Skills in Demand Visa (Subclass 482)
The Skills in Demand visa lets an approved Australian employer sponsor a skilled worker to fill a role they cannot fill locally. It replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa on 7 December 2024. Southern Stone prepares the sponsorship, nomination and visa application together, so each part supports the others.
The Skills in Demand visa has three streams: Specialist Skills, Core Skills and Labour Agreement. Which one applies depends on the occupation, the salary offered and the business. A 482 is a temporary visa, but for many workers it is the first step towards permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme.
- TypeTemporary
- SponsorApproved employer
- StreamsSpecialist, Core, Labour Agreement
- Next stepEmployer Nomination (186)
Why sponsor
Why employers choose the 482
The Skills in Demand visa is the most direct way to put a skilled person into a role you cannot fill locally.
Fill hard-to-recruit roles
Sponsor for a position where local hiring has not worked.
Offshore or onshore
Hire from overseas, or from graduates and visa holders already in Australia.
Stability for each hire
A stay of up to 4 years, so the role is covered and the person can settle in.
A path to keep them
Strong performers can move on to permanent residence through the 186.
Three stages to a 482 visa
3 stagesAn employer-sponsored 482 is built in three stages, and each must be approved before the next. If the employer is already an approved sponsor, the process starts at stage 2.
- Employer
- Visa applicant
Stage 1
Sponsorship
Lodged by the employer
- The business is lawfully and actively operating in Australia
- No adverse information about the business or the people running it
- It can meet the sponsor obligations, such as paying the right salary and keeping records
- Approval is held for a fixed period, then renewed
Stage 2
Nomination
Lodged by the employer
- A genuine, full-time position in an eligible occupation
- Pay at or above the market rate and the salary threshold for the stream
- Evidence of labour market testing, where it applies
- The Skilling Australians Fund levy is paid
Stage 3
Visa application
Lodged by the worker
- Relevant skills, qualifications and work experience for the nominated role
- English at the level required for the stream
- Health and character requirements, including police checks
- A job offer that matches the approved nomination
This is a summary. Requirements differ by stream and change over time, so we confirm what applies to your business and role.
Nomination · Labour market testing (LMT)
Labour market testing is where many nominations fail
Unless an exemption applies, the employer must advertise the position in Australia before nominating an overseas worker. Nominations are often refused because the advertising is missing, out of date or does not meet the rules. This applies to the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams.
- 2valid advertisements, as a minimum
- 4 weeksminimum advertising period
- 4 monthswindow before the nomination is lodged
What the advertising must meet
- Run for at least 4 weeks, within the 4 months immediately before the nomination is lodged
- Published in Australia and in English
- Shows the position title or a description of it
- States the skills or experience required
- Names the approved sponsor, or the recruitment agency acting for it
- States the salary if annual earnings are below AUD 96,400 (a range is acceptable)
- Accepts applications or expressions of interest for at least 4 weeks
- Placed in an accepted medium (see below), with copies of every advertisement lodged with the nomination
Accepted places to advertise
- A prominent or professional recruitment website with national reach (LinkedIn’s recruitment platform is acceptable, but not posts restricted to LinkedIn members)
- An industry recruitment website in significant use for the occupation
- National print media published at least monthly
- National radio
- The business’s own website, if it is an accredited sponsor
- Not acceptable: a general classifieds site, or social media notification alone
If an Australian citizen or permanent resident was made redundant or retrenched from the nominated occupation in the 4 months before lodgement, the advertising must have run since that date, and the details must be provided with the nomination.
Exemptions and alternatives
There is no exemption by occupation
The old occupation-based exemptions no longer exist. There are none for specific occupations, for ANZSCO skill level, or because of a major disaster.
International trade obligations (ITOs)
LMT is not required where Australia has waived it under a trade agreement, including where:
- The worker is a citizen or national of Brunei, China, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Thailand or Vietnam, or a citizen, national or permanent resident of Canada, Chile, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore or the United Kingdom, and applies in an LMT-exempt category
- The worker is a current employee of an associated entity in an ASEAN country, Canada, Chile, China, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Peru, or certain Pacific nations
- The worker is an Executive or Senior Manager with an associated entity in a WTO member country, and will run all or a substantial part of the Australian operations
- The business operates in a WTO member country and is setting up in Australia, nominating an Executive or Senior Manager
- The worker is a citizen or eligible permanent resident of a WTO member country and has worked for the sponsor in the nominated position in Australia, full-time, for the last two years
The ITO exemptions do not apply to labour agreement nominations or to the 494 visa. The Department lists the qualifying occupations, countries and agreements, so check the current list before relying on one.
Alternative requirements
In these cases a written submission replaces the standard advertising:
- Exceptional and outstanding achievement in a profession, sport, academia or research, or a top-talent chef
- A new nomination for an existing 482, 494 or 457 holder, solely because earnings or the business structure changed
- An intra-corporate transfer to an associated entity in Australia
- Annual earnings of AUD 250,000 or more
- Certain medical practitioners, and ambulance officers and paramedics
Summary of the Department’s published rules. Which requirement applies depends on the stream and the facts, and the rules change. Source: Department of Home Affairs, Labour market testing
Overview
The Skills in Demand (482) visa lets an approved employer fill a skilled role with an overseas or onshore worker.
- It has three stages: the business becomes an approved sponsor, nominates the position, and the worker applies for the visa.
- The right stream and occupation list depend on the role, so we confirm these before anything is lodged.
Who this suits
Employers filling a skilled position that is difficult to recruit locally
Skilled workers offshore with a job offer from an Australian business
Onshore visa holders moving to employer sponsorship, including graduates
Key facts
- Stay of up to 4 years (up to 5 years for Hong Kong passport holders)
- Employer-sponsored, so the visa is tied to an approved nomination
- You can change sponsors, but the new employer must lodge a new nomination
- All three streams can lead to permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186)
- There is no age limit for the 482 itself
Employer fees: sponsorship, nomination and levy
- Standard business sponsorship (482 and 494)$420
- Nomination for a Skills in Demand (482) position$330
- Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy, 482$1,200 to $1,800 a year
Charged for each year of the visa period nominated. $1,200 a year if the business turnover is under $10 million, and $1,800 a year if it is $10 million or more.
These are the Department of Home Affairs charges paid by the employer. They can change, so confirm the current amounts with the Department before you lodge. The Skilling Australians Fund levy cannot be passed on to the worker. The visa application charge for the worker is separate, and our professional fees are separate.
Work condition 8607
- Condition 8607 applies to the primary 482 holder: you may work only in your nominated occupation, and only for your sponsor or an associated entity
- You must not stop working for more than 180 consecutive days, or 365 days in total across the visa
- If you leave or lose the job, you have 180 days from your last day to have a new approved sponsor take over your nomination, to be granted another visa, or to leave Australia
- During those 180 days you may work in any occupation for any employer
- A new employer must be an approved sponsor and lodge a nomination. If the role is in the same occupation, you can start once it is approved. A different occupation needs a new 482 application
- Working outside the condition, or missing the 180-day window, breaches the visa and can lead to cancellation. Secondary applicants do not carry this condition
What you need to qualify
- The business must be lawfully operating and able to become, or already be, an approved sponsor.
- The position must be genuine, in an eligible occupation, and paid at or above the required market rate and salary threshold.
- The worker needs the skills, qualifications and experience the role requires, and English where the visa asks for it.
- The worker and any family members must meet health and character requirements.
- The sponsor must be ready to meet its ongoing sponsorship obligations.
Skills assessment
Skills assessment, with our help
Some occupations, such as trades, need a skills assessment before the visa can be granted.
Many applicants ask us to help with their skills assessment, because the assessing authority’s rules are strict and a weak application can cost months.
Ask about a skills assessmentAssessing authority fees are set by the authority and are separate from ours.
- The right authorityWe identify the assessing authority and the assessment that applies to your occupation.
- Eligibility firstWe review your qualifications and experience against the requirements before you pay any fees.
- Guidance on your evidenceWe explain what the authority expects, such as employment references and duties, and review what you have gathered before you submit.
- Support to the outcomeWe help you understand and respond to the authority’s requests until the outcome is issued.
Documents you will need
- Business records, such as registration, financial statements and evidence of lawful operation
- Position details, including duties, salary and evidence of the market rate
- Worker’s identity documents, qualifications, employment history and English results
- Skills assessment or licence, where the occupation needs one
- Police certificates and health examination results when requested
After the visa is granted
- The sponsor must meet its obligations, including keeping records and notifying the department of certain changes.
- The worker must work in the nominated role and follow their visa conditions.
- Changes to the role, pay or employment need to be checked before they happen.
- We help plan any step to permanent residence, such as the 186.
How we help
- We check before we lodge. The role, the salary and the evidence are tested against the current rules, so problems are fixed before Home Affairs sees them.
- One team, one file. Sponsorship, nomination and visa are prepared together, so every detail matches across all three.
- We plan beyond the grant. Visa conditions, sponsor obligations and the route to permanent residence are mapped from day one.
- We stay with you. Your registered migration agent handles every Home Affairs request, and every change after approval.
Common pitfalls
- Nominating a role that does not match what the worker will really do
- Thin evidence of the business’s need for the position, or labour market testing that is missing or out of date
- Offering a salary below the market rate or the threshold for the stream
- Missing a notification to Home Affairs when the worker’s job, pay or employment changes
- Asking the worker to cover sponsorship, nomination or recruitment costs, which is not allowed
- Poor payroll and contract records, so compliance cannot be shown when asked
- Leaving permanent residence planning until the visa is about to end
Not sure whether this applies to your business? Ask us
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Frequently asked questions
Does our business need to be an approved sponsor first?
Yes. Sponsorship approval is the first stage. If your business is already approved, you start at the nomination. We check your status and prepare whatever is missing.
Is this the same as the old TSS 482?
It is the replacement. The Skills in Demand visa took over from the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa on 7 December 2024. Rules differ in some respects, so we check how the current requirements apply to your role.
What salary do we have to pay?
At least the market rate for the role, and at least the salary threshold for the stream. The thresholds are reviewed regularly, so we confirm the current figure before you make an offer.
Can we pass the sponsorship costs on to the worker?
No. Sponsors cannot recover the costs of sponsorship, nomination or recruitment from the worker. We explain which costs fall on the business before you commit.
What must we tell Home Affairs after the visa is granted?
Sponsors have ongoing duties, including reporting certain changes within set time limits, such as the worker leaving or a change to their role or pay. We help you build simple routines so nothing is missed.
Can we sponsor someone who is already in Australia?
Yes. Many sponsored workers are already onshore, including graduates and holders of other visas. We check the timing and the visa they hold before you lodge.
Guides and checklists
Free PDF downloads from our client materials. Keep them for reference, and check with us if your circumstances differ.
- GuidePDF · 2026
Subclass 482 Visa Guide
July 2026 edition. For employers and skilled workers: sponsorship, nomination, salary requirements, labour market testing and the pathway to permanent residence.
- ChecklistPDF · 2026
Employer Checklist
Documents for the sponsorship and nomination applications.
Talk to us about your sponsorship
Tell us about your business and the role you need to fill. We will review your circumstances and explain the suitable pathway and next steps.