Skills in Demand Visa (SID) (Subclass 482)
Reviewed 4 Oct 2026
What is the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa?
The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) is Australia’s main employer-sponsored work visa. It lets a business employ an overseas worker for up to four years when it cannot find a suitable Australian worker, and it replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa on 7 December 2024.
Most visa holders can apply for permanent residence through the subclass 186 visa after two years with their sponsor. Our guide to the 186 visa requirements covers the transition rules, and our 482 to PR pathway guide explains what counts towards the two years. The employer starts the process: if not already an approved sponsor, the business first applies for sponsorship, then lodges a nomination for the job itself.
From 1 July 2026 the minimum salary for the Core Skills stream is $79,423, and for the Specialist Skills stream $146,576. If the market rate for the job is higher, the employer must pay the market rate.
Which Skills in Demand visa stream fits the role?
The visa has three streams. Which one applies is decided by salary and occupation, not by the applicant’s choice.
1. Core Skills Stream
The Core Skills stream covers jobs that pay at least $79,423 a year in an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). It is the stream most sponsored workers use, and it may lead to permanent residence through the 186 visa after two years with the sponsor.
2. Specialist Skills Stream
The Specialist Skills stream covers jobs that pay at least $146,576 a year, in any occupation except trades workers, machinery operators, drivers and labourers. These applications are currently the fastest in the program: half are decided within 37 days.
3. Labour Agreement Stream
The Labour Agreement stream is for employers with a formal agreement with the Department of Home Affairs, including industry, company and regional agreements. Salary and occupation rules follow the agreement instead of the standard lists.
In every stream, the salary must also match what an Australian would earn doing the same job in the same place. Home Affairs calls this the annual market salary rate.
What makes a nominated position genuine?
The visa officer must be satisfied that the position genuinely exists and is full time. In practice they ask one question: does this job serve a real business need, or was it created to get a visa?
Strong evidence includes:
- an organisation chart showing where the job sits
- financial statements showing the business can afford the salary
- client contracts or orders showing demand for the work
- recruitment run through an independent agency
- tax records of the worker’s past employment in the business
Two situations get extra scrutiny: a business sponsoring its own owner or part-owner, and a family business where the only staff are the worker and relatives. Refusals in these cases are hard to overturn, so the evidence needs to be strong before lodgement rather than put together after a refusal.
The occupation must also match what the business really does. If an occupation definition mentions a specific type of facility or operation, the Department will check that the business actually runs one.
Who is eligible for the Skills in Demand visa?
Visa Applicant
You need at least 12 months of work in your occupation or a related field within the last five years. Full-time, part-time and casual work all count and can be added together; only unpaid work is excluded.
You also need English test scores set by law (the level differs by stream), health and character checks, adequate health insurance, and any registration or licence the job requires where you will work.
Sponsor
The business must be an approved standard business sponsor, nominate a position that genuinely exists and is full time, pay at least $79,423 or $146,576 depending on the stream (and never less than the market rate), and complete labour market testing unless an exemption applies.
Sponsor obligations continue for the life of the visa, including record-keeping and cooperation with monitoring. The employer must pay the sponsorship, nomination and training levy costs and cannot take them back from the worker. Our guide to 482 visa requirements sets out each step with current figures.
How does the application work?
The application has three stages, each with its own approval. Processing order follows Ministerial Direction 121 (from 19 September 2026): jobs in construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, law enforcement and defence are processed first, then Specialist Skills stream applicants, then applicants who were in Australia when they lodged. Our 482 visa processing time guide shows the current times for each stage and the lodgement dates the Department is working on now, updated monthly.
1. Sponsorship Application
The business applies to become a standard business sponsor, which costs $420. Approval lasts five years and covers any number of nominations, so existing sponsors skip this step.
2. Nomination Application
The employer nominates the position for $330 and pays the Skilling Australians Fund levy: $1,200 per year of visa for businesses with turnover under $10 million, or $1,800 for larger businesses. This stage carries the genuine-position test, the salary evidence and labour market testing.
3. Visa Application
The worker lodges the visa application, usually at the same time as the nomination. The visa fee is $4,015, plus $4,015 for each additional applicant aged 18 or over and $1,005 for each child under 18.
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★★★★★ 4.9What does the Skills in Demand visa cost?
The table below shows the government fees for 2026-27. The employer must pay the sponsorship, nomination and levy costs and cannot take them back from the worker. The visa application charge can be paid by either side; some employers choose to cover it, but they do not have to.
| Item | Amount (AUD) | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Standard business sponsorship | $420 | Employer |
| Nomination | $330 | Employer |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, per year of visa | $1,200 (turnover under $10 million) or $1,800 | Employer |
| Visa application charge, main applicant | $4,015 | Either side |
| Each additional applicant 18 or over | $4,015 | Either side |
| Each additional applicant under 18 | $1,005 | Either side |
A four-year Core Skills visa for a family of three costs roughly $14,000 to $17,000 in government fees alone. Our 482 visa cost guide breaks down the full bill with worked examples. Every other current charge and salary threshold, including the $79,423 Core Skills Income Threshold, is kept on our visa fees and thresholds page.
Our professional fees are published: AUD 6,500 plus GST for sponsorship, nomination and visa, including the job ads and their costs, AUD 5,500 plus GST if the business is already a sponsor, or AUD 3,500 plus GST for sponsorship and nomination without the visa stage. See our migration agent fees.
FAQs on the Skills in Demand Visa (Subclass 482)
1. Is there an age limit for the visa?
No, the Skills in Demand visa has no upper age limit. Age matters later at the permanent 186 stage, where applicants must generally be under 45, with exemptions for some occupations and high earners.
2. Can I apply for permanent residency on a 482 visa?
Yes. After two years working for your sponsor in the nominated job, you can be nominated for the 186 visa through the Temporary Residence Transition stream, subject to the 186 rules at that time. Our employer nomination scheme page covers the pathway.
3. What is the minimum salary for a 482 visa?
For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026, the minimum is $79,423 for the Core Skills stream and $146,576 for the Specialist Skills stream, and the salary must never be less than the market rate. The thresholds are updated each 1 July.
4. Can my family come with me on a SID visa?
Yes, your partner and dependent children can be included in your application or added later. Each additional applicant aged 18 or over adds $4,015, and each child under 18 adds $1,005.
5. Can I change employers on the visa?
Yes. Once you have left your current sponsor, you can work for the new employer while their nomination for you is processed, for up to 180 days in a row (365 in total across the visa). If the 180 days end before the nomination is lodged, you must stop. See our guide to changing employer on a 482.
6. Does the visa require Labour Market Testing (LMT)?
Yes, in most cases. Advertising the job is a nomination requirement even if the worker has done the job for years, and advertising a job that already has a preferred person is normal and expected. Limited exemptions exist, mainly under international trade agreements. Our labour market testing guide covers the advertising rules.
7. What if the nomination or visa is refused?
Most refusals can be taken to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) within 28 days of the decision notice, and that deadline cannot be extended. The choice is usually between an ART review and lodging a fresh application with better evidence, depending on why the refusal happened. Our merits review service handles ART appeals.
8. How much does a migration agent charge for a 482 visa in Melbourne?
At Arta Migration, a full 482 for a business that is not yet a sponsor costs AUD 6,500 plus GST in professional fees. That covers sponsorship, nomination and the visa application, including the job ads and their costs.
If the business is already an approved sponsor, nomination and visa cost AUD 5,500 plus GST. If the business is not yet a sponsor and does not need the visa stage, sponsorship and nomination cost AUD 3,500 plus GST. Government charges are paid separately, including the Skilling Australians Fund levy (a training levy the employer pays).
9. What does the 482 fee include, and who pays each stage?
The 482 has three stages: sponsorship (approval for the business to sponsor workers), nomination (the role, including publishing and managing the job ads, with ad costs included) and the visa application (the worker).
The employer pays the sponsorship and nomination fees, and the law does not allow those costs to be passed on to the worker. The visa-stage fee, AUD 3,000 plus GST, can be paid by either as they agree. Each fee covers preparing and lodging the application and dealing with Home Affairs until a decision is made.
10. Can I engage you for just one stage, such as nomination only?
Yes. Each stage can be engaged on its own: sponsorship from AUD 1,500, nomination from AUD 3,000 (job ads and their costs included) and visa from AUD 3,000, all plus GST. Package prices apply only when the stages in a package are taken together.
