The Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa is one of Australia’s main employer-sponsored work visas. It allows an Australian business to sponsor a suitably skilled overseas worker to fill a position where the business cannot find an appropriately skilled Australian worker.
For many skilled workers, the Subclass 482 visa can provide more than an opportunity to work temporarily in Australia. Depending on your circumstances, it may also form part of a pathway towards permanent residency through employer sponsorship.
However, a 482 application involves more than simply finding an employer willing to offer you a job. Depending on the circumstances, the process can involve employer sponsorship, labour market testing, occupation requirements, salary requirements, work experience, English language requirements and a separate visa application.
This guide explains how the Subclass 482 visa works and some of the key requirements for both employers and visa applicants.
What is the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand Visa?
The Skills in Demand (SID) visa (Subclass 482) is a temporary employer-sponsored visa.
It replaced the former Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Subclass 482 visa on 7 December 2024.
Under the Skills in Demand program, an eligible Australian employer can nominate an overseas worker to work in an approved occupation.
A Subclass 482 visa can generally be granted for the period nominated by the employer, up to a maximum of four years. Different arrangements may apply in certain circumstances, including for Hong Kong passport holders.
The visa generally allows the primary applicant to:
live and work in Australia for their sponsoring employer;
travel in and out of Australia while the visa remains valid;
include eligible family members in their application;
study in Australia without government financial assistance; and
potentially progress to permanent residency if they later satisfy the requirements for a permanent visa.
Importantly, the Subclass 482 visa itself is a temporary visa. Holding a 482 does not automatically guarantee permanent residency.
What Are the Three Streams of the 482 Visa?
The Skills in Demand visa currently operates through three main streams:
Core Skills Stream
The Core Skills stream is likely to be the stream used by many employers sponsoring skilled workers.
Generally, the nominated occupation must appear on the applicable Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) and the position must meet the relevant salary requirements.
For nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) is $79,423.
Meeting the income threshold alone is not enough. The proposed salary must also satisfy the applicable Annual Market Salary Rate requirements. In other words, employers cannot simply pay a sponsored overseas worker less than an equivalent Australian worker because the minimum income threshold has been met.
Specialist Skills Stream
The Specialist Skills stream is designed for highly skilled workers earning higher salaries.
For nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) is $146,576.
Unlike the Core Skills stream, eligibility is not based on the occupation appearing on the Core Skills Occupation List. However, occupation restrictions still apply. In particular, the nominated occupation must fall within an eligible ANZSCO occupation in Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6.
This means certain trade, machinery operator, driver and labourer occupations cannot access the Specialist Skills stream simply because the proposed salary exceeds the Specialist Skills Income Threshold.
Labour Agreement Stream
The Labour Agreement stream allows employers to sponsor workers under the terms of a Labour Agreement between the employer or industry and the Australian Government.
Labour Agreements can sometimes provide access to occupations or concessions that are not available through the standard Core Skills or Specialist Skills streams.
Depending on the particular agreement, concessions may relate to matters such as:
occupations;
English language requirements;
salary requirements;
work experience;
age requirements for permanent residency; or
other visa criteria.
The requirements depend heavily on the specific Labour Agreement being used.
For employers in regional Australia, this can also include sponsorship opportunities available through a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA).
Who Can Sponsor a Worker for a 482 Visa?
For the standard Subclass 482 program, an employer generally needs to be an approved Standard Business Sponsor or have lodged an application to become one.
Becoming a Standard Business Sponsor is a separate process from nominating an individual employee.
This is an important distinction because a typical 482 matter can involve three separate stages:
Stage 1 – Sponsorship
The business becomes an approved sponsor, where required.
Stage 2 – Nomination
The employer nominates the position and the proposed overseas worker.
Stage 3 – Visa application
The worker applies for the Subclass 482 visa and demonstrates that they personally satisfy the visa requirements.
In some cases, these applications can be prepared or lodged around the same time. However, approval of one stage does not automatically guarantee approval of the others.
Does My Occupation Qualify for a 482 Visa?
This depends on which stream you are applying under.
For the Core Skills stream, the occupation generally needs to be included on the applicable Core Skills Occupation List.
For the Specialist Skills stream, different occupation requirements apply, including restrictions based on ANZSCO major groups.
For the Labour Agreement stream, the occupation must be permitted under the relevant Labour Agreement.
Selecting the correct occupation is extremely important.
It is not enough for a job title to simply sound similar to an occupation on an eligible list. The actual duties, responsibilities, skills and nature of the position need to appropriately correspond with the nominated occupation.
How Much Work Experience Do I Need for a 482 Visa?
One of the major changes introduced with the Skills in Demand visa was the reduction in the general work experience requirement.
Applicants generally need to demonstrate at least one year of relevant work experience in their nominated occupation or a related field.
This experience must generally have been gained within the five years immediately before the visa application. Experience can be gained through full-time, part-time or casual employment, although part-time or casual work must be equivalent to at least 12 months of full-time work. The experience does not need to be continuous.
However, the one-year work experience requirement should not be confused with the separate requirement for an applicant to have the skills, qualifications and employment background necessary to perform the nominated occupation.
The relevant ANZSCO occupation definition and skill level may therefore still be important when assessing an applicant's eligibility. Depending on the occupation, ANZSCO may specify a particular level of qualification and/or relevant work experience considered appropriate for that occupation.
For example, where ANZSCO allows a certain number of years of relevant work experience to substitute for a formal qualification, an applicant relying on that substitution may need substantially more than one year of work experience to demonstrate that they have the skills and background required for the nominated occupation.
The one-year requirement is not an additional period that must simply be added on top of an applicable ANZSCO work experience requirement. The same period of relevant employment may contribute towards satisfying both requirements where appropriate.
This means that while one year is the general minimum work experience requirement for the Skills in Demand visa, it should not be assumed that every applicant with 12 months of experience will necessarily satisfy the occupational skill requirements.
The applicant's qualifications, employment history, nominated occupation and the applicable ANZSCO requirements should be considered together.
Where the applicant has not worked in the nominated occupation but has indicated that they have undertaken relevant work experience, the assessing officer will consider:
Whether the occupation is the same, closely the same or closely related to those of the nominated occupation as outlined in ANZSCO; and
Whether the occupation is at the same skill level – work experience as a Kitchen Hand or Cook cannot be counted towards the work experience requirement for a Chef position. Work experience must be gained at the appropriate skill level.
Do I Need a Skills Assessment?
Not every Subclass 482 applicant requires a formal skills assessment.
However, some occupations and applicants are subject to mandatory skills assessment requirements.
Even where a formal skills assessment is not required, the applicant must still demonstrate that they have the skills, qualifications and employment background necessary to perform the nominated occupation.
Evidence may include qualifications, employment references, payslips, employment contracts, tax records, registration or licensing documents and other evidence of relevant employment.
When providing evidence of paid employment, it is generally recommended to provide at least two forms of supporting evidence, for example, payslips together with tax returns. This is because payslips, when provided alone, may carry limited evidentiary weight. They can be relatively easy to create or alter. Providing an independent secondary source helps corroborate the employment, salary and period worked and strengthens the overall reliability of the evidence.
The Department reserves the right to request a skills assessment as part of the visa application process even where it is not mandatory. So, even where it is not mandatory, applicants should ensure they can meet the requirements if it does get requested.
Where a skills assessment is mandatory, it must be commenced prior to lodgement of the application. Failure to do so results in an invalid application and will not be processed. The department encourages completing and receiving the skills assessment approval prior to submitting as this assists in reducing processing delays.
What Are the English Requirements for a 482 Visa?
Primary applicants generally need to demonstrate the required level of English unless an exemption applies.
You may not need to provide English language test results if you:
hold a valid passport from Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States;
have completed at least five years of full-time study at a secondary or higher education institution where the instruction was delivered in English;
will be working at a diplomatic or consular mission, or an eligible office of the authorities of Taiwan in Australia;
are required to hold a licence, registration or professional membership for your nominated occupation and, to obtain it, you have already demonstrated English proficiency at least equivalent to the English level required for the 482 visa; or
are an employee of an established overseas business, are being sponsored by that business or an associated entity in Australia, and will earn at least AUD $96,400 per year.
Different requirements may also apply to applicants nominated under a Labour Agreement.
If none of the exemptions apply, you must provide an English Language Test completed within the 3 years before you apply. The scored are different depending on if the test was taken before or after 13 September 2025. For example:
A PTE test taken after 13 September 2025 must achieve 33 on Listening, 36 on Reading, 29 on Writing and 24 on Speaking sections;
A PTE test taken before 13 September 2025 must achieve an overall test score of 36 with a score of at least 36 in each test component.
Is There an Age Limit for the 482 Visa?
There is generally no maximum age limit for the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa itself.
However, age can become extremely important when considering your long-term permanent residency strategy.
For example, the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) generally has an age requirement requiring applicants be under 45. Although exemptions and concessions can apply in certain circumstances.
Therefore, applicants considering a 482 visa should ideally consider their potential permanent residency pathway before accepting sponsorship rather than waiting until their temporary visa is approaching expiry.
What Salary Does a 482 Worker Need to Be Paid?
Salary is one of the most important parts of a 482 nomination.
For nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027:
the Core Skills Income Threshold is $79,423; and
the Specialist Skills Income Threshold is $146,576.
These figures are indexed and can change. However, the applicable threshold is only part of the salary assessment. Where applicable, the employer must also establish the Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR) for the position.
The purpose of these requirements is to ensure sponsored overseas workers are not used to undercut Australian wages.
For example, if an equivalent Australian employee would ordinarily be paid $90,000 for the position, an employer cannot simply offer the overseas worker $79,423 because that amount meets the Core Skills Income Threshold.
The nominated salary must satisfy all applicable salary requirements.
What Is Labour Market Testing?
For many 482 nominations, the employer needs to demonstrate that they have tested the Australian labour market before nominating an overseas worker.
This is known as Labour Market Testing (LMT). Generally, this involves advertising the position in Australia and demonstrating that the employer was unable to find a suitably qualified and experienced Australian citizen or permanent resident for the role.
For most Core Skills and Specialist Skills nominations, employers are generally required to provide evidence of two compliant advertisements.
The position generally needs to have been advertised for at least four weeks within the four months immediately before the nomination is lodged, unless an exemption or alternative arrangement applies.
The advertising requirements are technical. An advertisement that does not contain the required information, is not advertised for the required period or is placed through an unsuitable platform can potentially cause issues with the nomination.
Employers should therefore consider Labour Market Testing requirements before advertising the role, rather than attempting to address the requirements after recruitment has already occurred.
Can I Include My Partner and Children on a 482 Visa?
Yes. Eligible members of your family unit can generally be included in your Subclass 482 visa application. If they do not apply at the same time as you, they may also be able to apply later as subsequent entrants.
Eligible family members can include your:
spouse or de facto partner;
child or step-child under 18;
child or step-child aged 18 up to 23, provided they are dependent on you or your spouse or de facto partner;
child or step-child aged 23 or older in limited circumstances where they are dependent due to a physical or mental disability; and
an eligible dependent child of your child or step-child, such as a grandchild.
A child or stepchild generally cannot be included as a member of your family unit if they are married, engaged to be married or have a de facto partner.
What does “dependent” mean for an adult child?
Turning 18 does not necessarily prevent a child from being included in a 482 application.
A child aged 18 to 23 may still qualify where they are dependent on the family head or their spouse or de facto partner. Whether they meet the definition of dependent will depend on their individual circumstances.
Different rules apply once a child has turned 23. Generally, a child aged 23 or older can only continue to qualify as a member of the family unit where they are substantially reliant on the family head or their spouse or de facto partner because the child has a physical or mental disability that prevents them from earning a living to support themselves.
What evidence may be required?
The documents required will depend on which family members are included. Evidence may include:
marriage certificates;
evidence of a genuine de facto relationship;
birth certificates;
evidence establishing a step-parent relationship;
evidence of financial dependency for an adult dependent child;
evidence of ongoing study for an adult dependent child; and
medical and dependency evidence where an older dependent child is being included due to disability.
Family members included in the application will also need to satisfy the relevant visa requirements, including applicable health and character requirements.
Can my partner work in Australia?
Eligible secondary applicants who are granted a Subclass 482 visa generally have unrestricted work rights in Australia and are not limited to working for the primary applicant's sponsoring employer.
This can make the 482 visa particularly attractive for families relocating to Australia, as an accompanying spouse or de facto partner can generally seek employment independently.
How Long Does a 482 Visa Last?
A Subclass 482 visa can generally be granted for the period nominated by the employer, up to a maximum of four years. Hong Kong passport holders may be eligible for a visa period of up to five years.
The actual visa period will depend on the nomination and the applicant's circumstances.
Can I Change Employers on a 482 Visa?
A 482 visa is an employer-sponsored visa and work conditions apply.
Generally, the visa holder must work in their nominated occupation and for their sponsoring employer or, in some circumstances, an associated entity. Changing employers is therefore not as simple as accepting a new job and commencing work.
A new employer will generally need to become an eligible sponsor, if they are not one already, and lodge a new nomination before the visa holder can transition appropriately.
Similarly, moving into a different occupation can create additional requirements and may require a new nomination and visa application.
Visa holders should obtain advice before changing their employment arrangements to ensure they do not inadvertently breach their visa conditions.
How Much Does a 482 Visa Cost?
As at the 2026–27 financial year, the base Visa Application Charge for the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa starts from $4,015.
Additional charges can apply where family members are included in the application.
Applicants may also incur additional costs for matters such as:
English language testing;
police clearances;
health examinations;
biometrics;
skills assessments; and
professional assistance.
Separate costs apply to the sponsoring employer.
These can include the Standard Business Sponsorship application charge, nomination application charge and the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy.
Certain sponsorship and nomination costs are the responsibility of the employer and cannot simply be passed on to the sponsored employee.
Can a 482 Visa Lead to Permanent Residency?
Potentially, yes.
One of the most important pathways for Subclass 482 visa holders is the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186).
Depending on the applicant's circumstances, they may later become eligible for employer-sponsored permanent residency.
However, permanent residency is not automatic.
The applicant and employer will need to satisfy the requirements of the relevant permanent visa pathway at the time of application.
Factors such as age, employment history, occupation, English ability, salary, employer eligibility and any applicable exemptions or Labour Agreement concessions can become important.
If permanent residency is your long-term goal, it can be useful to assess the potential pathway at the beginning of the 482 process.
Can I Apply for a 482 Visa While I Am in Australia?
It may be possible to apply for a Subclass 482 visa from inside or outside Australia.
If applying while in Australia, additional requirements apply regarding the visa you currently hold and your immigration history. Applicants applying in Australia generally need to hold an appropriate substantive visa or an eligible Bridging Visa A, B or C.
Previous visa refusals, cancellations, visa conditions and other immigration history can affect whether an onshore application can be made.
Common Issues With 482 Applications
Although employer sponsorship can appear straightforward, Subclass 482 applications involve several separate legal and evidentiary requirements.
Common issues can include:
selecting an occupation that does not accurately reflect the position;
insufficient evidence that the position is genuine;
non-compliant Labour Market Testing;
salary or market salary issues;
insufficient evidence of relevant work experience;
failing to meet a mandatory skills assessment requirement;
English language issues;
inconsistencies between the sponsorship, nomination and visa application;
misunderstanding who must pay particular sponsorship costs; and
focusing on the temporary visa without considering the worker's future permanent residency options.
Because the sponsorship, nomination and visa applications are connected, an issue at one stage can affect the overall application.
Are You an Employer Looking to Sponsor a Worker?
Employer sponsorship can be an important tool for Australian businesses experiencing genuine skills shortages.
Before proceeding, employers should consider matters such as:
whether the proposed occupation is eligible;
whether the business can meet sponsorship obligations;
Labour Market Testing requirements;
the proposed salary and Annual Market Salary Rate;
sponsorship and nomination costs;
the SAF levy;
whether a Labour Agreement or DAMA may provide another pathway; and
whether the employee may eventually have a pathway to permanent residency.
Planning these matters before commencing the sponsorship process can reduce the risk of avoidable problems later.
Are You Considering a Subclass 482 Visa?
Whether you are an employer looking to sponsor a skilled worker or a visa applicant who has received an employment opportunity in Australia, the appropriate pathway will depend on your individual circumstances.
At Explore Migration, we assist employers and skilled workers with Australian employer-sponsored migration, including:
Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visas;
Standard Business Sponsorship applications;
employer nominations;
Labour Agreements;
Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs); and
Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) permanent residency pathways.
If you are unsure whether you or your employee may be eligible, you can book an initial evaluation with Explore Migration to discuss the circumstances and potential options.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not constitute immigration advice. Australian migration law and visa requirements can change. Eligibility depends on the individual circumstances of the applicant and sponsoring employer.
If you’d like to understand your options, Explore Migration offers two free ways to get started. Complete our Free Online Assessment and receive a response from a Registered Migration Agent within 1 business day, or book a Free Initial Consultation to discuss your circumstances directly with us.
There is no cost and no obligation to proceed.
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