Applying for a 482 Visa in Australia: Which Visa You Must Hold

Many Skills in Demand (subclass 482) applicants are already here as students, graduates, working holiday makers or visitors. You can apply for a 482 visa in Australia, but only if your current visa status allows it. This guide covers the rules that decide whether an onshore application is valid and can be granted.

Which visa you must hold

Your current status	Can you apply for a 482 in Australia?
Substantive visa, such as a student, 485, working holiday or visitor visa	Yes, unless the visa has a no further stay condition that has not been waived
Bridging A, B or C visa	Yes
Bridging E visa or no visa	No

The rule applies to everyone in the application. The Department’s instructions confirm it covers family members too, including children born in Australia.

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No further stay conditions

Some visitor and other visas have a condition such as 8503, which stops you applying for most visas in Australia. If your visa has one, you would need a waiver before you could apply onshore, or you would need to apply from outside Australia.

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Substantial compliance

Clauses 482.211 and 482.311 require that, if you are in Australia, you have substantially complied with the conditions of your last substantive visa and any bridging visa you held afterwards. Past breaches, such as working more hours than allowed or not studying, can cause problems. If this applies to you, get advice before you lodge.

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Bridging visas while you wait

If you apply in Australia while holding a substantive visa, you may be granted a bridging visa that keeps you lawful until a decision. Check the work conditions on your bridging visa before you start with your sponsor, because condition 8607 only applies once the 482 is granted.

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Grant, refusal and section 48

• the visa can be granted whether you are in or outside Australia, but not while you are in immigration clearance;
• if a 482 applied for in Australia is refused, section 48 of the Migration Act may stop you lodging most other visas while you remain in Australia;
• the approved nomination stays in place after a refusal, which matters for review. See 482 nomination refused or withdrawn.

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What you should do now

• Check your current visa: confirm you hold a substantive visa or a Bridging A, B or C visa, and check for any no further stay condition.
• Check your history: review whether you have complied with the conditions of past visas.
• Lodge before your visa expires: applying while your substantive visa is still in effect keeps your bridging visa options open.
• Plan for refusal risk: if your case is borderline, get advice on applying offshore instead.