Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
Lodging the 482 in Australia vs Lodging the 482 from outside Australia
A worker already in Australia on a visa that allows a further application lodges onshore and receives a bridging visa that carries the earlier visa’s conditions, which lets them stay while the nomination and visa are decided and start with the sponsor once the nomination is approved, with a Bridging Visa B needed for any travel. A worker abroad, or in Australia on a visa with condition 8503, lodges offshore, waits abroad, and enters on grant with no bridging visa and no section 48 question. Onshore is the route when the worker is here lawfully and the timing fits; offshore is the route for everyone else, and it is also the way around a section 48 bar.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Who
- A worker in Australia on a substantive visa without 8503, or on a bridging visa where the rules allow · A worker outside Australia, or one whose visa carries 8503
- While waiting
- A Bridging Visa A with the earlier visa’s conditions; work for the new sponsor only once the nomination is approved and the rules allow · Abroad; no bridging visa
- Travel
- A Bridging Visa B before leaving, $575 · Free; enter on grant
- Section 48
- Applies after an onshore refusal or cancellation · Not engaged
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About the CPD →Side by side
| Lodging the 482 in Australia | Lodging the 482 from outside Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | A worker in Australia on a substantive visa without 8503, or on a bridging visa where the rules allow | A worker outside Australia, or one whose visa carries 8503 |
| While waiting | A Bridging Visa A with the earlier visa’s conditions; work for the new sponsor only once the nomination is approved and the rules allow | Abroad; no bridging visa |
| Travel | A Bridging Visa B before leaving, $575 | Free; enter on grant |
| Section 48 | Applies after an onshore refusal or cancellation | Not engaged |
| Starting work | After nomination approval, within the earlier visa’s work rights, until the 482 is granted | On arrival after grant |
| Charge | $4,015 primary applicant | $4,015 primary applicant |
| Watch out | Condition 8503 or 8534 on the visa held; working for the sponsor before the nomination is approved | Timing the arrival to the start date and the must-not-arrive-after date |
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
A worker already in Australia on a visa that allows a further application lodges onshore and receives a bridging visa that carries the earlier visa’s conditions, which lets them stay while the nomination and visa are decided and start with the sponsor once the nomination is approved, with a Bridging Visa B needed for any travel. A worker abroad, or in Australia on a visa with condition 8503, lodges offshore, waits abroad, and enters on grant with no bridging visa and no section 48 question. Onshore is the route when the worker is here lawfully and the timing fits; offshore is the route for everyone else, and it is also the way around a section 48 bar.
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
Lodging the 482 in Australia or Lodging the 482 from outside Australia — which is better?
A worker already in Australia on a visa that allows a further application lodges onshore and receives a bridging visa that carries the earlier visa’s conditions, which lets them stay while the nomination and visa are decided and start with the sponsor once the nomination is approved, with a Bridging Visa B needed for any travel. A worker abroad, or in Australia on a visa with condition 8503, lodges offshore, waits abroad, and enters on grant with no bridging visa and no section 48 question. Onshore is the route when the worker is here lawfully and the timing fits; offshore is the route for everyone else, and it is also the way around a section 48 bar.
What is the main difference between the Lodging the 482 in Australia and the Lodging the 482 from outside Australia?
Who: Lodging the 482 in Australia — A worker in Australia on a substantive visa without 8503, or on a bridging visa where the rules allow; Lodging the 482 from outside Australia — A worker outside Australia, or one whose visa carries 8503. While waiting: Lodging the 482 in Australia — A Bridging Visa A with the earlier visa’s conditions; work for the new sponsor only once the nomination is approved and the rules allow; Lodging the 482 from outside Australia — Abroad; no bridging visa. Travel: Lodging the 482 in Australia — A Bridging Visa B before leaving, $575; Lodging the 482 from outside Australia — Free; enter on grant.
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