Core Skills Income Threshold of $79,423 from 1 July 2026, labour market testing unless an exemption applies, and an occupation on the list current at that date. Lodge the new visa application while the current 482 is still in effect, so that a bridging visa keeps you lawful if the decision comes after the end date.
| Item | Amount | Applies from | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 482 visa application charge, main applicant | $4,015 | 1 July 2026 | Home Affairs: Core Skills stream |
| Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) | $79,423 | 1 July 2026 | Home Affairs: salary requirements |
| Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) | $146,576 | 1 July 2026 | Home Affairs: salary requirements |
| 482 nomination fee | $330 | current | Home Affairs: cost of sponsoring |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, 482, turnover under $10 million (per year nominated) | $1,200 | current | Home Affairs: cost of sponsoring |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, 482, turnover $10 million or more (per year nominated) | $1,800 | current | Home Affairs: cost of sponsoring |
| Subsequent temporary application charge (applying in Australia after an earlier temporary visa) | $700 | current | Home Affairs: subsequent temporary application charge |
| Longest 482 visa period (Core Skills and Specialist Skills) | 4 years | current | Migration Regulations 1994, cl 482.511 |
| Longest 482 visa period for Hong Kong passport holders | 5 years | current | Home Affairs: Core Skills stream |
| How long an approved 482 nomination lasts (from approval) | 12 months | current | Home Affairs: Core Skills stream |
Renewal timeline, counting back from the current visa’s end date
| When | What happens | Who | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Within the 4 months before the nomination is lodged | Labour market testing: at least 2 advertisements, each open for at least 4 weeks, unless an exemption applies | Employer | Advertising costs; no government fee | Labour market testing page; LIN 18/036 |
| Before the sponsorship lapses | Renew the standard business sponsorship (5 years term) about two months before it ends, as Home Affairs suggests; if it lapses, pending nominations are refused | Employer | $420 | Standard business sponsor page |
| Nomination lodged | New nomination at the threshold in force that day; an approval lasts 12 months | Employer | $330 plus the SAF levy of $1,200 or $1,800 per nominated year | Cost of sponsoring page; reg 2.75 |
| New visa lodged, at the latest before the current 482 ends (it can go in with the nomination) | Application in the same stream as the nomination; a Bridging visa A comes into effect only when the current 482 ends | Worker, and each family member | $4,015; $4,015 or $1,005 per family member; $700 per applicant where the subsequent temporary application charge applies | Sch 1 item 1240; cl 010.511; charge page |
| Processing (as published on 24 September 2026) | Nomination: 90% within 9 months. Core Skills visa: 50% within 4 months, 90% within 9 months. Specialist Skills visa: 50% within 15 days, 90% within 45 days | Home Affairs | – | Global processing times |
| The current 482’s end date | With a valid application lodged: you stay on the Bridging visa A. With nothing lodged: no visa from the next day | Worker | – | cl 010.511; re-entry ban page |
In practice
Lodging at least as far ahead as the published 90% times keeps the old visa’s conditions, including travel on it, in force for longer. A Bridging visa A does not allow return travel to Australia (Home Affairs Bridging visa A page).
Time limit
Lodge the new 482 application before the current 482’s end date. An application lodged after it leaves you with no bridging visa at all.
Can a 482 visa be extended?
No. Home Affairs says “You can’t stay longer by extending the visa” (Home Affairs Core Skills stream page). The visa lasts for the period the employer nominated: 1, 2, 3 or 4 years, or 5 years for a holder of a Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passport (Migration Regulations 1994, reg 2.73(10) and cl 482.511). Under a labour agreement, including a DAMA, the period cannot run past the agreement’s own period (reg 2.73(11)).
That period is the answer to how long a 482 visa lasts. It starts on the date of grant, and time spent outside Australia does not add to it.
How does renewal work?
- The employer lodges a new nomination for the same or a new position.
- The worker lodges a new 482 application in the same stream as the nomination.
- Each family member applies for a new visa too (Home Affairs subsequent entrant page, “Stay longer”).
- The new visa is granted and replaces the old one.
There is no limit on the number of 482 visas a person may hold: neither Schedule 1 item 1240 nor Part 482 of the Migration Regulations 1994, as in force from 1 July 2026, sets one.
The renewal requirements are the full criteria again: an approved nomination for a genuine position, work experience, English and a skills assessment where they apply, and health, character and health insurance. An applicant in Australia must also have substantially complied with the conditions of the last visa held (cl 482.211).
Which salary threshold applies to a new 482?
The threshold in force on the day the new nomination is lodged: the CSIT of $79,423 or the SSIT of $146,576 from 1 July 2026. Both rose by 3.8% on 1 July 2026 and are indexed each 1 July under regulation 5.42A. Existing visas are not affected until a new nomination is lodged (Home Affairs news item 1416), and the pay must also meet the annual market salary rate (Home Affairs salary requirements page). How both thresholds are set and indexed is covered under salary threshold for 482 visa.
Labour market testing applies again. For an existing holder, Home Affairs accepts a written submission instead of advertising where a new nomination is lodged solely because earnings changed or a restructure moved the worker to another entity (labour market testing page). A renewal because the visa is ending is not that case, so the employer advertises unless an international trade obligation or another listed exemption applies.
What does a new 482 cost?
| Who pays | Item | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Employer | Nomination | $330 |
| Employer | Skilling Australians Fund levy, per nominated year | $1,200 (turnover under $10 million) or $1,800 |
| Employer | Sponsorship renewal, if due | $420 |
| Worker | Visa, main applicant | $4,015 ($3,290 with a Pacific Island or Timor-Leste passport) |
| Worker | Each family member 18 or over | $4,015 |
| Worker | Each child under 18 | $1,005 |
| Worker | Subsequent temporary application charge, per applicant, where it applies | $700 |
Health checks, police certificates and biometrics cost extra (Core Skills stream page). The sponsor must not pass its own costs to the worker (reg 2.87). Every charge, and how it is worked out, is on the 482 visa cost page.
When should you lodge?
The only hard limit is the current visa’s end date. Three other time rules shape the plan: labour market testing must fall within the 4 months before the nomination is lodged; an approved nomination lasts 12 months; and the published processing times in the timeline above give the planning range.
An Australian migration lawyer is more likely to get the renewal granted without a gap because they lodge the new nomination with fresh labour market testing and a salary at the current threshold before the old visa ends, and an application lodged after the end date leaves the holder with no bridging visa at all.
Should you apply for the 186 instead?
The 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream is the permanent alternative to a second 482. It needs full-time sponsored employment of 2 years in the last 3 years before applying, counted across every approved sponsor (Home Affairs news item 1273), an age under 45 unless exempt, Competent English, and a visa application within 6 months of the nomination’s approval (Home Affairs 186 TRT stream page).
The employer pays a nomination fee of $540 and a one-off levy of $3,000 or $5,000; the visa costs $6,140 for the main applicant. Home Affairs published on 24 September 2026 that 50% of TRT visas were decided within 14 months and 90% within 22 months. If the 482 would end before a 186 is decided, lodge the 186 while the 482 is still in effect so that its bridging visa applies.
What if your 482 expires?
With no valid application lodged, the holder has no visa from the day after the end date and must leave Australia. The break allowance in condition 8607 never extends the visa’s end date (cl 482.511).
Time limit
Staying more than 28 days after a visa ends can bring a re-entry ban of up to 3 years (Home Affairs re-entry ban page).
A person left without a valid visa can contact the Department’s Status Resolution Service (Home Affairs Cancelling a visa page).
From renewal to permanent residence
A renewal does not restart the count for permanent residence: sponsored time with every approved sponsor counts toward the 186 TRT requirement (news item 1273). In practice, a renewal is the bridge for a holder who will not meet that requirement before the current 482 ends. The routes, led by the 186, are set out under 482 to PR.
Unregistered agents
An unregistered agent who gives immigration assistance on a sponsorship, nomination or visa is breaking the law (Migration Act 1958 s 280). They also carry no professional indemnity insurance, so if their mistake leads to a refusal, lost fees or a closed pathway, the worker or employer has no insurer to claim against. A practising Australian lawyer must carry that insurance.
Questions people ask
How much does a 482 visa extension cost?
There is no extension. A new 482 costs $4,015 for the main applicant, the employer pays the $330 nomination fee and the Skilling Australians Fund levy, and $700 per applicant applies to some applications made in Australia.
Is the 482 visa valid for 2 or 4 years?
Either. The employer nominates 1, 2, 3 or 4 years, and Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders are granted 5 years.
How long does a 482 visa renewal take?
Home Affairs published on 24 September 2026 that 90% of nominations were decided within 9 months and 90% of Core Skills stream visas within 9 months.
How many times can a 482 visa be renewed?
The Migration Regulations 1994 set no limit on the number of 482 visas a person may hold. Each new visa needs a new approved nomination.
What happens when a 482 visa ends?
Without a new visa application lodged before the end date, you must leave Australia. Staying on can lead to a re-entry ban of up to 3 years.