EMC Australia / Work visas
Work in Australia — skilled, or sponsored by an employer
There are three different ways to work in Australia — not one. You can apply yourself on a points-tested skilled visa (sometimes with a state’s support). An Australian employer can sponsor you.
Who this page is for
- You have skills Australia needs and want to live here permanently or for a set period
- An Australian employer wants to hire you or keep you
- You are coming for a short specialist role, a special activity, or a talent pathway
- A skilled or sponsored visa was refused
- You already have a 482 or skilled visa waiting, and want to know what Directions 121 and 122 mean for you
The visas
Which visa this page is about
Each visa has a number, called a subclass, so you can match a letter from the Department. You do not need that number to talk to us.
Apply in or from outside Australia
Skilled Independent visa
You have a skills assessment, enough points, and an invitation through SkillSelect. No employer and no state nomination.
You wait for an invitation in rounds. After you apply for the visa, the Department’s processing order is set by Ministerial Direction 122 — that is about queue order, not whether you qualify. The occupation, points and English have to be right before you wait.
Learn more about this visaApply in or from outside Australia
Skilled Nominated visa
A state or territory nominates you. You then apply for the visa.
This is permanent residence with a state’s support. Each state has its own occupation list and process. You usually have to live and work in that state after grant. Direction 122 sets how the Department orders visa applications; it does not change the state’s list.
Learn more about this visaApply in or from outside Australia
Skilled Work Regional (provisional)
A state nominates you, or an eligible family member in regional Australia sponsors you.
A five-year regional visa. Time lived and worked in regional Australia can lead to permanent residence (usually 191). Family who apply later do not keep your place in the Department’s queue. Direction 122 applies to the visa application.
Learn more about this visaApply in Australia
Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional)
You have held an eligible regional visa (including 491) and met the residence and work requirements.
The permanent step after a regional visa. What matters is where you actually lived and worked — not only the visa grant. This sits on Direction 122, not 121.
Learn more about this visaApply in or from outside Australia
Skills in Demand visa
An approved Australian employer has nominated you. Streams include Core Skills, Specialist Skills, and labour agreement.
This is your visa. The employer’s sponsorship is a separate application. From 19 September 2026, Direction 121 sets processing order: priority occupations first, then Specialist Skills, then other people who applied in Australia. A partner or child included on the same application keeps your place; a later “subsequent entrant” application does not.
Learn more about this visaApply in or from outside Australia
Employer Nomination Scheme visa
Your employer nominates you for permanent residence.
Three ways in: Direct Entry, Temporary Residence Transition (often after a 482), or a labour agreement. Skills assessment, English, age and the nomination all have to line up. Direction 122 (not 121) sets visa processing order after you lodge.
Learn more about this visaApply in or from outside Australia
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (provisional)
A regional employer nominates you.
Employer-sponsored regional visa. It is not the same as a 491, which is points-tested or family-sponsored, not employer-nominated. Direction 122 applies.
Learn more about this visaApply in Australia
Skilled Regional visa
You already lived and worked in regional Australia on an older eligible visa and are applying for that permanent pathway.
This is not a 191. Which permanent visa you use depends on which provisional visa you held. Remaining 887 applications are processed under Direction 122.
Learn more about this visaApply in or from outside Australia
National Innovation visa
You have an internationally recognised record of exceptional achievement, and a nominator, in a talent or innovation field.
This replaced Distinguished Talent. It is not a points-tested 189 and not an employer 482. An expression of interest and a nominator come first. Being senior in your job is not enough. Directions 121 and 122 do not apply to 858.
Learn more about this visaApply from outside Australia
Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist)
You are coming for highly specialised work that is not ongoing — usually months, not years.
This is not a 482 and it is not a path to permanent residence. If the job is ongoing, the honest visa is usually Skills in Demand 482.
Learn more about this visaDepends on the stream
Temporary work and activity visas
Special programs and activities — not ordinary skilled or employer-sponsored work.
403 covers things like PALM and the MATES program. 408 covers things like sport, research, religious work and some events. The stream on the form is what matters. If the job is a normal skilled role, this is usually the wrong visa. Directions 121 and 122 do not apply.
Learn more about this visa
How EMC works
How we help
01
Occupation and points first
For 189, 190 and 491 we check the occupation, who assesses it, your points, and whether a state will actually nominate you — before you pay for an assessment you cannot use.
02
Employer applications, kept separate
If the path is 482, 186 or 494, your visa is one application. The employer’s sponsorship or nomination is another. We do not mix them up.
03
Timing and staying lawful
When you can apply, whether you can stay in Australia, and what happens if the nomination is refused, all have to be planned. We write that down.
04
Where you sit in the queue
From 19 September 2026, Direction 121 (482) and Direction 122 (186, 189, 190, 191, 491, 494 and 887) tell the Department the order to look at applications. We match your occupation to the Direction. A place in the queue is not a grant.
First conversation
What to bring
- Passport, current visa, and a CV that matches the occupation you want assessed
- A skills assessment if you already have one — or your qualifications and work references
- English test results if you have them
- If an employer is involved: the business name and the role they want you in
- Any previous visa refusal, nomination refusal, or skills assessment that was not suitable
Before you apply
Things that go wrong
- A skills assessment is not a visa. It is a separate application, often with a different organisation.
- Points claims (work, English, partner, study) are checked. Inflating them is how applications fail.
- State lists and invitation rounds change. A plan from last year may be closed.
- For 482 and 186, the employer must be able to sponsor. If they cannot, your visa cannot proceed.
- Directions 121 and 122 change the order of processing, not the occupation list and not the grant rules. A priority occupation still has to meet the visa rules.
Questions
People ask this first
Not for 189. For 190 and 491 you need a state (or a family sponsor for some 491s), not an employer. For 482, 186 and 494 you need an employer who can nominate you.
Start with your situation.
You do not need the visa number. Book a consultation, or send us a message.
MARN 1800335 · Level 14, 333 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000.
Related topics
- Directions 121 and 122 explained
- EOI and state nomination
- Skills assessment
- Study and graduate visas
- If a visa was refused
This page is general information, not advice about your circumstances. Australian migration law changes. You should consult a Registered Migration Agent before you apply. EMC Australia is OMARA-registered (MARN 1800335).