Your job has ended, and your visa was tied to it. That is a hard position to be in. It is also one with a clear way through.
If you lose your job on a 482 visa, condition 8607 decides what happens next. It gives you up to 180 consecutive days to find a new sponsor, move to another visa or leave Australia.
That is three times the 60 days people had before July 2024. You can read the condition in Schedule 8 of the Migration Regulations.
The 180 days apply however the job ends. A layoff, a redundancy, a dismissal and a resignation all start the same clock.
There is one limit to knowing first. The 180 days only run while your visa is valid, so an earlier expiry date becomes your real deadline.
Below you will find that rule, a day-by-day plan, the 365-day cap and what a gap between sponsors means for permanent residency.
Want your own dates checked? A MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 2518738) at The Migration can work out your deadline and your options. Book a 482 job loss consultation.
What Changed for 482 Visa Holders on 1 July 2024?
On 1 July 2024, the time you can spend between sponsors went from 60 days to 180 days. That is the date the Migration Amendment (Work Related Visa Conditions) Regulations 2024 started. It rewrote conditions 8107, 8607 and 8608, and it did three things for you.
- The period between sponsors went from 60 days to 180 consecutive days.
- A total ceiling of 365 days now applies across the life of the visa.
- Interim work became allowed. Before, you could not work at all until a new nomination was approved.
The change covers visas granted from that date and visas people already held. Days you spent between sponsors before 1 July 2024 do not count toward the 365.
What Happens When Your 482 Visa Expires?
When your 482 visa expires, the 180 days end with it. Condition 8607 is attached to the visa, so it cannot outlast it. If your 482 visa expires in 90 days, you have 90 days, not 180.
Count both dates and work to whichever comes first. Check your expiry in VEVO today rather than relying on your memory of the grant letter.
Before the expiry date, you have four lawful options.
- A new employer lodges a nomination and you lodge a new 482 visa application, because a nomination alone cannot extend a visa that is about to end.
- You apply for a different visa that fits your situation.
- You hold a bridging visa, which only happens if you lodge a valid onshore visa application before the 482 expires.
- You leave Australia before the expiry date.
If the visa expires with nothing lodged, you become an unlawful non-citizen and the 180 days no longer apply. That situation can still be fixed. Contact Home Affairs or a registered migration agent straight away about a bridging visa to resolve your status.
What Should You Do From the Day Your Job Ends?
Work through the 180 days in stages, starting with your end date. The plan below follows the order most people need: paperwork first, then a sponsor, then a nomination, then a backup.
Day 0: The Day Your Employment Ends
Your 482 visa does not cancel itself. It stays valid, and the clock under condition 8607 starts on the day you stop working for your sponsor.
- Write that date down. Every deadline in this article counts from it.
- Your sponsor must tell Home Affairs that your job ended within 28 days, under their sponsorship obligations.
- That duty sits with them, but check that they have done it. A nomination left open on the system causes confusion later.
Quit or laid off, the rule is the same. If you resign, the 180 days still apply. Home Affairs counts the days you are not working for your sponsor, whatever the reason. Resigning does not cancel the visa, and your sponsor must still meet its notice duties. If you are thinking of quitting, line up the next employer first so the gap stays short.
Day 1 to Day 7: The Five Things to Do This Week
The first week is about records and dates, not job applications.
- Gather your separation papers. You need a termination or resignation letter with the end date, your final payslip and an employment reference. A new sponsor and Home Affairs will both ask for them.
- Check your visa conditions in VEVO. Confirm your expiry date and your recorded conditions. The guide to the VEVO system explains how to read the result.
- Work out your real deadline. Count 180 days from your last day of work, then compare that date with your visa expiry. Put the earlier date in your calendar.
- Start earning if you need to. During the gap you may work for other employers, including in jobs outside your last nomination. Read the note on permanent residency below before you do.
- Tell your family. A partner and children on your visa follow your status, so their work and study rights depend on your timeline.
Interim work covers the rent, but it does not count toward PR. For a 186 application lodged on or after 29 November 2025, only work for an approved work sponsor counts. That work makes up the two years the 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream needs. This comes from the Migration Amendment (Skilled Visa Reform Technical Measures) Regulations 2025.
Take the work if you need it. Just know that months spent in casual work do not move your PR count forward.
Day 8 to Day 30: Finding a Sponsor Who Can Nominate You
This stretch decides the outcome. The common mistake is applying for any job instead of approaching employers who can sponsor. Three questions tell a real prospect from a dead end.
- Does the business already sponsor workers? An approved sponsor can lodge a nomination quickly. A business that has never sponsored must become an approved sponsor first, which adds weeks and a separate charge.
- Is your occupation on the right list? The Core Skills stream uses the Core Skills Occupation List. If your job sits outside it, the Specialist Skills stream may reach you on salary, or the Labour Agreement stream may cover the role.
- Can they meet the salary rules? The salary must meet the annual market salary rate (AMSR) and the threshold for the stream. For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 that is AUD 79,423 for Core Skills and AUD 146,576 for Specialist Skills.
An employer who cannot meet the salary rules cannot nominate you, however willing they are. The guide to how employers sponsor overseas workers is worth forwarding to any employer who is keen but unsure where to start.
Not sure whether an employer can nominate you? A MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 2518738) at The Migration can check the occupation, the stream and the salary before the employer commits. Book a sponsor check.
Day 31 to Day 90: The Nomination
Once an employer agrees, they lodge a fresh nomination. Nothing transfers from the old one. People often search for a “482 visa transfer”. In practice, the new employer lodges a new nomination against the visa you already hold.
- What it costs the employer: a nomination charge of AUD 330, plus the Skilling Australians Fund levy for each year of the nomination. Businesses under AUD 10 million turnover pay AUD 1,200 a year, and larger businesses pay AUD 1,800. You pay nothing, because an employer cannot lawfully pass sponsorship costs on to you.
- What you need ready: your passport, grant letter, work history and evidence for the new occupation, kept in one folder.
- How long it takes: Home Affairs finalised 50% of nominations in 36 days and 90% in 9 months, as at 2 November 2026. See the processing time guide.
- When you can start work: you may be able to work for the new employer while the nomination is decided. Confirm this against your own situation first, because the permission has limits and a mistake falls on you, not the employer.
You only need a new visa application in three cases. Your visa is about to expire, you move from a labour agreement to a standard sponsor, or your duties or occupation change.
Day 91 to Day 150: The Decision Point
If no sponsor has come forward by the halfway mark, widen the search. A second pathway needs lead time that you will not have at day 170.
- Consider another visa. A partner visa, a student visa, a skilled independent or state nominated pathway, or a 186 nomination if you already have the work history. Each one takes weeks to prepare.
- Look at other employer-sponsored options. Regional employers under the subclass 494 visa, or employers covered by a labour agreement, can reach jobs and concessions the standard streams cannot.
- Plan a departure on your own terms. Leaving with a clean record keeps the door open to return. That is a far better result than a cancellation. The guide to how visa cancellation works explains why.
Halfway through the 180 days with no sponsor yet? A MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 2518738) at The Migration can compare your other visa options while there is still time to prepare them. Book a visa options review.
Day 151 to Day 180: The Exit Ramp
In the final month, either a new employer lodges a nomination or you lodge a different visa application. Those are the two outcomes that keep you lawful, and they work in different ways.
- A nomination lodged within the 180 days generally lets you keep working for that employer while Home Affairs decides it, even if the 180 days end first. The lodgement date is what counts, so day 170 works and day 190 does not.
- A visa application lodged onshore before your 482 ends usually gives you a bridging visa when the 482 stops. That keeps you lawful while the new application is decided. Your work rights depend on which bridging visa you get.
Day 180 and Beyond: What a Breach Means
If the 180 consecutive days run out with no nomination and no other visa lodged, you stop complying with condition 8607.
- A breach gives Home Affairs grounds to consider cancellation under section 116 of the Migration Act.
- Cancellation is not automatic. Home Affairs uses its discretion, and you can respond before a decision is made.
- A cancelled visa can affect future Australian visas for years, so get advice the moment you receive a notice.
- If a visa is cancelled, review at the Administrative Review Tribunal has short deadlines that cannot be extended.
What Can and Can’t You Do During the 180 Days?
You can stay, work for other employers and travel while your visa is valid. What you cannot do is count casual work toward a 186 visa. The table sets out each position.
Expert Australian Migration Guidance
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Book Consultation| Action | Position |
| Stay in Australia | Yes, while your visa is valid. The visa expiry, not the 180 days, is the outer limit. |
| Work for another employer | Yes, including in jobs outside your nominated occupation, under the rules that began on 1 July 2024. |
| Work while a new nomination is processed | Generally yes, if the nomination was lodged within your 180 days. |
| Count that work toward your 186 | No, unless the employer is an approved work sponsor (186 applications lodged on or after 29 November 2025). |
| Run your own business | Treat this as outside the permission and get advice first, because the wording covers work for other employers. |
| Leave and re-enter Australia | Yes, while your visa is valid. Check your travel in VEVO before you book. |
| Keep your family on the visa | Yes, because their status follows yours. |
Rules as of 3 November 2026. Confirm your own situation before acting on any row.
Do Your Workplace Rights End With Your Job?
No. Wages you are owed, missing entitlements and unfair dismissal are matters for the Fair Work Ombudsman, and your visa status does not remove that protection.
If your job ended through exploitation, sham contracting or underpayment, the Workplace Justice stream of the subclass 408 Temporary Activity visa may let you stay to pursue the claim. It exists for workers who would otherwise have to choose between their wages and their visa.
Raise it early. It takes preparation, and it sits alongside your 180 days rather than extending them.
What Is the 365-Day Cap on a 482 Visa?
The 365-day cap is the total time you can spend between sponsors across the whole life of your 482 visa. 180 days is the limit for a single gap. The 365 days is the limit for all gaps added together.
This matters if this is your second gap. Someone who spent four months between sponsors in 2025 has already used about a third of the allowance. Count both numbers, not just the current one.
Days before 1 July 2024 do not count toward the 365, so an older gap does not follow you.
Does Changing Employers Reset Your Path to Permanent Residency?
No, changing employers does not reset your path to permanent residency. Time with your old sponsor and your new sponsor can both count toward the 186 TRT stream. The gap in between is what does not count.
The Home Affairs TRT page (updated 3 November 2026) sets out the rules:
- You need at least 2 years of eligible sponsored employment in the 3 years before you apply.
- If you changed employers, time with the new employer counts from the date an approved nomination was lodged, if you started working there before it was approved.
- If you held more than one 457 or 482 visa, work in any occupation you were approved for can count.
- For applications lodged on or after 29 November 2025, only work for an approved work sponsor counts.
So interim work for a business that is not an approved sponsor adds nothing to your two years. Home Affairs reported 186 TRT processing at 22 months (50%) and 24 months (90%) as at 2 November 2026, so plan the count with that wait in mind.
Ask someone to check your own dates, because the answer decides whether you take a job now or hold out for one in the same occupation.
If you are already on a 186 visa, see whether you can leave your employer after a 186 visa. If the 186 looks out of reach, the guide to ways to get permanent residency in Australia and the PR pathway roadmap show what else is open.
How The Migration Helps 482 Visa Holders Who Lose Their Job
Most people who contact The Migration after losing a 482 job ask the same three things. They want to know how long they really have, who can sponsor them, and whether their PR count survives.
The Migration has worked with employer-sponsored visa holders for 7+ years. Its MARA-registered migration agents (MARN 2518738) can answer those questions from your own documents. You can confirm registration on the MARA register.
- Deadline check: the team works out the exact date your period ends, using your end date, visa expiry and any earlier gaps.
- Sponsor check: the agents confirm whether an employer can nominate you and what it will cost them.
- PR check: the team counts your sponsored employment against the 186 TRT rules.
- Backup plan: the agents compare other visas if no sponsor comes forward in time.
Bring your last day of work, your grant letter and your occupation. No registered migration agent can guarantee a visa outcome.
Conclusion
If you lose your job on a 482 visa, you have up to 180 consecutive days to find a new sponsor, change visas or leave. The days stop at your visa expiry, and all your gaps together cannot pass 365 days. That applies whether you were laid off or chose to resign.
Start with your dates, then look for an employer who can sponsor, and keep a second option ready by the halfway mark. Casual work keeps you going, but only sponsored work counts toward the 186 visa.
Want a clear plan for the days you have left? Book a 482 consultation with a MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 2518738).
