For Employers · Published 2026-08-18

How to Sponsor a Motor Mechanic on a 482 Visa (Employer Guide)

To sponsor a motor mechanic on the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa, your business must first become an approved Standard Business Sponsor, then nominate the mechanic position at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold (about $79,423 from 1 July 2026) and the market salary rate, before the mechanic applies for the visa — with a pathway to permanent residence through the subclass 186 visa after two years. For dealerships, independent workshops and heavy-vehicle operators who can’t fill technician vacancies locally, it is the main lawful way to bring in — and keep — qualified mechanics from overseas.

This guide covers the mechanic-specific angles. For the full step-by-step employer process, see our pillar guide on how to sponsor an overseas worker on a 482 visa.

Which ANZSCO code fits my mechanic role?

Motor Mechanic (General) — ANZSCO 321211 — is the core occupation for light-vehicle technicians. Two related trades sit alongside it: Diesel Motor Mechanic (321212) for heavy-vehicle, truck, bus and plant technicians, and Motorcycle Mechanic (321213). The nomination stands or falls on whether the duties genuinely match the code: a fleet workshop nominating a truck technician under the general code, or vice versa, invites refusal.

Under the Core Skills stream, the occupation must appear on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) and the salary must meet the Core Skills Income Threshold — so confirm the specific code is on the current CSOL before you advertise or lodge. The other two streams rarely apply here: Specialist Skills requires a salary of roughly $146,576 or more (which changes every financial year), well above typical technician pay, and Labour Agreement only applies to businesses covered by a specific agreement. Almost all mechanic sponsorships run through Core Skills.

What does it cost to sponsor a mechanic?

Employer-side costs, as at August 2026 (indexed and subject to change):

• Standard Business Sponsorship: around $420 — approved once, usually valid for around five years, unlimited nominations under it.
• Nomination: around $330 per position.
• Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy: $1,200 per year of visa sought if your annual turnover is under $10 million, or $1,800 per year otherwise — paid upfront at nomination, and it can never be recovered from the mechanic.

On salary, you must pay at least the threshold and the market rate — whichever is higher. If qualified technicians in your region earn above $79,423 — increasingly common for diesel and diagnostic specialists — the market rate governs. Underpaying a sponsored worker relative to market is a compliance breach, not a saving.

Does the mechanic need a TRA skills assessment?

For a trade like this, a skills assessment can be a mandatory requirement for the 482 visa when the mechanic applies — and whether it’s required depends on the passport the candidate holds. Motor mechanic is a trade occupation, and the assessing authority is Trades Recognition Australia (TRA). Applicants who hold a passport from a country on the relevant list must complete a mandatory TRA skills assessment before the visa can be granted; candidates from other countries may not need one. Where an assessment is required, the pathway can include a practical component such as the Job Ready Program, depending on the candidate’s qualifications and evidence. Because this is passport-dependent and can add months to the timeline, confirm early whether your candidate needs one — a mechanic with strong hands-on experience but thin paperwork should start gathering evidence of their training and employment before anything is lodged.

Beyond the assessment, the mechanic must have at least one year of relevant full-time experience in the last five years, meet the relevant qualification level for the occupation, meet English language requirements, and pass health and character checks. Full applicant criteria are on our subclass 482 visa page.

Do I have to advertise the job in Australia first?

In most cases, yes. Labour Market Testing (LMT) applies to most Core Skills nominations: you must advertise the role in Australia, generally for at least four weeks, in the prescribed manner and within the required window before lodging the nomination. For workshops that have genuinely been advertising for months without a single qualified applicant, this is usually straightforward — but the ads still have to meet the technical requirements, and defective advertising is a routine cause of refusal.

How do I keep the mechanic long term?

The retention story is the quiet strength of this visa. Australia’s automotive sector has run a persistent technician shortage for years — the apprenticeship pipeline hasn’t kept pace with demand, and diesel and EV-capable technicians are especially hard to find and keep. After two years with you on the 482, the mechanic can typically be nominated for the subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme visa under the Temporary Residence Transition stream — permanent residence. For a dealership that has invested in brand training, or a fleet operator that has built a technician into its team, a credible PR pathway is often the difference between a two-year stopgap and a ten-year employee. See our subclass 186 page for the details.

Is this general advice?

This is general information, not personal migration advice. Thresholds and fees are as at August 2026, indexed and subject to change, and the right pathway depends on your business, the role and the candidate. Before you advertise or lodge anything, speak with our registered migration agent, Moran Shultz (MARN 1795282) — a short conversation up front is far cheaper than a refused nomination.

Sources & last checked: verified August 2026 against the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) and Trades Recognition Australia (TRA). For the full employer process, see the 482 sponsorship pillar guide.

Frequently asked questions