Accessing Skilled Talent: 482 Visa
Australian employers across various industries often face challenges in sourcing suitably qualified candidates within the local labour market, particularly for specialised or high-demand roles.
The 482 Skills in Demand Visa enables access to skilled overseas talent to help fill these gaps and maintain workforce continuity.
Formerly known as the Temporary Skills Shortage Visa (TSS), the 482 Skills in Demand Visa is Australia’s main temporary employer sponsored visa.
482 Visa Requirements and Features
- Allows overseas workers to stay and work in Australia – generally for up to four years
- Permanent Residence available through the 186 Transition Stream Visa after two years of eligible work in Australia
- Requires employer sponsorship by an approved employer that meets compliance obligations
- Requires the applicant to have at least one year of relevant work experience
- Includes three distinct streams – each with specific benefits and eligibility requirements
482 Visa
Specialist Skills Stream
For businesses needing to quickly secure top talent. Visas processed quicker than the Core Skills Stream.
Eligibility
Applicants in any occupation, except trades, machinery operators/drivers, and labourers.
Salary Threshold
Applicants must be paid at least the ‘Specialist Skills Income Threshold’ – currently AUD $141,210 per annum and indexed annually.
482 Visa
Core Skills Stream
For businesses facing ongoing skills shortages.
Eligibility
Applicants with an occupation on the 482 Visa occupation list (the Core Skills Occupation List – CSOL).
Salary Threshold
Applicants must be paid at least the ‘Core Skills Income Threshold’ – currently AUD $76,515 per annum and indexed annually.
482 Visa
Essential Skills Stream
For businesses in sectors with critical shortages. The Government expects to finalise this stream in 2025-26. We expect key aspects will include:
Sector Focus: For critical roles in sectors with persistent workforce shortages. For example, the care/support economy.
Regulation: Likely to be more heavily regulated and potentially subject to caps.
Sponsoring a worker: 482 Skills in Demand Visa
Sponsoring a worker under the 482 Visa program involves three applications:
Becoming an approved visa sponsor
Sponsorship application: To assess your business’ suitability to sponsor overseas workers – read more here.
Approved sponsor are generally provided a five-year period to nominate skilled overseas workers under the 482 Skills in Demand Visa and 494 Regional Visa.
Nominating a position
Nomination application: To evaluate the genuineness, relevance, and terms of the role and the financial capacity of your business to employ the visa applicant.
Applying for a visa
Visa application: To assess the individual’s qualifications, experience and ability to perform the nominated role and meet other requirements, including health and character.
Employers may also sponsor workers for a 482 Skills in Demand Visa through a Labour Agreement or Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) under separate sponsorship processes.
Managing Sponsorship Obligations
Employers must meet a range of ongoing obligations to remain compliant with immigration regulations and maintain sponsorship privileges.
This is crucial and includes notifying Home Affairs of changes to business or employment circumstances, such as insolvency, company restructuring and if a sponsored employee ceases employment.
Sponsors must ensure visa holders work only in their nominated occupation and receive employment conditions equivalent to Australian workers, including salary benchmarks and written contracts. Discriminatory recruitment practices based on visa status is prohibited.
This is essential and requires employers retain records of employment conditions, visa costs, and sponsorship compliance activities to provide upon request from the Department. Sponsors also need to cover costs related to sponsorship, recruitment, and return travel.
Non-compliance can lead to suspension or cancellation of sponsorship, fines or being barred from sponsoring future visa holders. Home Affairs monitors obligations closely, including through site visits and monitoring audits.
Staying Compliant:
482 Visa Australia
Reliable migration advice protects business growth and limits disruption. With the right plans in place, employers can leverage global talent while staying compliant, avoiding unnecessary risk, and keeping projects and staffing plans moving forward.
Interstaff guides you and your employees throughout each step of the 482 Visa and sponsorship process.
STrategy
Assess and Strategise:
Your 482 Visa Australia Strategy
Interstaff provides dedicated migration advice to help businesses navigate sponsorship and visa options, enabling faster, more confident hiring decisions. We provide clarity on visa requirements, costs and timeframes for your candidate to commence work in Australia.
We support you by:
- Reviewing hard-to-fill roles and workforce needs
- Assessing sponsorship and visa eligibility
- Advising on visa strategies aligned with expected employee start dates and project timelines
- Guiding compliance when hiring existing 482 Visa holders
apply
Apply and Comply:
482 Nomination and Visa
With a 482 Visa strategy in place, Interstaff helps you secure global talent while meeting sponsorship obligations—clearly, consistently, and without unnecessary delays.
We support you by:
- Advising on key requirements such as local job advertising requirements and salary benchmarks
- Managing all aspects of sponsorship, nomination, and visa applications, including complex cases
- Keeping you and your employees informed at each stage
Comply
Retain and Grow:
Staying Compliant and Future-Ready
We help businesses align skilled migration with broader workforce strategies to boost stability, retain global talent, and support long-term growth.
Our support includes:
- Compliance advice during business or employment changes
- Visa expiry alerts to plan future workforce needs
- Permanent Residence pathway mapping for temporary visa holders
- Advice on developing audit-ready systems for immigration inspections
- Ongoing training on immigration policy impacts
Talk to us to explore a migration strategy to support your project needs.
What 482 Visa Applicants Should Know
If you have a business willing to sponsor you, it is essential to understand your eligibility for visa sponsorship. Interstaff provide eligibility assessments to both individuals and employers.
We also advise on skills assessment requirements, visa conditions, health and character issues, Permanent Residence pathways, and family migration options.
Experience and Insights
Skills In Demand Visa
Explore more about how we work, our industry experience and insights.
482 Visas and Support for Time-Critical Projects
Project Needs
Permanent Residence Planning
Industries
482 Visa Australia FAQs
Have questions about the employer sponsorship or visa process? We’ve gathered some of the most common ones to help you get started.
Salary thresholds for a 482 Visa depend on the stream (the Core Skills Income Threshold and Specialist Skills Income Threshold) and are indexed annually.
Non-monetary benefits such as accommodation and car allowances do not count towards these thresholds. Additionally, applicants must be paid at least what an Australian worker would or does earn for the position.
The following employment conditions for a 482 Visa apply:
- The employment must be genuine, full-time and ongoing.
- The applicant’s occupation must be listed on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) if applying under the Core Skills Stream.
- Employment terms must comply with Australian workplace laws.
- Employers must provide a formal employment contract outlining salary, hours and conditions.
Interstaff advise businesses on how employment conditions and salary thresholds specifically apply.
Yes – casual and seasonal work experience can count toward eligibility for a 482 Visa, following policy updates introduced in August 2024. The work must be relevant to the nominated occupation.
English language requirements for 482 Visa applicants changed in September 2025 – read about the requirements here.
The first step is understanding if you and the business are eligible. Our Registered Migration Agents provide visa sponsorship eligibility assessments and can guide both you and your employer through the process and sponsorship obligations.
Employers must have undertaken sufficient local advertising, known as Labour Market Testing (LMT), before sponsoring a worker unless exempt.
LMT refers to a specific process of meeting local advertising requirements. It generally requires employers to have advertised the job for a specific period on national advertising platforms.
Our Registered Migration Agents can advise if you have undertaken sufficient LMT for visa sponsorship.
Yes – sponsorship is open to actively operating businesses that meet the eligibility criteria. Read more about Standard Business Sponsorship here.
Government fees apply for Sponsorship, Nomination and Visa applications as listed on the Home Affairs website linked here. Migration Agent fees apply in addition to this.
Why Interstaff
Visa Sponsorship
Interstaff made a complex process feel structured and manageable. Every step was clearly explained, and their guidance helped us stay confident from start to finish.
HR Manager, Mineral Resources | Visa Sponsorship