Two chefs in Adelaide lodge 186 applications in the same week. One is nominated by an accredited sponsor for a regional restaurant, with the nomination and visa lodged together and every document in the file. The other is nominated by a city employer that lodged the nomination first and planned to add the visa later. The salary evidence was left for a request from the Department. The first file is decided long before the second. Nothing about the two chefs explains the difference. The queue does.
The Department has confirmed high volumes in the Employer Nomination Scheme more than once, and the queue is not first come, first served. This guide explains how the order is set in 2026-27, what the charges are, and how to lodge a file that moves rather than waits.
Short answer: The 186 visa charge is $6,140 for the main applicant, and the Department decides files in a priority order set by ministerial direction. Lodgement date alone does not decide the queue. A decision ready file lodged with the nomination, by an accredited or regional sponsor, sits near the front.
How the queue is ordered
The Department processes employer sponsored applications under a ministerial direction that ranks them. Healthcare and teaching occupations come first. Nominations from accredited sponsors follow. Regional nominations come next. Everything else is decided in lodgement order after those groups. Consequently, two files lodged on the same day can sit in different queues altogether.
Processing times are published monthly and change, so we do not quote them. What does not change is the ranking. If accreditation or the role’s location can move a file into a higher group, that decision is worth more than any amount of chasing.
The three streams
For workers who have held a 482 with the nominating employer for at least two years in the nominated occupation. The applicant must be under 45 at lodgement unless an exemption applies. No skills assessment is required. Most 186 applications we lodge are in this stream. The timing rules are set out in our guide to the three dates that decide a TRT application.
For workers who do not have two years with the sponsor, including applicants outside Australia. A skills assessment in the nominated occupation is required, along with the prescribed work experience. The age limit of 45 applies here too. The nomination is assessed on the same genuine position and salary rules as the transition stream.
For workers nominated under a labour agreement that provides a permanent pathway. The agreement sets the occupation, salary and any concessions on age or English. The nomination must sit within the agreement’s ceilings for the year.
What it costs in 2026-27
| Item | Who pays | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Visa application charge, main applicant | Applicant | $6,140 |
| Additional applicant aged 18 or over | Applicant | $3,070 |
| Additional applicant under 18 | Applicant | $1,535 |
| Nomination charge | Employer | $540 |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, one off | Employer | $3,000 for smaller businesses, $5,000 for larger |
| Core Skills Income Threshold | Salary floor for the role | $79,423 |
The employer cannot pass the nomination charge or the levy to the worker. The salary must meet both the threshold and the market rate for the role. Where the English requirement is met by paying the higher charge instead of testing, the main applicant charge rises to $9,800. Testing is usually the cheaper route.
Why files stall
Most delay is self inflicted. The nomination is lodged alone and the visa follows months later, which resets the effective start. The salary in the contract, the payslips and the nomination form do not match. The position description reads like an advertisement rather than a role. The applicant’s health examination is left until requested. Each gap produces a request for further information, and each request sends the file to the back of its group.
The fix is a single lodgement. Nomination and visa go in together, with the evidence cross checked so every figure matches. Health and police checks are done before lodgement. The genuine position statement is written as a legal submission. That is what decision ready means, and it is the only lever the applicant and employer fully control.
Decision ready checklist
Accredited sponsorship
Accredited status is granted to sponsors with a clean compliance record and a workforce that meets set conditions. Its value is the queue position it buys for every future nomination. An employer with an ongoing recruitment program should apply for it early, because the benefit compounds across each hire. Our employers page explains the criteria and the review we run before an application.
What if my 482 expires before the 186 is decided?
If you are in Australia and lodge the 186 before the 482 ends, you receive a bridging visa that takes effect when the 482 expires. It carries the same work rights, so you keep working for the sponsor. Lodge after expiry and you are unlawful, with far fewer options. Diarise the 482 end date the day the 186 plan starts.
What the employer is assessed on
The nomination turns on the business as much as the worker. The role must be genuine, full time and expected to last. The business must be lawfully operating with no adverse information on record. The salary must clear the threshold and the market rate. Training and record keeping obligations from the 482 period must have been met. An employer that let compliance slip on the 482 will find that history read closely on the 186.
The full criteria for both streams are on our 186 visa page. If your 482 is in its second year, or your employer is planning a permanent hire, contact us. We will map the file before anything is lodged.
Figures verified against Home Affairs visa pricing and published threshold settings as at 1 July 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Does lodging the nomination first speed up the visa?
No. The visa cannot be decided until the nomination is approved, but lodging them together lets the Department assess both in one pass. A nomination lodged alone, with the visa added later, usually finishes later than a combined lodgement.
What is an accredited sponsor and does it help?
An accredited sponsor is an approved sponsor that has met additional compliance and workforce conditions. Nominations from accredited sponsors are placed in a higher priority group under the ministerial direction. The status is worth pursuing for employers who sponsor regularly.
Can I change employers while the 186 is pending?
Not without consequences. The application depends on the nominating employer’s position. Leaving that employer generally means the nomination no longer supports the visa. A new employer would need to lodge a new nomination and start again.
Is a request for further information a bad sign?
Not fatal, but it is costly. A request means the officer could not decide on the file as lodged, and the response deadline is short. Files that answer every criterion at lodgement avoid the request and the wait that comes with it.
Do I need an English test for the 186?
Most applicants do, unless they hold a passport from an exempt country or meet another exemption. The alternative of paying the higher charge of $9,800 applies only in limited circumstances, and testing is usually the cheaper and safer route.
General information as at 2 September 2026. Not legal advice. Priority settings and charges change, and eligibility turns on your own facts, so obtain advice before lodging.