Last updated: September 30, 2026
A job offer from an Australian employer is only the first gate. Between the offer letter and the visa grant stand three approvals — the business must be an approved sponsor, the position must be nominated, and you must meet the visa criteria yourself. The subclass 482, now called the Skills in Demand visa, is the main route for skilled workers who arrive with a sponsor already lined up. This guide covers the three streams, the salary thresholds, the real costs on both sides, and the path to permanent residence.
Rules here are current as of the date above. Visa figures change each 1 July; confirm current numbers on the Department of Home Affairs website before lodging.
What the 482 became in December 2024
For nearly two decades this visa was known as the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa. On 7 December 2024 the government replaced it with the Skills in Demand (SID) visa, keeping the subclass 482 number. If you find older articles talking about TSS short-term and medium-term streams, they describe a system that no longer exists.
The new framework has three streams — Specialist Skills, Core Skills, and Labour Agreement — with faster PR access, lower experience requirements, and more freedom to change employers than the old TSS. You can stay for up to four years per grant; Hong Kong passport holders can stay up to five. Family members can be included as secondary applicants.
The official Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) page is the reference point for every figure in this article.
The three streams, simply explained
Which stream you apply under is decided by your occupation and your salary — not by preference:
| Feature | Specialist Skills | Core Skills | Labour Agreement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who it suits | High-income professionals, most roles except some trades | Skilled workers in occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List | Workers covered by an employer-government agreement |
| Occupation rule | Any ANZSCO occupation in Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6; no occupation list | Occupation must be on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), covering around 456 occupations | Set by the individual labour agreement (includes DAMAs and company-specific agreements) |
| Minimum salary | At least AUD $146,576 per year (SSIT) | At least AUD $79,423 per year (CSIT) | Varies by agreement |
| Labour market testing | Exempt — the employer does not have to advertise the role | Required in most cases | Varies by agreement |
| Processing speed | Fastest — around two weeks median | Weeks to months | Months |
| Path to PR | Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) after two years | Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) after two years | As specified in the agreement |
A fourth stream — the Essential Skills stream for lower-paid workers in essential sectors — was announced as part of the reform package but was not operational as of mid-2026. Do not plan around it until the Department formally launches it.
The Core Skills Occupation List
The CSOL is the single occupation list for the Core Skills stream, maintained by Jobs and Skills Australia. It replaced the old long/short occupation lists. It covers roles such as registered nurses, software engineers, electricians, carpenters, teachers, chefs, and aged care workers. If your occupation is not on the CSOL, your only employer-sponsored options are the Specialist Skills stream (if the salary is high enough) or a Labour Agreement.
The salary thresholds that decide everything
These numbers are not negotiable, and they move every 1 July with Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings. From 1 July 2026, the official thresholds are:
- Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT): AUD $79,423 — applies to Core Skills stream nominations and to subclass 186 permanent nominations
- Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT): AUD $146,576 — applies to Specialist Skills stream nominations
- Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT): AUD $79,423 — applies to the regional subclass 494 visa
Two rules matter as much as the numbers. First, your employer must also pay you at least the Australian Market Salary Rate — what an Australian in the same role would earn. The higher figure applies, so a salary of $82,000 below the local market rate can still fail. Second, only guaranteed base salary counts toward the thresholds. Superannuation, bonuses, overtime, and allowances are excluded.
The applicable threshold is set by the lodgement date of the nomination, not the decision date. A nomination lodged before 1 July is assessed against the previous year’s figures, which is why employers with offers near the boundary rush to lodge in June. This was confirmed in the Department’s annual indexation announcement for 1 July 2026.
What you must prove as the worker
The employer’s side of the process gets most of the attention, but a large share of refusals trace back to the worker’s own evidence:
One year of relevant experience. The reform cut this from two years to one, measured as 12 months of full-time-equivalent work in the nominated occupation or a closely related field within the last five years. Part-time and casual work counts pro-rata; it does not have to be continuous. Unpaid or volunteer work is generally not accepted — bring employment references, payslips, or tax records.
English. For tests taken on or after 13 September 2025, the standard is IELTS 5.0 in each of listening, reading, writing, and speaking — or the equivalent in PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, OET, CELPIP General, LanguageCert Academic, or the Michigan English Test. All four components must come from a single sitting; you cannot combine best scores across attempts, and online or at-home test versions are not accepted. Results are generally valid for three years before you apply. Citizens of the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland are exempt, as are people with five or more years of full-time English-medium study.
Skills assessment, where required. Some occupations and passport nationalities require a formal skills assessment from the relevant Australian authority. Where mandatory, it must be underway before you lodge — without it the application is invalid.
Health and character. A medical examination with an approved panel physician, and police clearances from every country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the last ten years — including for any family members on the application. You must also hold adequate Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) for yourself and your family for the full duration of the stay.
No payment for sponsorship. You must not have paid, or agreed to pay, for your own sponsorship in the previous three years — a zero-tolerance rule that ends in refusal and a possible ban if broken.
There is no age limit for the 482 itself — an advantage over most permanent pathways, which cap out at 45. The age limit bites at the PR stage.
What your employer has to do
Your sponsor carries real legal obligations:
- Hold Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) approval, or hold a labour agreement with the Department. SBS approval lasts five years and costs the business AUD $420.
- Lodge a nomination for your specific position (AUD $330) showing a genuine need for the role, a salary meeting the threshold plus market rate, and a genuine, full-time position.
- Complete labour market testing for Core Skills nominations — advertising the role (typically 28 days within the four months before lodgement) on at least two platforms to show no suitable Australian worker was available. The old mandatory Workforce Australia advertising was removed; the testing obligation remains. Specialist Skills stream nominations are exempt.
- Pay the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy upfront when lodging the nomination: AUD $1,200 per visa year for businesses with turnover under $10 million, and AUD $1,800 per visa year for larger businesses. The employer cannot pass this cost to you.
- Meet training and workplace-law obligations and notify the Department if your employment ends.
What the 482 really costs
Visa application charges rose about 25 per cent on 1 July 2026. The current figures:
| Cost item | Amount (AUD) | Usually paid by |
|---|---|---|
| Primary applicant visa charge | $4,015 | You (or the employer voluntarily) |
| Additional applicant 18 or over | $4,015 each | You |
| Additional applicant under 18 | $1,005 each | You |
| Subsequent Temporary Application Charge (if applying onshore on certain temporary visas) | $700 per person | You |
| Standard Business Sponsorship application | $420 | Employer |
| Nomination per position | $330 | Employer |
| SAF levy — turnover under $10m | $1,200 x visa years | Employer |
| SAF levy — turnover $10m or more | $1,800 x visa years | Employer |
| English test | $400–$450 approx. | You |
| Skills assessment (if required) | $300–$1,000+ depending on occupation | You |
| Medicals and police checks | $300–$600 approx. | You |
Take a typical four-year Core Skills grant: a family of three pays $4,015 + $4,015 + $1,005 = $9,035 in visa charges alone, while the employer pays $420 + $330 + ($1,200 × 4) = $5,550 before any migration-agent fees. From 1 July 2026 a lower visa charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens — see the official subclass 482 page.
Step by step: from job offer to visa grant
- Confirm your stream. Check your occupation against the Core Skills Occupation List and the offered salary against the CSIT ($79,423); a salary of $146,576+ in an eligible ANZSCO occupation points to Specialist Skills.
- Check the employer’s status. Ask whether the business already holds Standard Business Sponsorship approval. If not, the sponsorship application must be lodged first — it takes weeks.
- Gather your evidence early. Employment references, payslips, tax records, qualifications, passport, police clearances. Start the skills assessment if your occupation requires one.
- Sit the English test. Book an in-person test at an approved centre. Remember: 5.0 in each band, one sitting, result no older than three years.
- Complete medicals. Book with a panel physician in your country once the application is underway.
- The employer lodges the nomination. This includes labour market testing evidence (Core Skills) and the SAF levy payment. The lodgement date locks in the salary threshold.
- You lodge the visa application. Link it to the approved nomination, attach all documents, and pay the visa application charge.
- Wait for the decision. Specialist Skills grants can arrive in about two weeks; Core Skills takes longer (see below). You cannot start the job until the visa is granted.
How long processing takes
The two streams live in different worlds. The Department’s May 2026 processing dashboard showed Specialist Skills clearing at a median of about 14 days, while Core Skills sat at 63 days median — with one in ten applications stretching toward nine months. Labour Agreement stream cases typically take three to eight months.
Priorities shift under ministerial direction. As of mid-2026, Ministerial Direction 121 sets the order for 482 processing, prioritising construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, and resources sectors plus law-enforcement and defence interests, then the Specialist Skills stream, then other onshore applicants. Treat every published processing figure as indicative, not a promise.
The road to permanent residence
This is where the 2024 reform changed the game. After two years of full-time work with your sponsoring employer, you can be nominated for permanent residence under the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) through the Temporary Residence Transition stream — down from three years under the old TSS. Time worked for different approved sponsors can count toward the two years. The 186 carries the real PR tests: an age cap (under 45 in most cases), competent-level English (a higher bar than the 482), and a skills assessment in many cases.
The 482 versus going straight for a points-tested permanent visa:
| 482 employer-sponsored (then 186) | Points-tested PR (189/190/491) | |
|---|---|---|
| Needs a job offer? | Yes — the whole route depends on it | No |
| Occupation list | CSOL (~456 occupations) or no list for Specialist | Skilled occupation lists |
| Age limit | None for the 482; under 45 for the 186 | Under 45 to be invited |
| English bar | Lower (IELTS 5.0 each band) | Higher scores earn crucial points |
| Speed | Weeks to months to arrive | Invitation rounds can take a year or more |
| Risk | Tied to the employer; lose the job and the clock matters | Independent once granted, but invitation is competitive |
| Total cost | Higher — $4,015+ now, $6,140 later for the 186 | $6,140 once for the main applicant |
Many applicants use both routes at once: arrive on the 482, then lodge a points-tested expression of interest while working. Our guide to Australia’s points-tested skilled visas (189, 190, 491) explains the PR-side alternative in detail.
If you lose or change jobs on a 482
The reform made this far less punishing than it used to be. If you stop working for your sponsor, you now have 180 days to find a new approved sponsor, be granted a different visa, or leave Australia — up from 60 days under the old rules. There is a cumulative cap of 365 days across the visa, and during the gap you may work for other employers while you look. Your former sponsor must notify the Department within 28 days of the employment ending. Time spent with any approved sponsoring employer counts toward your two-year PR qualifying period, so a job change does not reset the permanent-residence clock.
Mistakes that get 482 applications refused
The recurring ones: salary packages built on bonuses that collapse below the threshold once only base salary counts; labour market testing done sloppily or after the fact; vague employment references that fail to prove the one year of experience; English results that are expired, from an unaccepted online test, or just short in one band; and skills assessments started too late, making the application invalid from day one. The Department also refuses where the nominated position does not look genuine — a role created mainly to get someone a visa.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a job offer before applying for the 482?
Yes. The 482 is purely employer-driven: you cannot lodge without an approved sponsor who has nominated you for a specific position. If you want to migrate without a job offer, the points-tested visas are the alternative — see our Australia skilled migration guide.
Can my family come with me on a 482?
Yes. Your partner and dependent children can be included as secondary applicants for $4,015 (adults) and $1,005 (children) each, provided they meet health and character requirements and hold health insurance.
Is there an age limit for the 482 visa?
No. The 482 has no upper age limit, which suits experienced professionals. The limit appears later: the subclass 186 PR pathway generally requires you to be under 45.
How much English do I really need?
For tests taken since 13 September 2025: IELTS 5.0 in each of the four components, all from one sitting, taken at an approved test centre, no older than three years. Equivalent scores in PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, OET, CELPIP General, LanguageCert, or MET are accepted. The 186 PR stage demands a higher level.
Does the 482 guarantee permanent residence?
No visa guarantees PR. The 482 gives you a clear route to the 186 after two years with your sponsor, but you must still meet its age, English, and skills requirements at that point. Treat the 482 as a strong pathway, not a promise.
