Labour Agreement stream

• stay in Australia indefinitely
• work and study in Australia
• enrol in Australia’s public health care scheme, Medicare
• sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia
• travel to and from Australia for 5 years
• apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible.

Newly arrived residents may have to wait before they can access certain Australian Government payments and benefits.

This is a permanent visa – it lets you stay in Australia indefinitely.

You become a permanent resident on the day we grant the visa.

Your permanent residency for citizenship purposes starts:

• on the day we grant the visa if you are in Australia
• on the day you enter Australia on this visa if you are outside Australia

You can:

• include family members in your application when you apply
• add family members to your application after you apply but before we decide on your visa.

For this visa, your family members are:

• your partner
• your dependent child or stepchild
• your partner's dependent child or stepchild
• the dependent child or stepchild of your or your partner's dependent child or stepchild.

You can also include a subclass 457 visa or subclass 482 visa holder if we granted them that visa as they are a member of your family.

Family members who apply for the visa with you must meet our health and character requirements.

Family members who do not apply for the visa with you might also have to meet the requirements.

The visa costs AUD6,140.00 for the main applicant. Concessions apply in limited circumstances.

There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you.

To see what your visa will cost use the Visa pricing estimator. The estimator does not consider the second instalment or other costs.

Second instalment

You must pay an extra charge called a second instalment for any family member aged 18 years or older who:

• applies for the visa with you, and
• has less than Functional English

The second instalment for family members who apply for the visa with you is AUD4,890.

If you need to pay the second instalment, we will send you an invoice after you have met all other requirements for the visa.

Other costs

You might also have to pay other costs for:

• health checks
• police certificates
• biometrics.

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid visa application.

We will charge eligible applicants the lower visa application cost during the application process in ImmiAccount. We will recognise eligible applicants by the valid passport from the specified countries used in the application when they apply.

Family members are also eligible for the lower visa cost. We base this on the passport of the primary applicant (or visa holder who satisfies the primary visa criteria).

The primary applicant must hold a valid passport issued by one of the following countries:

• Federated States of Micronesia
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Nauru
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Republic of the Marshall Islands
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu.

You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa, but not in immigration clearance.

If you are applying in Australia, you must hold a:

• substantive visa or
• Bridging visa A, Bridging visa B or Bridging visa C.

You can be in or outside Australia when we decide on your application.

For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.

Your application might take longer to process if:

• you do not fill it in correctly
• you do not include all the documents we need or we need more information from you
• it takes us time to verify your information

We can't process your application if you do not pay the correct visa application charge. We will notify you if this is the case and if necessary return your application.

You and your family members must obey all Australian laws.

We expect that you will work for your nominating employer for at least 2 years.

You agree to begin your employment within 6 months of:

• entry to Australia if you were granted the visa outside Australia
• the visa grant date if you were granted the visa in Australia

From the date we grant this visa, you can travel to and from Australia for up to 5 years.

After that period, you will need a Resident Return (RRV) visa to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.

If you leave Australia after the expiry date of your travel facility, without being granted another permanent visa with a valid travel facility, for example a Resident Return (RRV), you might not be able to return to Australia as a permanent resident.

To see when your travel condition ends, use VEVO.

We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.

You must currently work, or plan to work, for your employer under a labour agreement.

You must have suitable English language skills, experience, skills and other attributes for the position. The labour agreement will provide guidance on these.

We might ask to get a skills assessment that shows you have the skills to work in the position. Do not get an assessment unless we ask you to.

You must be licensed, registered or a member of a professional body if it is mandatory in the state or territory you intend to work in.

You must be nominated by an Australian employer whose business is:

• actively and lawfully operating in Australia
• party to a labour agreement.

Find out if your employer is eligible to nominate you.

Learn more about terms and conditions of employment on the Sponsor tabs, About this visa - Your Obligations.

We can't grant you a visa if:

• we are aware of adverse information about your nominator or any person associated with them, unless it is reasonable to disregard this information, or
• the nomination is withdrawn, or
• the position is no longer available.

We can’t link a new nomination to your existing visa application. If this happens one possible option is to withdraw your first visa application and submit a new visa application in relation to the new nomination.

You might be eligible for a refund of the visa application charge depending on the circumstances.

Unless the labour agreement provides otherwise, you must be aged under 45 years when you apply.

If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive 457 or 482 visa issued under a labour agreement.

You and any family members who apply for the visa with you must meet our health requirement. We might ask for health information about family not coming to Australia with you.

You and family members aged 16 years and over who apply for the visa with you must meet our character requirement. We might ask for character information about family not coming to Australia with you.

If you are 18 years of age or older, you must:

• have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia booklet and
• sign an Australian Values Statement that confirms you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.

If you owe the Australian Government money, you must have paid it back or have a formal arrangement to pay it back.

We will consider your immigration history when we make a decision on your application, which means you might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused.

In some circumstances you may still apply for a permanent visa if you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused see Limitations on applications in Australia.

If applying for a visa from outside Australia see Can I go to Australia.

If you want immigration assistance, see Who can help with your visa application.

Before you leave

Check your travel documents

You must have:

• a valid visa to enter Australia
• a valid passport or other travel document.

At the Border

Completing an Incoming Passenger Card

All people arriving Australia must complete an Incoming Passenger Card. You will be given this card on-board.

Leaving the airport faster

We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You might be able to leave the airport faster if you use SmartGate.

New Zealand passport holders

If an immigration officer processes your clearance at our border, we recommend you tell them:

• you have a permanent Australian visa
• you do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444)

If you do not tell them, you might be granted the 444 visa. Grant of a subclass 444 visa will override your permanent visa and might affect your eligibility for Australian citizenship.

What you can do when you have this visa

This visa lets you:

• stay in Australia indefinitely
• work and study in Australia
• enrol in Australia’s public health care scheme, Medicare
• sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia
• travel to and from Australia for 5 years
• apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible.

Newly arrived residents may have to wait before they can access certain Australian Government payments and benefits.

What you must do on this visa

You and your family members must obey all Australian laws.

We expect that you will work for your nominating employer for at least 2 years.

You agree to begin your employment within 6 months of:

• entering Australia if we granted you the visa outside Australia
• the visa grant date if we granted you the visa in Australia.

Travelling on your visa

From the date we grant this visa, you can travel to and from Australia for up to 5 years.

After that period, you will need a Resident Return (RRV) visa to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.

If you leave Australia after the expiry date of your travel facility, without being granted another permanent visa with a valid travel facility, for example a Resident Return (RRV), you will not be able to return to Australia as a permanent resident.

To see when your travel condition ends, use VEVO.

Proving you have a visa

To prove you have a visa and show your conditions to someone, use VEVO.

Request your international movement records to get proof of your travel in and out of Australia.

Working

When you work in Australia, you are protected by Australian workplace law. See your workplace rights and entitlements.

Bringing family

As an Australian permanent resident, you might be able to sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia.

To find a visa for your relatives, explore visa options.

Becoming an Australian citizen

After a certain time, you might be eligible for Australian citizenship. Find out more about becoming a citizen.

For citizenship purposes, your permanent residency starts on the day:

• we grant the visa, if you were in Australia
• you entered Australia on this visa, if you were outside Australia when we granted it.

Before you leave

Check your travel documents

You must have a valid passport or other travel document to leave Australia.

Ensure your visa is still valid

Check your conditions and the expiry of your Resident Return visa in VEVO.

See what you can and must do if your visa has expired or is about to expire.

At the Border

Leaving the airport faster

We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You might be able to leave the airport faster if you use SmartGate

After you leave

Proving you have been to Australia

Request your international movement records to get proof of your travel in and out of Australia.

All applicants must pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy.

For applicants nominating a position located in regional Australia, there is no additional fee.

Applicants nominating a position not located in regional Australia, also must pay the AUD540.00 nomination application fee.

If a nomination is approved, the nominee must lodge their associated visa no more than 6 months after the approval date.

You must:

• employ the worker under the terms and conditions agreed to under the labour agreement. The terms and conditions must be no less than as those for Australian citizens or permanent residents doing the same work in the same place. Terms and conditions include but are not limited to salary for the nominated position, hours of work and leave entitlements.
• pay the worker the annual market salary rate
• comply with Australian immigration and workplace relations law

Your business must:

• have no adverse information known about it or any person associated with it, or it is reasonable to disregard this information
• pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy when you submit your employer nomination application
• have complied with Australian immigration and workplace relations laws

You must:

• currently have a labour agreement in place with the Australian Government
• have met any nomination requirements specified in the agreement

The occupation you are nominating must be listed in the labour agreement as an occupation you can nominate.

Permanent residence is only available through the subclass 186 Labour Agreement stream if it has been included as an option in the subclass 457 or subclass 482 negotiated labour agreement.