How much does it costs to apply for the subclass 186 visa?
If you’re applying for a 186 visa and want to plan your budget or get an idea of the overall costs, this blog is for you. We’ll break down the expenses involved in sponsoring an employee into the two key stages of the process, outlining the different costs associated with each step.
Step 1: Nomination Application Costs –Here the sponsoring company must submit a separate nomination application to nominate the employee for a specific role within the business and there is a separate cost assocaited with this application
Step 2: Visa Application Costs – In this step the nominated employee applies for the visa, which allows them to live and work in Australia permanently. This step also includes separate application fees and other expenses.
This blogs will discuss:
- The costs associated with the nomination application of the 186 visa for the year 2025-2026
- The costs associated with making the visa application of the 186 visa for the year 2025-2026
How much does it cost to apply for the nomination application for 186 visa in 2025–2026?
Employer Nomination Scheme (SC 186) visa cost will be will depend on the stream
- Direct Entry stream: AUD 540
- Temporary Residence Transition stream:
- Regional Australia: Nil
- Non-Regional: AUD 540
- Labour Agreement:
- Regional Australia: Nil
- Non-Regional: AUD 540
What is the Skilling Australian Funds Levy?
This is a mandatory nomination training contribution charge which is applicable for most of the employers. This levy must be paid in full by the sponsoring employer at the time of making the nomination application, this payment cannot be transferred to the employee.
The amount the sponsor pays as the levy will depend on the size of your business.
- Small businesses where annual turnover less than AUD 10 million: AUD 3,000 one-off
- Other businesses where annual turnover of AUD 10 million or more: AUD 5,000 one-off
Example: If a business has an annual turnover of AUD 8 million, they must pay AUD 3,000 SAF levy when lodging the nomination.
Other SAF levy Considerations
- The SAF levy is tax deductible
- Only ministers of religion and religious assistants nominated under the Labour Agreement streams of the TSS or ENS visas are exempt from the SAF levy
- Refunds of the levy and the nomination application will be refunded in very limited circumstances for example where you have withdrawn the nomination application before a decision was made.
How much does it cost to apply for a 186 visa in 2025–2026?
Main applicant: AUD 4,910
Dependent above 18: AUD 2,455
Dependent under 18: AUD 1,230
When shoould you pay the relevant fees for the 186 visa application?
You will have to pay the appication fees at the time of lodgement of each of the application.
Nomination application: You have to pay the Nomination fee and the SAF Levy when submitting the nomination application.
Visa application: You will have to pay the Visa application fee for the emloyee or any accompanying family members when submitting the application.
There is also thee second installment fee, that is to be paid before a decision is made on the application and upon request by the department. This applies if the dependents over 18 who are accompanying the 186 visa applicant cannot satisfy the English language requirement.
Second instalment
If there are dependents aged over 18 and is applying with applicant. They will have to have at least functional English, which is equivalent to an average band score of at least 4.5 in IELTS or any accepted tests. If the dependent can’t fulfil the English language requirement they will need to pay an extra charge called a second instalment. The second instalment is AUD4,890.
Is the visa fee refundable if refused?
Usually visa fees are not refundable.
Keith James
Keith is a graduate of Monash Law School. He moved to Melbourne, Australia in 2014 and has a passion for working with migrants, who aspire to call Australia their dream home. Being a migrant himself, he has a tremendous capacity to empathise with the problems his clients face and focuses on providing them with outcomes that leads to Permanent Residency in the shortest possible time.
Keith practices in all aspects of Migration law, with a particular focus on Skilled Migration and Family visas. He stays abreast on the latest updates in state nomination criteria and has a wide range of options available to assist his clients navigate their migration aspirations.
- LLB (Monash University, Australia)
- Member (Law Institute of Victoria)
- Member (Migration Institute of Australia)
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