(AUSTRALIA) Australia’s Skills in Demand (SID) visa (Subclass 482) opened on December 7, 2025, replacing the Temporary Skill Shortage visa and reshaping how employers hire overseas workers for genuine gaps. It uses three streams—Core Skills, Specialist Skills, and Labour Agreement—so salary and occupation settings match the type of role being filled.
For applicants, the biggest change is a simpler skills test on paper but tighter checks on whether the job and pay meet Australian standards.
2025–26 launch and the split between employer and worker
The Skills in Demand (SID) visa (Subclass 482) is an employer-sponsored work visa. It exists to fill shortages when an Australian business cannot find a suitable local worker at the required skill level.
Employers do the sponsorship and nomination steps, then the worker applies for the visa using that nomination. That split matters because a strong resume cannot fix a weak nomination, and a willing sponsor cannot overcome an applicant’s missing experience.
VisaVerge.com reports that this design pushes employers to document roles and pay more carefully, while giving workers clearer stream choices.
SID replaced the old TSS framework on the same Subclass 482 number, so many people will still call it “the 482.” What changed is the way occupations and salaries steer applicants into lanes.
Core Skills Stream covers many mainstream roles but requires the occupation to appear on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). Specialist Skills Stream drops the occupation list test but sets a much higher salary floor. Labour Agreement Stream stays available for employers with a negotiated agreement for defined shortages.
Core Skills Stream: CSOL checks, salary floors, and list updates
Most applicants will start by testing whether their role sits on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). The CSOL pulls earlier occupation lists into a single gatekeeper and is updated using labour market data from Jobs and Skills Australia.
Because it can shift, applicants should watch for updates before a nomination is lodged and before a visa application is submitted. A role that matched last month can move, merge, or be renamed, and that can force changes to documents.
Employers also need the nominated occupation to match the day-to-day duties, not just the job title.
Core Skills Stream also turns on a salary rule called the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT). For 2025–26 the CSIT is AUD 73,150, and it is indexed each year.
The threshold does not replace Australian workplace rules. The employer must still pay at least the market salary rate for that job and location, and the contract should show pay clearly.
Strong files include a detailed position description, a signed employment contract, and evidence that the salary offered meets both the threshold and local expectations.
Specialist Skills Stream: high-salary roles without an occupation list
Specialist Skills Stream is built for highly paid roles where salary itself acts as the main filter. It does not require the occupation to be on the CSOL, which helps employers hiring niche tech, research, or senior professional roles that change faster than list updates.
The trade-off is the pay test. For 2025–26, the minimum salary for this stream is AUD 135,000. Applicants and employers should read the current exclusions carefully, because the “no list” idea does not mean every kind of work qualifies.
Salary evidence matters more than marketing language in a job ad. Decision-makers look for documents that show what the worker will actually be paid and in what form.
Payslips can support a role for onshore applicants, while an offshore hire often relies on a contract and internal pay setting documents. Watch the difference between base salary and total remuneration.
Allowances, bonuses, and non-cash benefits may not count the way employers expect, so the contract should state the base rate plainly and keep duty statements consistent with the nominated role.
Labour Agreement Stream: when eligibility comes from a negotiated agreement
Labour agreements are formal arrangements between an employer and the Australian government that set tailored rules for sponsoring overseas workers. They exist for sectors and regions where standard lists and thresholds do not solve repeated shortages.
Under this stream, the agreement controls which occupations can be nominated, how many places the employer can use, and what extra conditions apply.
Workers should ask early whether an employer already has an agreement in place, whether their role is covered, and whether there are caps or special skill checks written into the agreement terms.
Shared requirements: experience, sponsorship, and staying compliant
Across all streams, the visa still rests on a genuine job with an approved sponsor. The worker must also meet a work experience rule that is now lighter than under the old TSS.
The SID settings require 1 year of full-time work, or the part-time equivalent, in the nominated occupation or a related field. That experience must be gained within the past 5 years.
Related-field experience can help when duties overlap, but the safest approach is to map each past role to the skills used in the nominated job.
Think of the process as two linked applications. First, the employer lodges the nomination, showing the position is real, the occupation choice is correct, and the salary meets the stream threshold and Australian standards.
Second, the worker lodges the visa application, proving identity, experience, and any other personal criteria. If the Department of Home Affairs asks for more information, fast and consistent replies matter.
Employers should keep payroll records and duty statements ready, and workers should keep certificates, references, and payslips in one clean file set.
After grant, compliance becomes a daily issue, not a one-time test. Salaries must stay at or above what was approved, and the role must stay close to what was nominated.
The SID visa offers flexibility to change sponsors under conditions, but workers must keep their status lawful while the new employer completes sponsorship and nomination steps.
Time spent working on SID can count toward permanent residency eligibility even if the worker changes sponsors, which helps people avoid being trapped in a single job.
Costs, visa length, and how SID time supports later PR planning
The principal applicant visa charge is AUD 3,115, and families should budget for extra costs that often arrive at short notice. Health examinations, police certificates, translations, and document certified copies all add up.
If an employer pays some charges, the contract should say so clearly to avoid disputes during lodging. SID can be granted for up to 4 years, which helps workers plan leases, schooling, and career progression.
A four-year grant does not guarantee a four-year job, so many workers build savings for gaps between roles.
Permanent residency is not automatic, but SID time can support later employer-sponsored applications if the worker meets the rules in force at that later date. Workers also weigh points-tested options such as Skilled Independent (Subclass 189) and state or territory nomination.
A common planning move is to keep employment evidence current while on SID, so a later PR application has clean proof of duties, salary, and continuity. Changing sponsors should be treated like a controlled handover, not a quick resignation.
2026 settings that affect timing and alternatives
Even if SID is the main plan, 2026 policy settings shape the wider labour market and the choices available to migrants. Australia’s permanent migration planning level is fixed at 185,000 places for 2025–26.
The student program is set at 295,000 visas in 2026, alongside tighter checks on course and location choices. These numbers influence how competitive employer recruitment feels on the ground, especially in sectors where graduates compete with sponsored hires.
They also affect rental demand.
For graduates, a key milestone is the Temporary Graduate visa (Subclass 485). The two-year COVID extension is set to end mid-2026, with post-study work periods reverting to qualification level and links to shortage lists in areas such as clean-energy engineering, health, and advanced manufacturing.
Employers and workers also watch workforce incentives. From January 2026, employers in key sectors can access AUD 5,000 apprenticeship incentives, which can shift hiring plans toward local training.
Work and Holiday (Subclass 462) applicants face a new pre-application registration process, with registrations valid until April 30, 2026.
A process map for lodging and staying current with official updates
The safest way to handle the Skills in Demand (SID) visa (Subclass 482) is to treat it as a four-stage file. Stage 1: pick the stream and, for Core Skills Stream, confirm the occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL).
Stage 2: the employer confirms approved sponsorship, locks the duties, and sets pay that meets the relevant threshold and market rate. Stage 3: the employer lodges the nomination and the worker lodges the visa with matching documents.
Stage 4: after grant, keep payroll and duty records, and switch sponsors only after the new nomination is in train.
Use ImmiAccount via Department of Home Affairs for lodgement and updates.
