Australia's Skills in Demand Visa (Subclass 482): The Employer-Sponsored Route

Australia's employer-sponsored temporary work visa got a major overhaul in late 2024. The old Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa — subclass 482 — was replaced with the Skills in Demand (SID) visa, which kept the same subclass number but introduced a new two-stream structure with clearer pathways to permanent residency.

If you're a skilled professional looking for an Australian employer to sponsor you, this is almost certainly the visa you'll be on. Understanding the two streams — and which one applies to you — makes all the difference.

Core Skills vs. Specialist Skills: The Key Split

The 482 SID visa has two streams targeting different salary and occupation profiles:

Core Skills Stream: for occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), with a salary floor of AUD 73,150 (the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold, TSMIT). This covers a broad range of occupations from trades to professional roles.

Specialist Skills Stream: for highly paid workers in any occupation, with a salary threshold of AUD 135,000. This stream requires no occupation list — if you earn above the threshold, you qualify regardless of your specific job title.

For most tech workers, engineers, finance professionals, and executives in Australia, the Specialist Skills stream is the relevant one.

Salary Thresholds and What They Mean

Core Skills stream: your base salary must be at least AUD 73,150 AND at or above the market salary rate for the occupation. Both conditions apply — you can't underpay relative to Australian market rates even if you clear the TSMIT.

Specialist Skills stream: total compensation of AUD 135,000 or more. This can include base salary plus bonuses, allowances, and certain benefits — but superannuation contributions don't count toward the threshold.

The Specialist Skills threshold was designed to be competitive with US and European tech salaries. For a senior engineer or data scientist in Sydney or Melbourne, $135K is realistic market-rate compensation.

Occupation Lists and Skills Assessments

Core Skills stream: the role must appear on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). This list includes hundreds of professional, technical, and trade occupations.

Specialist Skills stream: any occupation qualifies if salary meets the threshold. No occupation list requirement.

Skills assessments: for Core Skills, a formal skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority may be required (depending on the occupation). For Specialist Skills, skills assessments are generally not required.

Employer Sponsorship: Standard Business Sponsorship

Your employer must be an approved sponsor — specifically, they need a Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) approval from the Department of Home Affairs. If they don't have one, they can apply (it typically takes 3–6 weeks).

Once sponsorship is approved, the employer nominates the specific role (nomination application), then you apply for the visa. It's a three-step process: SBS → nomination → visa application.

Labour Market Testing (LMT) requirement: for Core Skills, employers must demonstrate they've genuinely tried to recruit Australian workers first — typically 4 weeks of advertising. Specialist Skills stream has reduced LMT requirements.

Timeline and Costs

Processing time: 1–4 months depending on stream and application complexity. Specialist Skills applications tend to be assessed faster.

Visa application fee: AUD 3,115 for primary applicants (2025 rates). Additional charges for dependants. Employers pay the nomination fee (AUD 330).

Initial visa period: up to 4 years for both streams.

Employers are required to pay a Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy: AUD 1,200 per year for small businesses (< AUD 10M turnover), AUD 1,800 per year for others. This is paid for the full visa period upfront.

Path to Permanent Residency

The 482 SID visa is a temporary visa — but it has a clear PR pathway.

Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS, subclass 186): after working for your sponsor for 2 years on the Specialist Skills stream, or 3 years on the Core Skills stream, you can apply for the ENS — permanent employer-sponsored residency. There's no additional points score or competitive pool.

For Specialist Skills holders: 2 years of employment with your sponsor → eligibility for direct PR via ENS. This is significantly faster than many other PR pathways.

You're not locked to one employer indefinitely — if you change employers, you can transfer sponsorship to the new employer and your time counts continues.

Can You Change Employers?

Yes. Unlike some visa systems where you're locked to a specific employer, you can change employers on the 482. Your new employer needs to become an approved sponsor and nominate the new role.

You have 60 days to secure a new sponsor if you leave your current employer. During this period you remain in lawful status and can work for a labour hire company or explore new roles.

Tips for Finding a Sponsoring Employer in Australia

Most large Australian companies (the Big 4 banks, major tech companies, consulting firms, healthcare systems) have existing SBS approvals and are experienced with sponsoring international workers.

Smaller employers may be willing to sponsor but unfamiliar with the process — be prepared to help them understand the steps, and potentially connect them with a migration agent who handles the employer side.

LinkedIn Jobs and Seek.com.au both allow filtering for visa sponsorship. Explicitly mention in applications that you require sponsorship — transparency saves everyone time.

Technology roles in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane are where most Specialist Skills stream applications originate. The banking sector, consulting, and mining/resources are also strong sponsorship markets.

Exploring Your Australian Options

The 482 SID is Australia's main employer-sponsored pathway, but it's not the only route. If you have strong international recognition, the National Innovation Visa (858) offers permanent residency from day one. And if your points score is competitive, the Skilled Independent (189) is worth exploring.

Compare all Australian visa routes in our visa explorer to find the path that fits your profile.