Subclass 186 TRT: How to Count Two Years of Sponsored Work After Changing Employers

For the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream of Australia’s subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme visa, the employment test is not simply the total time shown on a résumé. The Department of Home Affairs requires at least two years of eligible sponsored employment in the three years immediately before the visa application. Each period must be checked against the work, location, visa and occupation requirements.

Build the calculation from the proposed application date

Start with the intended visa application date and map the preceding three years. For every employment period, record the start and end dates, sponsoring employer, occupation, work location, hours and visa held. Only periods meeting the applicable requirements should be included in the two-year total. Work outside Australia, an ordinary unsponsored role or employment outside the occupation authorised by the relevant visa should not be counted merely because the job title looks similar.

Show gaps, unpaid leave, changes in visa status and employer transitions as separate entries. A continuous employment relationship does not necessarily mean every day in that relationship is eligible sponsored employment. Keep actual dates in the schedule and explain breaks; do not adjust a start date to make the arithmetic reach two years.

A change of employer can make the nomination lodgement date relevant

Home Affairs says that where an applicant changed employers during the three-year period, sponsored employment with the new employer can count from the date an approved nomination was lodged if the applicant started working for that employer before the nomination was approved. This is a specific counting rule; it does not permit an invented start date or establish that every other visa condition was met.

Keep the nomination transaction reference number, lodgement date, approval notice and evidence of the actual first day of work together. Check the visa conditions that applied at the time. A lodgement receipt is not the same as an approved nomination, and the date used for counting should be supported by the department’s record.

The last sponsoring employer must nominate you

Meeting the employment period alone does not result in a subclass 186 visa. The TRT stream also requires an eligible Australian employer nomination. Home Affairs states that the nominating employer must be the last employer to have sponsored the applicant to work full-time on a subclass 457 or 482 visa. Confirm that the proposed nominator and role fit the current requirements before relying on the work-period calculation.

Keep the two six-month deadlines separate

The nomination must have been approved within the six months before the visa application. The applicant must then apply for the visa within six months after nomination approval. These are separate timing checks with different reference points. A draft timeline should therefore include both the approval date and the intended visa lodgement date; do not treat the first deadline as an automatic extension of the second.

Prepare evidence that supports each period

Organise employment contracts, payslips, employer statements, PAYG payment summaries or tax records, and leave records by employer and date. Home Affairs asks for evidence of employment periods, paid and unpaid leave, and overseas trips for work or training. If a document uses a different date or job description from another record, preserve both and explain the difference rather than rewriting the history.

After preparing the schedule, review the current visa, occupation, nomination, age and other criteria that apply to the individual. This calculation helps organise evidence; it does not guarantee an invitation, nomination approval or visa grant. See Premiervisa Group’s subclass 186 service information and verify the application against the applicant’s own records.