The 186 Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream requires two years of full-time work in your nominated occupation, completed in Australia for an approved sponsor while you held a 457 or 482 visa, within the three years immediately before you apply.
From 29 November 2025, only work done for an approved sponsor counts.
The two-year requirement sounds simple. In practice, how the time is counted is where 186 TRT work experience applications succeed or fall over — a gap between sponsors, a period of unpaid leave, or work done for an employer who wasn’t an approved sponsor can quietly push your eligibility date months down the track. Here’s exactly how the clock works in 2026.
What counts toward your two years
• Full-time work in the nominated occupation for your sponsoring employer while on a 457 or 482 visa.
• Time with more than one approved sponsor — if you changed employers and both held approved sponsorship, the periods can be added together (the clock does not restart), provided a nomination to transfer your sponsorship was lodged and later approved.
• Paid leave — annual leave and paid personal/sick leave taken during the employment period.
• Employment that was completed while your employer was an approved sponsor, even if that employer is no longer an approved sponsor by the time you apply. The approval has to exist during the period you’re claiming — not forever afterward.
What does NOT count (the traps)
• Unpaid leave. Any period of unpaid leave is excluded — it effectively pauses the clock and pushes your eligibility date back.
• Work for a non-approved sponsor (from 29 November 2025). Time worked for an employer that did not hold active approved sponsorship no longer counts. This is the single biggest recent change (more below).
• Gaps between sponsors with no transfer lodged. If you left a sponsor and started with a new employer before a transfer nomination was lodged, that in-between work generally can’t be counted until the new nomination is approved and more
The 29 November 2025 change: approved-sponsor work only
The most important recent development. From 29 November 2025, under amendments to clause 186.227, only employment completed while actively sponsored by an approved sponsor counts toward the two years.
Changing employers: does the clock restart?
No — not if it’s done properly. All sponsored work experience can be aggregated, and the two-year clock does not restart when you move to a new approved sponsor.
When you change employers, your experience can be counted from the point a nomination to transfer your 482 to the new employer is lodged — as long as that nomination is later approved.
The danger zone is the gap: if you start with a new employer before a transfer nomination is on foot, or the transfer nomination is refused, that period won’t count.
The three-year window (2 in 3)
The two years full time must sit within the three years immediately before you apply. So it isn’t just “two years at any point in your career” — old experience can fall outside the window. If your employment has been broken up by unpaid leave or non-qualifying periods, check that a clean two years still fits inside the most recent three.
Same occupation
Your nominated occupation must be the same occupation your 457/482 was granted for. Under policy, there’s some flexibility where the roles share the same four-digit ANZSCO group, or where ANZSCO codes have simply been updated — the Department looks at the actual tasks of the position. Note that occupations specified under a labour agreement using the generic code 070499 can’t meet the standard TRT requirement.
Be ready to prove the period, not just assert it: employment contracts, payslips, PAYG payment summaries (or income statements), and leave records showing any unpaid leave. Employers should keep a clean sponsorship trail — every nomination and transfer documented — so the two years is easy to demonstrate.
A note on English and age: the TRT stream is also subject to a Competent English requirement (generally higher than the 482’s) and an under-45 age limit (with limited exemptions).
These are separate to counting your work experience but catch people out — check them early.
Frequently asked questions
How many years of work do I need for the 186 TRT stream?
Two years of full-time work in your nominated occupation, completed within the three years before you apply, for an approved sponsor while on a 457 or 482 visa.
Does my time count if I changed employers?
Yes — sponsored work with more than one approved sponsor can be added together and the clock doesn’t restart, as long as a nomination transferring your sponsorship was lodged and later approved. Work in a gap before a transfer was lodged generally won’t count.
Does work for a non-sponsoring employer count?
Not from 29 November 2025. Only employment completed for an approved sponsor counts toward the two years. Applications lodged before that date were assessed under older, more flexible rules.
Does unpaid leave count toward the two years?
No. Unpaid leave is excluded and effectively extends the date you become eligible. Paid annual and personal leave is fine.
Does time on a bridging visa count?
It’s treated cautiously. Work while on a bridging visa awaiting a new 482 in a new occupation generally can’t be counted until that visa is granted. Seek advice on any bridging-visa periods.
Does my employer have to still be an approved sponsor when I apply?
No. The approval must have existed during the employment you’re claiming — not necessarily at the time you lodge. Work still counts even if the employer later stopped being an approved sponsor (unless they were barred or cancelled for non-compliance).
Not sure your two years is really “banked”?
The costliest 186 TRT mistakes happen before lodgement — a miscounted transfer gap, an overlooked stretch of unpaid leave, or work for an employer who wasn’t an approved sponsor. As a boutique firm across both migration and employment law, we audit your sponsorship trail and employment records so you lodge on a date that actually holds up.
Book a 186 TRT eligibility review and we’ll confirm exactly when your two years is met. www.toliclawyers.com.au · Parramatta, NSW · Australia-wide.
Disclaimer: General information only, not migration or legal advice. Current as at July 2026 — verify current requirements at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.
