What is the difference between the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) (SID) visa and the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) (ENS) visa? (Updated: 24 February 2025)

Primary SID visa holders have restricted work rights. In most cases, the primary visa holder can only work for their nominated sponsor and in the occupation code they were nominated in. If a SID visa holder wants to change employers, their new employer will need to lodge a new nomination application (and a visa – if a different occupation code) to take over the sponsorship. This means that in practice moving from one employer to another (or even changing positions) can be challenging. It is certainly less attractive for potential employers, particularly those who do not have a sponsorship in place.

Dependent SID visa holders have unlimited work rights in Australia and are not restricted to who they can work for.

Unless the visa holder is a citizen of a country that has a reciprocal health care agreement (RHCA) with Australia, most temporary visa holders (including SID visa holders) will not have access to Medicare.

SID visa holders and their family members must maintain an adequate level of health cover which can become quite costly in the long-run.

For further information on what constitutes adequate health insurance, please refer to our blog here.

Being a temporary visa, the SID visa allows its holder to stay up to 4 years. Although these visas can be reapplied for indefinitely, it can be costly in the long run.

SID visa holders who would like to enrol their children for public schooling may need to pay school fees depending on the State/Territory they enrol with. For example, SID visa holders in NSW needs to pay School fees (2021&2022) between $5,600 to $6,400 depending on the school year for each child.

Children of permanent residents are exempt from school fees.

One clear advantage of the TSS visa is the ease of accessing superannuation funds when a visa applicant decides to leave Australia. As a temporary visa holder, they can apply for a superannuation payment when their visa expires (or when they have requested for the cancellation of the temporary visa).

This process can be completed simply through the ATO website once certain requirements have been met.

Unlike the ENS, there is no age limitation on this visa. SID visas might therefore be suitable for people who are over the age of 45 and would like to work in Australia. Certain SID visa holders ove the age 45 may still bea ble to apply for permanent residency through the ENS visa (see here).

To be eligible to apply for the ENS visa application, the applicant must not have turned 45 years of age. Limited exceptions apply for the TRT stream.

Unlike the SID visa, the ENS visa has a higher English competency requirement. It requires applicants to have a competent level of English (unless exempt) as opposed to a vocational level of the SID visa.

Depending on your circumstances, a permanent residence application can impact your taxation obligations. We recommend you review the ATO website or speak to a tax agent to determine this in more detail.

At the time of applying for an ENS application the visa holder will declare that they will take up the position for two years (noting that this is an intention up until the visa is granted, provided there was a genuine intention to remain in the position for two years). If circumstances change after obtaining permanent residency, an ENS visa holder is not restricted to work for their nominated employer or in the nominated occupation.

An ENS visa is a permanent residency visa and the holder will enjoy the benefits of a permanent residency in Australia.

Citizenship by conferral is one of the most common ways of becoming an Australia citizen (see here). One of the requirements is to have been a permanent resident for at least 12 months (among others).

As a permanent resident, the holder of the ENS visa will be able to sponsor eligible relatives such as partners or parents to Australia.

In most cases, an individual will be eligible for Medicare if they live in Australia and have applied for a ENS visa.

For further information, please refer to Services Australia.

In addition to benefits above, there are many benefits to being a permanent resident of Australia. This includes being able to remain in Australia indefinitely, work and study. Permanent residents are also able to apply for bank loans to buy property in Australia without needing approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB).

Certain job opportunities, or permanent government roles also require applicants to hold permanent residency to apply.