Temporary Residence Transition 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.

Travel

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 and don't hold 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 facility ends, use VEVO.

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 is 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 Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa holder if we granted them that visa as 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.

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 AUD4,890.00.

To be eligible for this visa as the main applicant, you must be able to show us you have Competent English unless you are exempt. If you are exempt, you must still show us you have Functional English. If you can't show us you have Functional English you must also pay a second instalment of AUD9,800.00 when we ask you to.

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.

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

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 can take longer to process if:

• you don't fill it in correctly
• you don't 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 don't 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 in regional Australia for at least 2 years. If you don't, we might cancel your visa.

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

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

You must have the required skills and qualifications needed to perform the tasks of the nominated occupation.

We might ask you to get a skills assessment to show you have these skills.

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.

Your employer must have sponsored you to work full-time on your subclass 457 or subclass 482 Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa for at least 2 of the 3 years prior to nominating you for the subclass 187 visa.

Usually, you must be under 45 years of age when you apply.

You are exempt from this criteria if any of the following applies to you:

• You are nominated as an academic (university lecturer or faculty head at Academic Level A, B, C, D or E) by a university in Australia
• You are nominated as a scientist, researcher or technical specialist at ANZSCO skill level 1 or 2 by an Australian scientific government agency or Australian university
• You are nominated as a medical practitioner and in the 3 years immediately before you apply have worked in the occupation in a designated regional area of Australia for at least 2 years as a subclass 457 or 482 visa holder. The nominated position is in a designated regional area of Australia.
• As a subclass 457 or 482 visa holder, you have been working in the nominated occupation for the nominating employer for at least 2 years during the 3 years ending immediately before you apply, and your earnings for each year of that period were at least as much as the Fair Work High Income Threshold.

Transitional arrangements

If you held (or had applied for and were later granted) a subclass 457 visa on 18 April 2017, you can still apply for this visa if you are under 50 when you apply.

You must currently be the primary visa holder of either:

• a subclass 457 visa
• a subclass 482 (TSS) visa
• a bridging visa A, B or C in association with a pending 482 , 186 or 187 visa

The bridging visa must be the one you were granted after your subclass 457 or TSS visa expired.

Transitional worker definition

Legislation defines “transitional 482 worker” as a person who on 20 March 2019 either held a subclass 482 TSS visa in the Medium-term stream, or was an applicant for a TSS visa in the Medium-term stream that was subsequently granted.

The 20 March 2019 cut-off date for “transitional 482 workers” relates to the date the Australian Government made announcements regarding the closure of the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) Direct Entry visa (subclass 187). At the same time, the announcement was made relating to the introduction of the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494)

You and any family members who apply for the visa with you must meet our health requirement.

Other family members will also need to meet the requirement.

You and family members aged 16 years and over who apply for the visa with you must meet our character requirement.

Other family members will also need to meet the requirement.

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.

You must have at least Competent English.

You are exempt from this requirement if you have completed at least 5 years of full-time study in a secondary or higher education institution where all tuition was delivered in English.

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 travel

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 during your flight.

Using the SmartGate

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 (your obligations)

You and your family members must obey all Australian laws.

We expect that you will work for your nominating employer in regional Australia for at least 2 years. If you don't, we might cancel your visa.

You must 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

See how long you can stay

Permanently

Tell us if things change

Things you need to let us know about when you have this visa include:

• changes to your phone number, email, address or passport
• changes to your relationship status
• the birth of a child

See how to let us know if there is a change in your situation.

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 might not be able to return to Australia as a permanent resident.

To see when your travel facility ends, use VEVO.

Proving you have a visa

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

To prove you have been to Australia, request your travel records.

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 family member, 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

To prove you have been to Australia, request your travel records.

There is no application fee to nominate an applicant for this stream of the visa.

You are required to pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy.

If approved, your nomination will end if the employee you nominate:

• does not apply for a subclass 187 visa within six months of the nomination approval
• is refused a subclass 187 visa

You must:

• employ the worker under terms and conditions that are 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:

• be the employer who last sponsored the 457 or subclass 482 TSS visa holder as a standard business sponsor or as a party to a labour agreement
• have no adverse information known about it or any person associated with it, or it is reasonable to disregard this information
• actively and lawfully operate a business in regional Australia
• have a genuine need for a paid employee to fill a skilled position in regional Australia
• pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy when you submit your employer nomination application
• have complied with Australian immigration and workplace relations laws.

Your business must also be able to:

• offer a skilled position that is full time and ongoing in regional Australia for at least 2 years. The nominee's employment contract must not limit the position to 2 years
• if the worker will earn less than AUD250,000 per year, pay them at least the annual market salary rate for these 2 years
• demonstrate the applicant is eligible for any licence, registration or membership needed at the time you submit your nomination.

The applicant can't be granted the visa if the nominated position is not in regional Australia.

In general, if you sponsored the applicant for a temporary work visa, you can nominate them for this stream of the permanent visa. You must be the applicant’s most recent approved sponsor.

What visa the applicant must hold

When you nominate them, the applicant must hold or have most recently held:

• a subclass 457 visa, or
• a subclass 482 TSS visa.

If the applicant does not hold a substantive visa when you apply to nominate them, they must hold a bridging visa that was granted to them when they applied for:

• a subclass 457 visa, or
• a subclass 482 TSS visa, or
• a subclass 186 visa, or
• a subclass 187 visa.

How long the applicant must have held their visa

The applicant must have held one or more of the following visas for at least 2 of the 3 years before you nominate them:

• a subclass 457 visa, or
• a subclass 482 TSS visa.

How long the applicant must have been employed

Usually, the applicant must have been employed for at least 2 years of the 3 years before you nominate them for this visa (not including periods of unpaid leave):

• in the position they were granted their visa to fill
• full time and
• in Australia.

If the applicant was granted a visa to work in certain occupations, they must have been employed in the position they were granted their visa to fill for 2 of the previous 3 years (not including periods of unpaid leave). The occupations are listed in the relevant legislative instrument, LIN 19/212.

Continuity of employment

If your business ownership has changed in the 2 year period - for example due to sale, takeover or restructure - you might still be able to nominate the applicant. You must show you and the previous business sponsor would be considered the same employer.