The subclass 482 visa in Australia — now officially called the Skills in Demand visa — is one of the most important pathways for skilled overseas workers to live and work in Australia. From 7 December 2024, the visa was restructured into a three-stream system with new salary thresholds, expanded occupation lists, and a clearer pathway to permanent residency.
Here is a complete guide to the subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa in Australia for 2026, based on publicly available information from the Department of Home Affairs.
What Is the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand Visa?
The subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa is a temporary employer-sponsored work visa that allows approved Australian employers to hire skilled overseas workers for positions they cannot fill locally. It replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa on 7 December 2024, retaining the subclass 482 number but restructuring the eligibility criteria, salary thresholds, and occupation lists.
The visa is administered by the Department of Home Affairs and can be granted for up to four years. It provides pathways to permanent residency through the Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 186 visa after two years of full-time work with the sponsoring employer.
The Three Streams of the Subclass 482 Visa in 2026
The Skills in Demand visa operates across three distinct streams. Which stream applies to you depends primarily on your occupation and salary.
Core Skills Stream
The Core Skills stream is the most commonly used stream of the subclass 482 visa. It covers 456 occupations listed on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), which was developed by Jobs and Skills Australia and updated from the previous Skilled Occupation Lists.
To qualify for the Core Skills stream in the 2025-26 financial year, the nominated position must offer a minimum salary of $76,515 per year — the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT). This threshold is indexed annually in line with Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings. From 1 July 2026, the CSIT will rise to $79,499 — a 3.9 per cent increase — applying to all nomination applications lodged on or after that date.
Over 70 new occupations were added to the occupation list when the Skills in Demand visa launched, including Data Analyst, Supply Chain Analyst, Tour Guide, and Child Care Worker. Some roles were removed, including Café and Restaurant Manager and Graphic Designer.
Specialist Skills Stream
The Specialist Skills stream is designed for highly paid professionals in roles that are not required to appear on any occupation list. The minimum salary for this stream is $141,210 per year for nominations lodged before 30 June 2026, rising to $146,717 from 1 July 2026. The stream excludes trades workers, machinery operators, drivers, and labourers, and is capped at 3,000 places per year. The major advantage of this stream is its processing time — specialist skills applications are typically processed within 7 to 11 days, compared to months for the core skills stream.
Labour Agreement Stream
The Labour Agreement stream applies where an employer has a formal agreement with the Australian Government to sponsor workers in occupations or circumstances not covered by the standard streams. This includes Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs) for regional areas and industry-specific labour agreements for sectors such as aged care, agriculture, and hospitality. This stream allows salary and skills concessions not available under the standard Core Skills stream.
Subclass 482 Visa Requirements in 2026
To apply for the subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa, both the employer and the applicant must meet specific requirements.
Employer Requirements
The employer must be an approved Standard Business Sponsor (SBS) or apply to become one. They must demonstrate through Labour Market Testing (LMT) that they have genuinely attempted to fill the position with Australian workers before seeking overseas talent — advertising the role on at least two nationally reaching platforms within the four months before the nomination is lodged. The employer must pay the nominated worker at least the market salary rate for the occupation, which must be at or above the applicable income threshold. The employer must also pay the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy:
- $1,200 per year per sponsored worker for businesses with annual turnover under $10 million
- $1,800 per year per sponsored worker for businesses with annual turnover of $10 million or more
Applicant Requirements
To apply for the Core Skills stream of the subclass 482 visa, you must meet all of the following:
Occupation: Your nominated occupation must be listed on the Core Skills Occupation List. Check the current CSOL on the Department of Home Affairs website.
Work experience: You must have at least one year of full-time relevant work experience in the nominated occupation or a closely related occupation within the past five years. This was reduced from two years in November 2024, opening the pathway to more early-career professionals.
English language: You must demonstrate English proficiency through an approved test. For most occupations, a minimum IELTS overall score of 5.0 with no individual band below 5.0 is required. Equivalent scores in PTE, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge, or OET are also accepted.
Skills assessment: For many occupations — particularly trade, technical, and professional roles — a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority is required before the nomination can be lodged. VETASSESS handles assessments for a broad range of professional and general occupations, with processing times of 60 to 90 days. Skills assessment fees range from approximately $1,000 to $2,800 depending on the occupation and authority.
Health and character: All applicants must undergo health examinations and provide police clearance certificates from each country they have lived in for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.
Subclass 482 Visa Processing Times in 2026
Processing times for the subclass 482 visa vary significantly by stream and depend on the completeness of the application, whether a skills assessment is required, and the current caseload at the Department of Home Affairs.
According to VisaConnect data current as at February 2026:
- Nomination processing: 4 to 7 months
- Core Skills visa application: 4 to 7 months
- Specialist Skills visa application: 7 to 53 days
The three-step process — sponsorship approval, nomination, and visa application — means the total timeline from initial employer application to visa grant can take 6 to 14 months for Core Skills stream applicants. Specialist Skills applicants benefit from significantly faster processing but must meet the higher salary threshold.
The most effective ways to reduce processing time are ensuring the employer is already an approved Standard Business Sponsor before lodging the nomination, completing any required skills assessment as early as possible, and submitting a complete application with all required documents at lodgement. Incomplete applications are the most common cause of delays.
Subclass 482 Visa Application Fees in 2026
The government visa application charge for the subclass 482 Core Skills stream is $3,210 for the primary applicant. For each dependent aged 18 or over, the fee is $3,210. For dependents under 18, the fee is $805.
Additional costs paid by the applicant include the English language test fee (approximately $300 to $450), health examination fees (approximately $300 to $500 per person), police clearance certificates, and any skills assessment fees. Where a migration agent or immigration lawyer is engaged, professional fees are additional.
The SAF levy — paid by the employer, not the visa applicant — is a significant cost for employers, particularly for long-term or multi-year nominations.
Rights and Conditions on the Subclass 482 Visa
Once granted, the subclass 482 visa allows the holder to:
- Live and work in Australia for up to four years in the nominated occupation with the sponsoring employer
- Travel freely in and out of Australia during the visa period
- Include family members — partners and dependent children can be included in the application and generally receive unrestricted work and study rights
- Change employers — visa holders now have 180 days to find a new approved sponsor if their employment ends, up from the previous 60 days under the old TSS visa. During this period, the total 180 days can be used across multiple employer changes, with a maximum of 365 days total across the entire visa period
Visa holders must maintain private health insurance for themselves and their family members throughout the duration of the visa.
Pathway to Permanent Residency From the 482 Visa
One of the most significant aspects of the subclass 482 visa is its pathway to permanent residency. After completing two years of full-time work in the nominated occupation — which can now be accumulated across multiple sponsors rather than resetting with each change — the holder’s employer can nominate them for the Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 186 visa under the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream.
To apply for the subclass 186 via TRT, the applicant must generally:
- Have held a subclass 482, 457, or SID visa for at least two years
- Be under the age of 45 at the time of lodging the permanent residency application
- Meet English language and health requirements
- Be nominated by their employer for a permanent full-time position
From November 2023, the TRT pathway was expanded to include a wider range of occupations — no longer limited to the skilled occupation lists — making permanent residency accessible to skilled workers across business, commerce, finance, and other industries that were previously excluded.
For salary benchmarks across key sponsored occupations in Australia, see our coverage of wages and cost of living in 2026.
Important Changes to the Subclass 482 Visa in 2026
From 1 July 2026: Core Skills Income Threshold rises to $79,499 and Specialist Skills Income Threshold rises to $146,717. All nominations lodged on or after this date must meet the new thresholds.
Skills assessment validity: Positive skills assessments are valid for three years from the date of issue. If your assessment expires before you lodge your visa application, a new assessment must be obtained. Allow sufficient time, particularly for VETASSESS assessments, which take 60 to 90 days.
Labour Market Testing: The current validity period for Labour Market Testing remains four months. Employers must ensure their LMT is still valid at the time the nomination is lodged — not just when the advertising was conducted.
Key Takeaways — Subclass 482 Visa Australia 2026
The subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa remains the primary pathway for employer-sponsored skilled migration to Australia. The 2024 reforms have made it more accessible — reducing work experience requirements to one year, expanding the occupation list, and giving visa holders more flexibility to change employers. The salary thresholds are rising from 1 July 2026, and employers and applicants should factor this into nomination timing.
For the cost of living context that every visa holder should understand before moving to Australia, see our coverage of Australia’s Rent Crisis in 2026, Australia’s Grocery Bill in 2026, and Australia’s Healthcare Costs in 2026.
This article is for general informational purposes only and reflects the author’s own research and understanding of publicly available information. It does not constitute immigration or legal advice. Visa rules, salary thresholds, and occupation lists change regularly — always verify current requirements directly with the Department of Home Affairs at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au or through a registered migration agent.
