The Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa: a complete employer guide
Current as at 3 July 2026. Salary thresholds and fees reflect the 1 July 2026 settings (FY2026‑27). The threshold in force at nomination applies, and the visa charge in force at lodgement applies - confirm the current figures at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before you lodge.
The Skills in Demand (SID) visa, subclass 482, is the workhorse of Australia’s employer-sponsored program. It replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa framework in December 2024 and lets an approved Australian business sponsor a skilled worker for a role it cannot readily fill from the local labour market. For 2026‑27 it matters more than ever: the permanent Migration Program lifted the Employer Sponsored category to 58,040 places - the largest single allocation in the program - and the 482 is the front door to most of that capacity.
This guide is written for employers. It walks through the three streams, the salary thresholds that decide which stream a role fits, the fees and the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy, and the sponsorship obligations that bind you once a worker is on your books. It is general information, not legal advice for your business - but it should let you scope a nomination before you invest in one.
The three streams at a glance
The 482 has three streams. Which one a role belongs to is driven largely by salary and by the occupation list, not by employer preference.
| Stream | Who it is for | Salary test (from 1 July 2026) | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Skills | The mainstream pathway - occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) | At least the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) of $79,423, or the Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR), whichever is higher | Occupation must be on the CSOL; the broadest of the three streams |
| Specialist Skills | Highly paid specialists (outside a small number of excluded occupation groups) | At least the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) of $146,576, or the AMSR, whichever is higher | No CSOL occupation-list requirement; faster service standards are the intended benefit of the higher salary tier |
| Essential Skills | Critical sectors (for example care and regional industries) where roles may pay below CSIT but shortages are severe | Accessed through a Labour Agreement or a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA), which sets the applicable terms | Agreement-based rather than a standard nomination; the framework has continued to be developed through 2026 |
Salary figures are FY2026‑27 amounts. TSMIT is now aligned to CSIT ($79,423) and is indexed automatically each 1 July. Some published sources report marginally different indexed figures - confirm the figure in force on your nomination date at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.
Core Skills stream: the mainstream route
For most employers, Core Skills is the stream you will use. The essentials are:
- Occupation on the CSOL. The nominated role must sit on the Core Skills Occupation List and the worker’s duties must genuinely match that occupation.
- Salary at or above CSIT and AMSR. Guaranteed annual earnings must be at least $79,423 and at least what an equivalent Australian worker would be paid in that role and location. The threshold is a floor, not a target - see the AMSR note below.
- Skills and experience. The worker generally needs relevant work experience (commonly around one year of full-time equivalent experience, though requirements are set by the regulations and the occupation) and must satisfy any skills, licensing or registration requirements for the role.
- English, health and character. Standard English language, health and character requirements apply to the visa applicant.
Specialist Skills stream: the high-salary tier
The Specialist Skills stream is aimed at genuinely high-earning specialists. Its defining feature is the higher salary floor - the SSIT of $146,576 - in exchange for which the stream is designed to attract faster processing service standards. It does not require the occupation to be on the CSOL, which makes it valuable where a role is highly paid but the occupation code is not otherwise listed. A small number of occupation groups are excluded from the stream; check current policy before assuming a role qualifies.
Essential Skills stream: sector agreements
The Essential Skills stream covers workers in critical sectors - care work and some regional industries are the recurring examples - where market salaries can fall below CSIT but the workforce shortage is acute. Access is through a Labour Agreement or a DAMA rather than a standard employer nomination, and the terms (salary concessions, occupations, caps) are set by the agreement. If your workforce need sits here, the first step is the agreement, not the visa.
Which stream fits? A quick decision guide
- Role pays $146,576 or more and you want speed? Look at Specialist Skills first.
- Role is on the CSOL and pays at least $79,423 (and market rate)? Core Skills is your stream.
- Role is in a care or regional sector below CSIT? Investigate a Labour Agreement or DAMA and the Essential Skills stream.
- Role pays below CSIT and there is no agreement? The 482 will not work as-is - the salary or the pathway needs to change.
The AMSR trap: the threshold is a floor
The most common employer mistake is treating CSIT as the salary to offer. It is not. Every nomination must satisfy both limbs: guaranteed earnings at or above CSIT, and at or above the Annual Market Salary Rate for the role and location. Where the market rate for the role is $95,000, offering $79,423 will not succeed. Where the market rate is genuinely below CSIT, you cannot simply top the salary up to the threshold without the Department scrutinising whether the position is genuine at that pay. Assemble your AMSR evidence - enterprise agreements, remuneration surveys, advertising for equivalent roles, pay records of comparable Australian employees - before you lodge, not after a request for information lands.
What it costs: fees and the SAF levy
| Cost | Amount (from 1 July 2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visa application charge - primary applicant | $4,015 | Rose ~25% on 1 July 2026 (was $3,210) |
| Additional applicant 18+ / under 18 | $4,015 / $1,005 (indicative) | For the 482, an additional adult attracts the same charge as the primary applicant; confirm on the Home Affairs fee calculator |
| Standard business sponsorship application | ~$420 (indicative) | Whether this rose on 1 July 2026 was not re-verified - confirm current fee |
| Nomination application | ~$330 (indicative) | As above - confirm current fee |
| SAF levy - turnover under $10M | $1,200 per year of visa | Unchanged; payable by the sponsor at nomination |
| SAF levy - turnover $10M or more | $1,800 per year of visa | Unchanged |
The Skilling Australians Fund levy is paid by the sponsoring employer at the nomination stage, multiplied by the number of years of visa sought, and is refundable only in narrow circumstances. Sponsorship and nomination fees marked indicative should be confirmed against immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before you budget. You can model the full cost of a nomination with our fee estimator, and sanity-check eligibility with the 482 eligibility checker.
Sponsor obligations: the part employers underestimate
Approval as a standard business sponsor is not a one-off form - it is an ongoing compliance relationship. The obligations that bite most often are:
- Pay at least the nominated salary and market rate for the duration of the visa, and keep paying the terms you nominated.
- Ensure the worker works only in the nominated occupation - a quiet change of duties can breach the sponsorship.
- Keep records and cooperate with monitoring, including inspectors and information requests.
- Notify the Department of prescribed events - cessation of employment, changes to duties or business structure, and similar - within the required timeframes.
- Do not recover the SAF levy or certain sponsorship costs from the worker. Passing prohibited costs to the employee is a recurring source of sanctions.
- Cooperate with the transparency regime. Legislation enacted in 2026 enables publication of approved-sponsor details (name, ABN, postcode, nomination counts and occupations sponsored), so sponsorship is more visible than it once was.
Breaches can lead to barring, cancellation of sponsorship and civil penalties. For most businesses the practical lesson is simple: build a light compliance calendar the moment you become a sponsor, rather than reconstructing records when a monitoring letter arrives.
From 482 to permanent residence
Many employers sponsor on a 482 with an eye to keeping the worker permanently. The usual bridge is the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) Temporary Residence Transition stream, which is built for workers who have already spent time employed with their sponsor on a 482. If permanent residence is the destination, it pays to plan the timing from the first nomination - the salary threshold tested at the later 186 nomination will be the one in force then, not today’s. Our companion guide, Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186): Your Pathway to PR, walks through that step.
Frequently asked questions
Did the Skills in Demand visa replace the TSS in 2026?
No. The Skills in Demand (subclass 482) framework commenced in December 2024. Articles claiming a 2026 launch or a 2026 TSS replacement are incorrect.
Does superannuation count towards the salary threshold?
The threshold is tested against guaranteed annual earnings - base salary and agreed non-discretionary amounts. Superannuation and discretionary bonuses generally do not rescue a shortfall. Structure the offer accordingly.
Can the worker pay the SAF levy?
No. The levy and certain sponsorship costs must be borne by the sponsor and cannot be recovered from the visa holder. Passing prohibited costs on is a common source of sanctions.
Get your sponsorship strategy right
We act for sponsoring employers across the Skills in Demand (482) and broader employer-sponsored programs - from standard business sponsorship and stream selection through to salary benchmarking, nomination strategy and the pathway to permanent residence. If you are scoping a role, testing whether it fits Core or Specialist Skills, or reviewing your compliance settings, book a consultation and we will map the right approach before you commit to a nomination.