What is the difference between the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams?

Core Skills is for occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List and has a lower salary floor (the CSIT). Specialist Skills has a much higher salary floor (the SSIT), is open to most occupations other than trades, machinery operators, drivers and labourers, and is generally quicker to process.

Who pays the nomination fee and the Skilling Australians Fund levy?

The employer. These charges are the employer's responsibility by law and cannot be recovered from the visa applicant. You pay the visa application charge, plus any checks and tests.

Can I change employers on a 482?

Yes. The visa is portable, with a grace period of up to 180 days after leaving a job to find a new sponsor. Confirm the current rules on the Department of Home Affairs site before resigning.

Can a 482 lead to permanent residency?

It can. After a period with your sponsor, the employer can nominate you for the subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme visa. The Temporary Residence Transition stream generally expects about two years with your sponsor, but the 186 has its own requirements, so check them before relying on it.

Australia Skills in Demand (482) Visa Guide 2026: Streams, Salary & PR

The Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa is Australia’s main employer-sponsored temporary work visa, and it replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage visa in December 2024. Our skilled worker comparison covers how the 482 stacks up against the 189 and 190. This guide is the deep dive on the 482 itself: which stream you belong in, what the salary rules really mean, who does what in the process, and where applications go wrong.

The three streams

Specialist Skills. Aimed at high earners. Your salary must clear the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT), and the stream covers most occupations except trades, machinery operators, drivers and labourers. It is generally the fastest stream to process.

Core Skills. The mainstream route. Your occupation must be on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), and your salary must clear the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT). Most sponsored professionals and skilled tradespeople land here.

Labour Agreement. Used when an employer has negotiated a formal labour agreement with the government, typically for niche industries or roles that do not fit the standard lists. Terms, including salary, vary by agreement, and timelines are usually the longest of the three.

If your salary sits between the two thresholds and your occupation is not on the CSOL, you may have no stream to apply under. Check the occupation first, then the pay.

Salary: two tests, and the higher one wins

Every sponsored role has to pass two salary tests:

The income threshold. From 1 July 2026 the indexed figures are AUD 79,423 (CSIT) and AUD 146,576 (SSIT), up from AUD 76,515 and AUD 141,210.
The Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR). The pay must also match what an Australian doing the same job in the same location would earn.

You need to meet whichever is higher. The indexed thresholds apply to nominations lodged on or after 1 July 2026, while earlier nominations are assessed against the older figures. The same thresholds also apply to the permanent subclass 186 employer scheme.

A practical point: because the AMSR is role- and location-specific, a job that “clears the threshold” can still fail on market rate. Ask your employer how they benchmarked the salary.

Costs and who pays what

Your visa application charge: from 1 July 2026 the primary applicant charge is AUD 4,015, up from AUD 3,210. Dependants are charged separately, so confirm the current family total on the official fee page. Our Australia visa fees breakdown tracks the wider cost picture.
Your employer’s costs: the nomination fee and the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy. These are the employer’s by law and cannot be recovered from you. Be wary of any contract or “deduction” that tries to shift them onto you.
Your extras: health examinations, police certificates, English test fees and any skills assessment your occupation needs.

The process: three stages, two parties

Sponsored visas run in stages, and the visa decision is only the last one:

Sponsorship approval. Your employer becomes an approved standard business sponsor (skip this if they are already approved). Read our short sponsor glossary entry if the terminology is new.
Nomination. The employer nominates a specific position and salary, showing the role is genuine and that the pay meets the AMSR and the income threshold. Nomination is the employer’s application, not yours.
Your visa application. Once a nomination is lodged you apply, with identity, English, work experience, health and character evidence.

Work experience and English. Expect to show at least one year of relevant work experience, and competent English, for example IELTS 5.0 overall or a PTE equivalent. Rules can vary by stream and occupation, so confirm your exact requirement on the Home Affairs stream page.

Timelines. Published estimates from migration firms range from a few days to about two months for Specialist Skills, one to four months for Core Skills, and several months for Labour Agreement. Add the earlier sponsorship and nomination stages. Treat all of this as a guide, since Home Affairs publishes the current processing times on its site; see also our Australia processing times guide.

Portability and the path to PR

The 482 is portable: you can change to another approved sponsor, and you generally have up to 180 days after leaving a job to find a new one before your visa is at risk. Do not treat that as permission to be casual, and check the current rule first.

For permanent residence, the usual next step is the subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme. The Temporary Residence Transition stream generally expects about two years with your sponsor, and the 186 is nominated by your employer, so your PR depends on them wanting to keep you. Skilled visa applicants who do not have that employer support may compare points-tested routes instead, which our skilled worker guide explains.

Common mistakes

Choosing the stream by salary alone. In Core Skills the occupation must be on the CSOL.
Forgetting the market rate. Meeting CSIT is not the same as meeting AMSR.
Assuming the old thresholds apply. The date the nomination is lodged decides which figures count.
Signing a contract that shifts employer costs to you. The nomination fee and SAF levy are the employer’s.
Resigning before checking your options. Job-change timing rules affect your visa, so plan the next sponsor first.
Thin experience evidence. Payslips, reference letters and contracts need to match the nominated occupation’s duties.

Use our Australia skilled worker checklist to collect documents before you lodge, and if you want help organising the process end to end, join the waitlist.

Sources

This is preparation guidance, not migration or legal advice. Thresholds, fees and lists change, so confirm every figure on the official Home Affairs site before applying, and consider a registered migration agent for complex cases.