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These changes create new opportunities for skilled workers while requiring employers to adapt their recruitment and staff retention strategies.
To apply for PR via the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream of the 186 visa, 482 visa holders must have been employed for at least two years (not including any periods of unpaid leave) within the three-year period immediately before the nomination application is made.
Under the previous system, 482 visa holders needed to work with the same sponsoring employer to become eligible for PR through the TRT stream. Recent reforms have fundamentally changed this requirement. Now, work experience gained under any approved sponsor counts toward the eligibility requirement for PR.
For example, if a 482 visa holder has worked for 18 months with their current sponsor and who previously worked for 6 months with another approved sponsor within the past three years would have accumulated the required two years of work experience. This combined experience now counts toward their eligibility for PR.
These changes offer skilled 482 visa holders greater flexibility and bargaining power in the labour market. Workers are no longer ‘locked in’ to their current employer to maintain their progress toward PR under the TRT stream. The new system allows them to:
For sponsoring employers, these changes create both challenges and opportunities that require careful consideration and strategic planning.
Understanding the new timeline
Employers need to recognise that potential employees may already have accumulated eligible work experience with previous sponsors. This means:
Retention strategies
With increased worker mobility, employers need to enhance their retention strategies. This becomes particularly important as workers approach their two-year eligibility mark. Consider:
Permanent residency sponsorship
A clear stance on PR sponsorship becomes increasingly important as a retention tool. Employers should:
Workforce planning
Since visa holders can now change employers without resetting their progress toward PR, organisations face a higher risk of losing key talent with little notice. This heightened mobility makes robust succession planning no longer just a good practice, but a critical business necessity. Organisations must develop plans that account for the potential departure of skilled workers at any point. This includes:
These changes to the 186 visa reflect Australia's commitment to creating a more flexible and attractive environment for skilled migrants while maintaining the integrity of the PR pathway.
For visa holders, the key is to carefully document all periods of employment with approved sponsors and maintain clear records of any unpaid leave to ensure accurate calculation of the two-year requirement.
For employers, success in this new environment requires a more holistic approach to talent management and recognising that they can no longer rely on visa requirements as a de facto retention tool. Instead, they must create genuine value propositions that make workers want to stay, while simultaneously maintaining robust plans for managing potential departures.
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