482 Visa Australia 2026: Eligibility, Fees, Salary Thresholds and PR Pathway Explained

If you are an employer trying to fill a skills gap, or a skilled worker hoping to build a life in Australia, the 482 visa Australia pathway is likely the first thing your research has turned up. It is the country's main employer sponsored work visa, and since December 2024 it has operated under a new name and a rebuilt structure called the Skills in Demand (SID) visa. The subclass number stayed the same, but almost everything else changed, including the streams, the occupation list, the salary thresholds and the route to permanent residency.

This guide walks through everything you need to know about the 482 visa in 2026, updated for the fee and salary changes that took effect from 1 July 2026. Whether you are a software engineer in India, a nurse in the Philippines, or an employer in Australia trying to sponsor your first overseas hire, you will find the details you need here, along with where to go next for hands on help.

What Is the 482 Visa (Skills in Demand Visa)

The Subclass 482 visa allows an approved Australian employer to sponsor a skilled overseas worker for a role they cannot fill locally. It replaced the old Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa, which itself replaced the 457 visa back in 2018. The current Skills in Demand framework was introduced on 7 December 2024 and rebuilt the visa around three salary based streams instead of the old short term and medium term split.

In practice, this means the visa you get and the conditions attached to it depend heavily on your salary and your occupation, not just your job title. If you are unsure which stream applies to your situation, Easy Viza's free eligibility checker is a quick way to get an initial read before you commit to a full application.

The Three Streams of the 482 Visa

Understanding which stream you fall under is the single most important step in a 482 visa application, since it decides your salary floor, your occupation options and how long your application will take.

• Specialist Skills stream: For high income professionals, executives and technical specialists. The salary floor is AUD 141,210 for nominations lodged on or before 30 June 2026, rising to AUD 146,717 from 1 July 2026. There is no restricted occupation list under this stream, except that trades workers, machinery operators, drivers and labourers are excluded. Processing is typically the fastest, often 7 to 11 business days, but the stream is capped at 3,000 places a year.
• Core Skills stream: The workhorse stream that covers most applicants. The salary floor is AUD 76,515 until 30 June 2026, rising to AUD 79,499 from 1 July 2026. Your occupation must sit on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), which now covers 456 occupations across health, engineering, IT, trades and education. Processing generally runs from one to four months depending on volume.
• Labour Agreement stream: For employers operating under a formal agreement with the Australian Government, such as a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) or an industry specific agreement in sectors like aged care, agriculture or hospitality. This stream can offer concessions on salary or English requirements that the other two cannot, but processing tends to be slower, typically three to eight months.

Whichever figure applies to you, the Department also requires that you be paid the Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR) for your role and location if that figure is higher than the stream threshold. Easy Viza's cost calculator can help you work out whether your offered salary clears both bars before you commit to lodging.

Eligibility Requirements for the 482 Visa

A 482 visa applicant needs to satisfy several distinct requirements at the same time. Missing even one of them can lead to a refused nomination or a refused visa application, so it is worth working through each carefully.

• Employer sponsorship: You must be sponsored by an Australian business that is an Approved Standard Business Sponsor, or that has at least applied for that status.
• Nominated occupation: Your role must sit on the relevant occupation list for your stream, or meet the Specialist Skills income threshold if no list applies.
• Skills and experience: You generally need at least one year of relevant work experience in your nominated occupation, along with the qualifications the role calls for.
• Skills assessment: Certain occupations, particularly in trades and some healthcare roles, require a mandatory skills assessment before you can lodge your visa application. Easy Viza's skills assessment assistance service can help you identify whether your occupation needs one and get it started early.
• English language: Most applicants need Competent English, generally an IELTS score of at least 5.0 in each band, or an equivalent score in PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, OET, CELPIP, LANGUAGECERT or MET. Passport holders from the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland are typically exempt.
• Health requirements: A medical examination through an approved panel physician is required for most applicants and any included family members.
• Character requirements: You will need police clearance certificates for every country you have lived in for 12 months or more over the past 10 years.
• Licensing or registration: If your occupation is regulated in Australia, such as nursing, you must hold or be eligible for the relevant licence or registration.

If your employer has not yet nominated your position, Easy Viza's employer sponsorship and SBS support can help them get approved as a sponsor and prepare a nomination that stands up to scrutiny.

482 Visa Fees and Costs in 2026

Visa Application Charges rose significantly from 1 July 2026 under the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations, and the 482 visa was one of the categories affected.

• Primary applicant: The base charge rose from AUD 3,210 to AUD 4,015 across all three streams.
• Additional applicants aged 18 and over (partner or adult dependant): AUD 4,015 each.
• Dependent children under 18: AUD 1,005 each.
• Onshore applicants lodging while already in Australia on another temporary visa may also pay a Subsequent Temporary Application Charge of around AUD 700 per person.

On top of the government charge, budget for a medical examination, an English test if required, police checks, document translations and, where applicable, a skills assessment fee. The employer side of the equation includes a Standard Business Sponsorship fee of AUD 420, a nomination fee of AUD 330 per position, and the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy, which is AUD 1,200 per year for businesses with turnover under AUD 10 million and AUD 1,800 per year for larger businesses. Under Australian law, none of these employer costs can legally be passed on to the visa applicant. For a full breakdown tailored to your situation, Easy Viza's visa cost calculator is the fastest way to get a realistic number.

Processing Times

Processing times vary considerably by stream and by how complete your documentation is at the time of lodgement.

• Specialist Skills stream: Often a few days up to around two months, since it is prioritised.
• Core Skills stream: Typically one to four months, though this can extend depending on volume and the completeness of the application.
• Labour Agreement stream: Usually three to eight months given the additional agreement checks involved.

New sponsorship applications can also add four to five months if your employer is not already an approved sponsor. Applications that arrive with missing documents, inconsistent salary evidence or an unclear employment history are the ones most likely to be delayed or queried, which is why a proper document review before lodgement matters as much as the paperwork itself.

Document Checklist for a 482 Visa Application

While the exact list depends on your occupation and stream, most applicants should prepare the following.

• Valid passport and passport style photos
• Evidence of qualifications and relevant work experience
• Skills assessment outcome, where mandatory
• English test results, or evidence of an exemption
• Signed employment contract showing salary and conditions
• Health examination results from an approved panel physician
• Police clearance certificates for relevant countries
• Evidence of any licensing or professional registration required for the role

Easy Viza's document preparation and certification service can help make sure everything is certified correctly and lodged in the format the Department expects, which reduces the risk of delays caused by simple formatting issues.

From 482 Visa to Permanent Residency

One of the biggest attractions of the 482 visa is that it is rarely a dead end. Most 482 holders who work continuously for the same sponsor for two years become eligible to apply for the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme through the Temporary Residence Transition stream, which leads to permanent residency. Even applicants who do not qualify for the transition stream may still have a Direct Entry pathway available through 186, depending on their occupation and skills assessment status.

If permanent residency is your long term goal, it is worth planning your 482 application with that pathway in mind from the very beginning, rather than treating the two as separate projects. Easy Viza's initial migration consultation is a useful starting point for mapping out that full journey before you lodge anything.

Bringing Family Members on a 482 Visa

Your partner and dependent children can be included as secondary applicants on your 482 visa application, provided they meet health and character requirements. It is important to note that family members cannot be added after your application has been submitted. If a partner or child is not included in the original application, they would need to apply separately later as a subsequent entrant, which is a slower and more complex route. If you already hold a 482 or former 457 visa and need to bring a family member across afterward, Easy Viza's team can talk you through the subsequent entrant process and what documentation it requires.

Common Reasons 482 Visa Applications Are Refused

Refusals are rarely about one dramatic error. More often they come down to a handful of avoidable issues.

• The nominated salary falls below either the stream threshold or the Annual Market Salary Rate, whichever is higher
• The nominated occupation does not genuinely match the applicant's actual duties
• A mandatory skills assessment was not completed before lodgement
• English test results have expired or do not meet the required score
• Employment history or qualifications are inconsistently documented across forms
• The sponsoring business is not properly approved, or its nomination is incomplete

If your application has already been refused, or you are worried it might be, Easy Viza's refusal review service looks at what went wrong and what your realistic options are from there, including whether a review through the Administrative Review Tribunal is worth pursuing.

How Easy Viza Supports Your 482 Visa Journey

A 482 visa application touches employer sponsorship, occupation matching, salary benchmarking, skills assessments, English testing and a full document package, often all at once. Easy Viza works with both applicants and employers across this entire process, from an initial eligibility check through to VEVO verification once your visa is granted. If you are exploring your broader options beyond the 482, our work visa services page covers the other employment based pathways worth comparing before you commit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an age limit for the 482 visa? No. Unlike some points tested skilled visas, the Skills in Demand visa has no age limit.

Can I apply for a 482 visa without an employer? No. The 482 visa is entirely employer sponsored, so you need a nomination from an approved or approved in principle sponsor before you can lodge.

How long can I stay in Australia on a 482 visa? This depends on your occupation and stream, generally either two or four years, and in some Labour Agreement cases longer.

Do all applicants need a skills assessment? No. Only certain occupations carry a mandatory skills assessment requirement. Where one applies, it generally needs to be started before you lodge your visa application.

What happens if visa fees change after I have started my application? Fee changes generally apply to applications lodged on or after the effective date, so an application lodged before 1 July 2026 is assessed at the earlier rate regardless of when it is decided.

The 482 visa remains one of the clearest and fastest routes into skilled work in Australia, and for many applicants, into permanent residency as well. Given how much has changed since the Skills in Demand rebuild and the 1 July 2026 fee increases, it is worth getting a proper eligibility assessment before you or your employer spend time and money on an application that might not clear the current thresholds. Easy Viza's team can walk you through exactly where you stand and what the fastest realistic path looks like for your situation.