Every few weeks someone asks me whether the “482 visa” they’ve heard about from a friend is the same thing their employer’s migration agent mentioned, or whether it’s something older that got replaced. It’s a fair question — the visa people still call “482” by habit was actually overhauled in December 2024, and the version running today works differently enough that old blog posts about it are now genuinely out of date.
Quick answer: The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) is Australia’s main employer-sponsored temporary work visa. It replaced the old Temporary Skill Shortage visa on 7 December 2024 and now runs through three streams — Specialist Skills, Core Skills, and Labour Agreement — each with its own income threshold and rules. Most holders can apply for permanent residency after working for the same sponsor for two years.
The Three Streams, and How They Actually Differ
The streams aren’t interchangeable — each one has a separate income threshold and a different way of qualifying:
- Core Skills stream. For occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), which covers 456 occupations. The employer must meet the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) — $79,499 from 1 July 2026, up from $76,515 the year before.
- Specialist Skills stream. For highly paid roles the government considers a significant economic benefit to Australia. It doesn’t draw from a fixed occupation list, but the guaranteed annual earnings must meet the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) — $146,717 from 1 July 2026.
- Labour Agreement stream. For workers nominated under a formal labour agreement between an employer (or industry body) and the Australian Government, generally used where standard visa settings don’t fit a particular industry’s needs.
Both income thresholds are indexed and rise on 1 July each year in line with average earnings data, so a figure that was accurate last year may already be out of date — always confirm the current threshold on the Department of Home Affairs website before relying on it for a real application.
Labour Market Testing: The Step Employers Can’t Skip
For the Core Skills stream, the sponsoring employer generally has to show they made a genuine attempt to find a suitably skilled Australian citizen or permanent resident before nominating an overseas worker. In practice, this usually means advertising the role for at least 28 continuous days on platforms with national reach and keeping proper records of that process. A completed labour market test is generally valid for four months, so timing the recruitment and nomination process matters.
How Long You Can Actually Stay
The Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams are typically granted for up to four years, extended to five years for Hong Kong SAR passport holders under a specific arrangement. Processing times differ significantly between streams — as of the Department of Home Affairs’ most recently published figures, half of Specialist Skills applications were finalised within 8 days (90% within 43 days), while half of Core Skills applications took around 69 days (90% within 10 months). These figures move month to month, so check the current published processing times before relying on a specific number for a job offer or start-date plan.
The Pathway to Permanent Residency
This is the part most people actually want to know. After working for the same sponsoring employer for two years, most 482 visa holders become eligible to apply for the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme (Temporary Residence Transition stream), which is a genuine pathway to permanent residency rather than another temporary visa. There’s an age condition attached, though — you generally need to be under 45 at the time you apply for the 186 visa. If skilled permanent migration outside the employer-sponsored pathway interests you as well, our guide to skilled visas 189 vs 190 vs 491 covers the points-tested alternative.
English Language Requirements
Primary applicants generally need to demonstrate a minimum standard of English through an approved test, unless a specific exemption applies — common exemptions include passport holders from certain English-speaking countries and a minimum period of study conducted in English. Requirements can vary slightly by stream, so confirm the current standard for your specific circumstances directly with Home Affairs rather than relying on a general figure.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming any job offer qualifies. The occupation needs to be on the relevant list (for Core Skills) or meet the income threshold outright (for Specialist Skills) — a generous salary alone doesn’t automatically make a role eligible.
- Underestimating Core Skills processing times. Recent published figures put the Core Skills median around 69 days but 90% within 10 months, a long runway to plan a relocation or job start date around; apply earlier than feels necessary.
- Forgetting the age condition on the 186 pathway. Two years of sponsored work counts for nothing toward permanent residency via this route if you’re 45 or older when you apply.
If you’re earlier in the migration journey and not yet on an employer-sponsored pathway, our guides to the Working Holiday visa (417/462) and the broader Australia visa guide are good starting points, and if you’re the employer side of this arrangement, our checklist on hiring your first employee covers the domestic obligations that apply once someone’s actually on your books.
This article is general information, not migration advice. Visa rules, income thresholds, and processing times change regularly — always confirm current requirements on the Department of Home Affairs website or with a registered migration agent before making decisions based on this article.