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Many of our clients, readers and subscribers have asked us what the differences are between the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme Visa, the Subclass 482 Temporary Skills Shortage and the Subclass 494 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa.
You may recall the Subclass 494 Visa replaced the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme Subclass 187 (RSMS) Visa, which was a permanent residence visa. Whilst dubbed a “replacement” however, the 494 visa isn’t really a proper replacement – as you must hold a Subclass 494 Visa for 3 years if you want to progress to permanent residence (via the Subclass 191 Visa).
With the demise of the Subclass 187 visa, we are left with three major employer nominated visas.
These are the:
- Subclass 482 Temporary Skills Visa
- subclass 494 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa
- Subclass 186 Employer Nominated Scheme Visa
Let’s have a brief look at the differences between these visas types
Comparison: Subclass 482 vs Subclass 494 vs Subclass 186
| Subclass 482 TSS | Subclass 494, Regional Sponsored | Subclass 186 ENS | |
|---|---|---|---|
Occupations | MLTSSL & STSOL (look at combined occupation list) | Subclass 494 Occupations | MLTSSL |
Streams | Medium Stream - MLTSSL ROL (Regional Occupation List) Short Term Stream - STSOL Labour Agreement Stream | Employer Sponsored Stream Labour Agreement Stream | Direct Entry Stream Temporary Residence Transition Stream (TRT) (accessible after three years holding a TSS visa in the Medium Stream) |
Where can you live/work? | Anywhere in Australia, unless your occupation is on the ROL - the position must be in a regional area - or Labour Agreement stipulates region. | All applicants must live work & study in a regional area. | Anywhere in Australia |
Visa grant period | 2 Years Short Term Stream 4 Years Medium Stream | 5 Years | 5 Years |
Skilling Australian Fund Levy (SAF) Liability? (LMT) | Yes $1,200/Year of Visa grant if Turnover less than $10 Million $1,800/Year of Visa grant if Turnover more than $10 Million | Yes $3000 once off payment if Turnover less than $10 Million $5000 once off payment if Turnover more than $10 Million | Yes $3000 once off payment if Turnover less than $10 Million $5000 once off payment if Turnover more than $10 Million |
Labour Market Testing (LMT) | Yes (with some exceptions) | Yes | No |
Skills Assessment? | Depends on occupation and country of passport | . Yes | Yes - Direct Entry stream No - TRT stream |
Maximum age? | No limit | Under 45 (Note there is no upper age limit for the Subclass 191 follow-on visa) | Under 45 |
English requirements | Medium Stream IELTS 5 Short Term Stream - 4.5 IELTS Labour Agreement Stream - Concessions for English | IELTS 6 Concessions available for the Labour Agreement stream | IELTS 6 |
Experience requirements | Two years experience in the nominated occupation or a related field. | Employed in the nominated occupation for at least three years on a full-time basis | Direct Entry -3 years experience in the nominated occupation. TRT - must have been employed in the nominated occupation (or a closely related occupation) by the same employer, or an associated entity of the employer for three years (or two years if you're in the transitional 457 group) |
Health provisions | Health waiver possible (4007) | Employer Sponsored stream - Health waiver available (4007) Labour agreement stream - no Health waiver (4005) | Direct Entry stream - no Health waiver (4005) TRT - Health waiver available (4007) |
Pathways to Permanent Residence? | Medium Stream - after three years with the same employer - Via the Subclass 186 TRT Stream - employer nomination required. Short Term Stream - no pathway to permanent residence | Permanent residence pathway available via the Subclass 191 visa, after three years of holding a Subclass 494 visa. No new nomination required. | The Subclass 186 visa is a permanent residence visa. |
Conditions | Must work for the nominating employer in the nominated occupation. | Several conditions. Most important one is that the visa holder must live work and study in the regional area. Change of employer requires a new nomination and new visa application. | No conditions. |
Sponsorship requirements | Nominating employer must be an approved business sponsor. | Nominating employer must be an approved business sponsor. | Nomination by the employer only required. No need for the employer to be an approved business sponsor. |
Eligibility for Medicare | No | Yes | Yes |
Link to terms used & extra information.
- Medium To Long Term Occupation List (MLTSSL)
- Combined Occupation List
- Short Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL)
- Subclass 482 Visa
- Subclass 494 Visa
- Subclass 186 Visa
- Health Waivers
- English Test equivalent marks
- Pathways to Permanent Residence 2020
- Possible Occupation List changes in March 2020
Need help?
Need some help with your visa choices and to find out which is the best pathway for you? Contact us today on +61 3 9573 5200 or book a consultation online and get brilliant tailored advice about how to migrate to Australia and which Australian Visa is best for you.
Just got my PR today!!! What an awesome day to leave an awesome review for this awesome company, highly recommended. Definitely the best migration agent I’ve worked with. I still can remember few years ago when I was looking for my next path of residency in Australia and stumbled across the company’s website. I just left an inquiry and thought maybe someone would get back to me within the next few days, but to my surprise, Seamus (the Founder and Principal) called me himself to follow up on the same day!!! Then I found out it was the same company who handled my wife’s Visa like years before, so they had me at that point. My visa application journey was handled by Patrick, who is very helpful, knowledgeable and professional. He will ensure you have all the important documents and information pertaining to your application and will help you all the way not leaving any details unattended. The whole process of my visa was considered very fast for the two phases of my partner visa comparing to normal visa processing time. They definitely know what they are doing and thats why they have the “No Visa No Fee Guarantee” on the table. Thank you again Seamus, Patrick, and AHWC team. Cheers.
Johan Tanzil (Google Review)
