482 to PR pathway for Filipino workers: the two-year rule, the age limit and your NZ options

Visa guide · 2026-10-29 · 10 min read

A Filipino couple reviews papers and a laptop at their warmly lit kitchen table in Australia.

For most Filipino workers in Australia, the 482 to PR pathway runs through one door: your sponsoring employer nominates you for the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa, usually through its Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream after about two years of full-time sponsored work. Age matters as much as time, because TRT applicants must usually be under 45 when they apply. Regional jobs have a second road through the subclass 494 visa, and in New Zealand the Skilled Migrant Category plays the same part.

How the 482 to PR pathway works

The Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa is temporary. It lets you work for your sponsor for up to 4 years, only in the occupation you were nominated for and only for the nominating business (or, in some cases, an associated entity).

Home Affairs says a 482 holder's employer may be able to sponsor them for permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186). Your employer decides whether to nominate you; the department decides the visa.

So treat your 482 years as the foundation of a later application: without a new nomination there is no TRT application.

The 186 TRT stream in plain words

Who the TRT stream is for

The Temporary Residence Transition stream is for subclass 457 or 482 holders who have usually worked for at least 2 years full time in eligible sponsored employment. You also need an employer nomination approved in the 6 months before you apply, so lodge soon after the approval rather than letting it sit.

A skills assessment is not required at the time of application for the TRT stream, unlike the Direct Entry stream below.

The age rule

TRT applicants must usually be under 45 years of age when they apply. If you arrive on a 482 in your early forties, count forward: two years of full-time sponsored work could bring you close to that line. "Usually" means exemptions exist, so check the official page rather than guessing.

The pay floor follows you

The Core Skills Income Threshold also applies to 186 nominations lodged on or after 7 December 2024. For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 it is AUD79,423. A salary that only just met the threshold on arrival may need to rise; our guide to the 482 visa salary requirement explains how the lodgement date decides the figure.

What the 186 costs

The base application charge for the subclass 186 is AUD6,140.00 in the Direct Entry, TRT and Labour Agreement streams. That is roughly ₱268,809 at the Reserve Bank of Australia rate of 43.78 pesos per Australian dollar published on 16 Oct 2026, a rough comparison only, as rates change daily.

English can add a much bigger bill. Applicants aged 18 or over who are assessed as not having functional English pay a second instalment of AUD9,800 (main applicants) or AUD4,890 (secondary applicants). Steady IELTS or PTE practice with PractiseNow costs far less.

The employer pays its own costs, including AUD540 to nominate for the 186 and the Skilling Australians Fund levy, and cannot pass them on to you or your family. For the first visa's full bill, see the 482 visa's real price tag in pesos.

Two other Australian routes: Direct Entry and the 494

The Direct Entry stream

The Direct Entry stream of the 186 does not need the 482 years first. It asks for an age under 45 (unless exempt), a nomination in an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List, at least 3 years of relevant work experience and a positive skills assessment before lodging (unless exempt).

Our guide to skills assessment in Australia for Filipinos shows who checks each trade, and RPLDirect explains how work experience can be recognised towards an Australian qualification.

The subclass 494 regional route

The Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494) is a different first step. It needs a nomination in an occupation on the relevant skilled list, at least 3 years of relevant work experience, a relevant skills assessment and an age under 45, unless exemptions apply. Its base charge is also AUD6,140.00.

Holders live, work and study only in designated regional areas for 5 years, and those areas include all of Australia except Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Holders may, if eligible, apply for permanent residence after holding the visa for 3 years. So a role like this fabricator and welder job in Perth counts as regional.

The routes to permanent residence at a glance

Route	Who it is for	Age rule	Time or experience	Base charge
186 TRT stream	482 (or 457) holders nominated by their employer	Usually under 45	Usually 2 years full time in sponsored work; nomination approved in the last 6 months	AUD6,140.00
186 Direct Entry stream	Workers nominated without the 482 years	Under 45 unless exempt	3 years relevant experience and a skills assessment	AUD6,140.00
494, then permanent residence	Regional jobs outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane	Under 45 unless exempt	Hold the 494 for 3 years before applying, if eligible	AUD6,140.00 for the 494
New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category	Workers with a job or offer from an accredited employer	55 or younger	One of 3 pathways	From NZD $6,450

What changed for the 2026-27 program year

Australia's Migration Program year runs from 1 July to 30 June. For 2026-27 the Employer-Sponsored planning level is 58,040 places, up from 44,000 in 2025-26. A planning level is not a promise of a visa to anyone, but it is a helpful backdrop.

Income thresholds are indexed every year from 1 July: the CSIT rose from AUD76,515 for nominations lodged in 2025-26 to AUD79,423 from 1 July 2026.

New Zealand: from the AEWV to the Skilled Migrant Category

Many Filipino workers in New Zealand start on the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). It is temporary: total time on one or more AEWVs can be 5 years for most jobs, or 3 years for jobs at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5, after which you normally must spend 12 months in a row outside New Zealand. Plan early.

The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa needs a job or job offer from an accredited employer, an age of 55 or younger, English, and eligibility for one of 3 pathways. It costs from NZD $6,450.

Points-based pathway: 6 skilled resident points from a qualification, income or New Zealand occupational registration, plus up to 3 points from skilled work experience in New Zealand. A job paying 3 times the SMC wage threshold (currently NZD $105.00 an hour) or more gives 6 points.
Skilled Work Experience pathway: at least 5 years of directly relevant work experience, including at least 2 years of skilled work experience in New Zealand.
Trades and Technician pathway: a relevant qualification and at least 4 years of post-qualification work experience, including at least 18 months of skilled work experience in New Zealand.

Some roles have a shorter road. The Green List names roles New Zealand needs workers for: Tier 1 roles lead to a Straight to Residence Visa, and Tier 2 roles to a Work to Residence Visa after 2 years of working in New Zealand. See our guide to New Zealand's newer residence routes.

Immigration New Zealand says a temporary visa carries no promise of residence and that scammers often overstate it.

Your plan from day one on a 482

Read your nomination: its occupation and business are the employment that counts.
Keep your contract and payslips to show your full-time sponsored work.
Talk to your employer early about whether they plan a 186 nomination, and roughly when.
Mark two dates: the day you reach about 2 years of full-time sponsored work, and the day you turn 45.
Work on English now for every adult on the application.
Lodge within 6 months of the nomination approval, online through ImmiAccount; paper applications are not accepted.
Look further ahead. Australian citizenship needs 4 years living in Australia on a valid visa immediately before applying, including the last 12 months on a permanent visa.

OFW paperwork while you work towards PR

While you hold a 482 or an AEWV, you fit the DMW's own definition of an OFW: a Filipino in paid work in a country where you are not a citizen or permanent resident. DMW Department Circular No. 02, Series of 2023 says all OFWs need an OFW Pass when departing for or returning to their work overseas, so a holiday home to Cebu still needs the pass. The same circular lifted the Php100.00 processing fee for Balik-Manggagawa workers.

Changing employers changes the paperwork. MWO New Zealand requires Filipino work visa holders who changed employers in New Zealand to have their contract verified before getting an OEC; our guide to Balik-Manggagawa with a new employer walks through it. In Australia, Employer Sponsored Jobs explains the order of approvals in its guide to changing employer on a 482 visa; check how any move fits the two-year TRT requirement.

Once you hold a permanent visa, the OFW definition no longer describes you, so ask the DMW which documents apply then.

Common mistakes Filipino workers make on the road to PR

Assuming the 482 becomes PR on its own. It does not: a new 186 nomination from your employer comes first.
Leaving the age question too late. TRT, Direct Entry and the 494 all usually need you to be under 45.
Paying for a nomination. It is illegal to pay an employer to sponsor you, including through salary deductions, and it can lead to visa refusal or cancellation, fines or imprisonment.
Letting the nomination approval go stale. The TRT application needs a nomination approved in the 6 months before you apply.
Trusting "PR packages" on Facebook. The DMW has warned about Facebook groups that give misleading advice and demand money.

Frequently asked questions

Can a 482 visa lead to permanent residence in Australia?

It can, but not on its own. Home Affairs says a 482 holder's employer may be able to sponsor them for permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186), most often through the Temporary Residence Transition stream.

How long do I need to work before applying for the 186 TRT stream?

Applicants have usually worked for at least 2 years full time in eligible sponsored employment. They also need an employer nomination approved in the 6 months before they apply.

What is the age limit for the 186 TRT stream?

Applicants must usually be under 45 when they apply. Direct Entry and the 494 also ask for under 45 unless exempt, while New Zealand's Skilled Migrant Category accepts applicants aged 55 or younger.

Do I need a skills assessment for the TRT stream?

Not at the time of application. The Direct Entry stream needs a positive skills assessment before lodging unless exempt, and the subclass 494 also asks for a relevant skills assessment.

Can AEWV holders move to New Zealand residence?

Some can, through the Skilled Migrant Category or a Green List role. The SMC needs a job or offer from an accredited employer, an age of 55 or younger, English and one of 3 pathways.

Key takeaways

The 482 is temporary; permanent residence usually comes through a 186 nomination from your employer.
The TRT stream usually needs 2 years of full-time sponsored work and an age under 45.
Regional 494 holders may apply for permanent residence after 3 years, if eligible.
Good English for every adult on the application avoids a second instalment of up to AUD9,800.
In New Zealand, plan the Skilled Migrant Category early, before AEWV time limits close in.

Every case is different — book a consultation and our partner registered migration agents (MARA) / licensed NZ advisers will assess yours.

Last checked: 2026-10-29 against the official pages linked above.

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