- The Subclass 482 visa now uses a salary-based model replacing the rigid occupation lists of the old TSS system.
- Three distinct streams—Core, Specialist, and Essential—categorize workers based on income thresholds and skill levels.
- A streamlined two-year pathway to permanent residency via the Subclass 186 visa is now available for holders.
(Australia) Australia’s Subclass 482 Skills in Demand (SID) visa remains the main temporary employer-sponsored work visa for skilled overseas workers, and it now operates under a salary-based model that replaced the older Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) setup in late 2025. For workers, that means a job offer from an approved sponsor comes first. For employers, it means tighter salary, compliance, and nomination rules, but also faster routes to hard-to-fill roles.
The change matters because the visa is no longer built mainly around rigid occupation lists. Salary level now decides which stream fits most applicants, while labour agreements still sit beside the standard pathway. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the redesign has made the visa easier to match with business need, especially in healthcare, technology, and regional hiring.
The three streams now driving Subclass 482 decisions
The Core Skills stream suits most skilled jobs that meet the Core Skills Income Threshold of AUD 76,515, rising to AUD 79,499 from 1 July 2026. It covers occupations in ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, and 3, and can lead to stays of up to 4 years.
The Specialist Skills stream is for higher earners above the Specialist Skills Income Threshold of AUD 141,210, rising to AUD 146,717 from 1 July 2026. It covers ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, excluding trades, operators, drivers, and labourers. It is the fastest route, with a 7-day median processing time.
The Essential Skills stream is designed for lower-paid roles in critical shortage areas and is tied to the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold of AUD 76,515, rising to AUD 79,499 from 1 July 2026. Labour Agreement visas continue for employers with approved deals.
Occupation matching now depends on the Core Skills Occupation List and the duties in the job, not only the old TSS lists. Employers still must pay the annual market salary rate or the relevant threshold, whichever is higher.
What applicants must prove before lodging
Applicants need a genuine full-time job offer from an approved sponsor. They also need at least 1 year of relevant work experience in the nominated occupation, a change that lowered the bar for recent graduates and early-career workers.
Some occupations need a skills assessment, such as trades through TRA, IT through ACS, and engineering through Engineers Australia. Competent English is required, unless an exemption applies. Health checks and police certificates are part of the process, and applicants in Australia must hold a substantive or bridging visa.
For the Department of Home Affairs’ main visa guidance, see the official Subclass 482 visa information page.
Sponsor duties that shape the whole case
The employer must first become a Standard Business Sponsor through ImmiAccount. That sponsorship lasts 5 years and carries a fee of AUD 420. The nomination stage comes next, with its own AUD 330 fee, plus the Skilling Australians Fund levy.
That levy is AUD 1,200 a year for small businesses with turnover under AUD 10 million, and AUD 1,800 a year for larger employers. A three-year Core Skills nomination for a small business would therefore face an AUD 3,600 levy.
Before nomination, employers must usually complete labour market testing for 28 days, unless an exemption applies. They must also show the role is genuine and keep pay in line with the market rate. Underpayment brings fines, visa risk, and compliance problems.
English tests, family members, and forms
Competent English is tested through IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, OET, or Cambridge C1 Advanced. The tests must be no older than 3 years and completed in a single sitting. Passport holders from the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland are exempt, along with some other groups listed by Home Affairs.
Family members can be included in the same visa journey. Spouses, de facto partners, and dependent children gain work and study rights. Children may face school fees in Australia.
Applicants usually upload identity documents, qualifications, experience letters, English results, police certificates, and health evidence. Where needed, use Form 80 and Form 1221 for character details, Form 956 or Form 956A for migration agents, and Form 1229 for child travel consent. The official form library is available through Home Affairs’ forms page.
How the process runs from offer to decision
The process begins with sponsor approval. Then the employer lodges the nomination. After nomination approval, the worker submits the visa application online, usually through ImmiAccount, and can add family members as secondary applicants.
Health checks and biometrics may follow. Decisions often move faster than the old TSS pattern, with Core Skills and Specialist Skills cases commonly decided within 29 days for 75% of applications and 44 days for 90%. Labour Agreement cases can take 4 to 9 months.
Applicants should watch the timing of the 1 July 2026 threshold rise. Lodging before that date avoids the higher income settings for many cases.
Fees, duration, and the path to permanent residence
For short-term or Essential Skills cases, the base visa fee is AUD 1,455 for the primary applicant. For Core or medium-term cases, it is AUD 3,115. Adult secondary applicants pay the same as the primary fee in those categories, while child applicants pay AUD 365.
A single Core applicant can expect a total around AUD 3,445 plus the levy. A family of four can reach about AUD 7,255 plus the levy, with medicals adding another AUD 300 to AUD 500 per person.
The visa usually lasts 2 to 4 years depending on the stream. Holders must work only for the sponsor in the nominated occupation and start work within 90 days. If the sponsor stops employing them, recent rules allow 180 days to find another path.
The strongest permanent residence route runs through Subclass 186 under the Temporary Residence Transition stream. After 2 years on a 482, workers can often move toward permanent residence, down from the older 3-year setting. The 2025-26 program includes 44,000 employer-sponsored places.
For many families, the visa now offers both mobility and a longer future in Australia. For employers, the SID model gives access to talent faster than the old Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) design, but only where pay, sponsorship, and compliance line up.
