Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
Nominate for 2 years vs Nominate for 4 years
The employer chooses the period of the 482 nomination, up to four years in the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams, and the visa is granted for the period nominated. A shorter nomination costs less in the training levy, which is charged per year of the nomination, and suits a defined project or a trial; a longer one avoids a second nomination, a second levy and a second visa charge when the worker stays, and gives the worker the certainty the 186 transition stream needs after two years. The levy saving on a short nomination is spent twice over if the worker is renewed. Nominate for the period the business genuinely expects, which for a permanent hire is four years.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Levy
- Charged per year nominated: less up front · Charged per year nominated: more up front, once
- Renewal
- A new nomination, a new levy and a new visa charge if the worker stays beyond the period · Not needed within the four years
- The 186 transition stream
- Reached after 2 years in the position, but the visa may need renewing before the 186 is granted · Reached after 2 years with time to spare
- Worker certainty
- Lower; the renewal is in the employer’s hands · Higher
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About the CPD →Side by side
| Nominate for 2 years | Nominate for 4 years | |
|---|---|---|
| Levy | Charged per year nominated: less up front | Charged per year nominated: more up front, once |
| Renewal | A new nomination, a new levy and a new visa charge if the worker stays beyond the period | Not needed within the four years |
| The 186 transition stream | Reached after 2 years in the position, but the visa may need renewing before the 186 is granted | Reached after 2 years with time to spare |
| Worker certainty | Lower; the renewal is in the employer’s hands | Higher |
| Genuineness | A short period for a role described as ongoing is read against the nomination | A long period for a project role is read the same way |
| Watch out | A visa that ends while the 186 is pending leaves the worker on a bridging visa | The obligations run for the whole period if the worker stays |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
The employer chooses the period of the 482 nomination, up to four years in the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams, and the visa is granted for the period nominated. A shorter nomination costs less in the training levy, which is charged per year of the nomination, and suits a defined project or a trial; a longer one avoids a second nomination, a second levy and a second visa charge when the worker stays, and gives the worker the certainty the 186 transition stream needs after two years. The levy saving on a short nomination is spent twice over if the worker is renewed. Nominate for the period the business genuinely expects, which for a permanent hire is four years.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
Nominate for 2 years or Nominate for 4 years — which is better?
The employer chooses the period of the 482 nomination, up to four years in the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams, and the visa is granted for the period nominated. A shorter nomination costs less in the training levy, which is charged per year of the nomination, and suits a defined project or a trial; a longer one avoids a second nomination, a second levy and a second visa charge when the worker stays, and gives the worker the certainty the 186 transition stream needs after two years. The levy saving on a short nomination is spent twice over if the worker is renewed. Nominate for the period the business genuinely expects, which for a permanent hire is four years.
What is the main difference between the Nominate for 2 years and the Nominate for 4 years?
Levy: Nominate for 2 years — Charged per year nominated: less up front; Nominate for 4 years — Charged per year nominated: more up front, once. Renewal: Nominate for 2 years — A new nomination, a new levy and a new visa charge if the worker stays beyond the period; Nominate for 4 years — Not needed within the four years. The 186 transition stream: Nominate for 2 years — Reached after 2 years in the position, but the visa may need renewing before the 186 is granted; Nominate for 4 years — Reached after 2 years with time to spare.
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