Skills in Demand (SID) 482 (formerly Temporary Skill Shortage) — Australia

The Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa was replaced by the Skills in Demand (SID) visa on 7 December 2024. Both use the same subclass 482, so the visa number hasn't changed — but the streams, occupation lists, and income thresholds have. "TSS" is now a historical/legacy term; if you are applying today, you are applying for the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), not the TSS visa.

The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) lets an Australian employer sponsor you when they can’t find a suitably skilled Australian worker for the role. The Department of Home Affairs oversees this visa.

You must have an employer sponsor, and your occupation needs to be on the relevant occupation list for your stream. It’s an employer-sponsored temporary work visa.

What Changed on 7 December 2024

CSIT and SSIT are indexed annually each 1 July; confirm the current figures on the Home Affairs salary requirements page before lodging, since the threshold that applies is the one in force on the date the nomination is lodged, not the date it's decided.

Why People Still Search for the "2 Year TSS 482 Visa"

Under the old TSS framework the Short-term stream carried a shorter maximum stay than the Medium-term stream, and that shorter grant is what the phrase "2 year TSS 482 visa" refers to. Neither stream still exists. Core Skills, Specialist Skills and Labour Agreement each set their own maximum grant period and their own renewal path, so an estimate an employer or agent gave you under TSS may not describe what you would be granted today — check the stream detail on Home Affairs before you plan around a figure.

Key Features

You can apply as a subsequent entrant if you’re a family member of a primary subclass 482 or former subclass 457 visa holder and want to join them in Australia.

Basic Eligibility Requirements

You must:

• Be nominated by an approved Australian employer
• Work in an occupation on the relevant list for your stream
• Meet the Core Skills or Specialist Skills income threshold that applies to your stream
• Complete all required application sections
• Submit supporting evidence as requested

Home Affairs may require supporting documents such as Form 80, depending on your circumstances.

After holding a subclass 482 visa, you may move to permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186). Other employer-sponsored pathways include the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 494).

This visa is different from short-duration or training visas such as the Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) Visa (subclass 400), Training Visa (subclass 407), and Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485), which have other purposes.

No fixed personal bank-balance or settlement-funds threshold is listed for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa. You do not normally submit a bank statement showing a minimum savings amount simply because you are applying for subclass 482.

Do not confuse proof of funds with the visa's salary rules. Your employer must sponsor and nominate you, and the offered pay must meet the market salary rate and the income threshold for the stream — A$79,423 for Core Skills or A$146,576 for Specialist Skills for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026.

You must also meet the relevant skills, English, health, character, and health-insurance requirements. Home Affairs can request additional evidence in an individual case, so follow your ImmiAccount checklist. Employer sponsorship costs and any discretionary security bond are not a standard personal proof-of-funds requirement.

For a visa-by-visa comparison, see the Australia proof-of-funds guide.

You can prepare many Subclass 482 documents yourself. But errors in eligibility, occupation selection, or character disclosures can easily lead to refusal.

Home Affairs limits employer sponsorship to occupations on the Skilled Occupation List. If your role doesn’t clearly match an eligible occupation, your application may not proceed.

Certain situations increase risk:

• Your occupation is tough to classify against the Skilled Occupation List
• You previously held visas such as the Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485), Training Visa (subclass 407), or Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) Visa (subclass 400) and have a complex travel history
• You plan to transition later to the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) or the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 494)
• You must complete detailed forms such as Form 80
• You lived in multiple countries and need police certificates for each

Common mistakes include language and accuracy errors.

You must create and manage your application through an ImmiAccount with Home Affairs. Losing access to login details or multi-factor authentication will delay your process.

When your history, documentation, or occupation raises uncertainty, professional guidance can help you avoid preventable refusal.

You pay the visa application charge in Australian dollars through ImmiAccount. Charges for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa increased on 1 July 2026 and apply according to the lodgement date.

Check the Home Affairs pricing estimator immediately before payment. The applicant may also pay for English testing, police certificates, health examinations, translations and insurance. The sponsor must not improperly recover prohibited sponsorship or nomination costs from the worker.

Home Affairs publishes recently decided processing ranges in its Visa Processing Time Guide. Timing depends on stream, nomination readiness, document completeness and external health/character checks; there is no reliable special “Form 80 processing time.” A request for further information pauses practical progress until you respond.

You apply for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa through the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs) using the online portal. You’ll need to attach all required documents when you lodge your application.

Steps:

1. Create or log in to your online Home Affairs account.

2. Complete the visa application form.

3. Upload supporting documents.

4. Lodge your application and pay the visa application charge in AUD (A$).

Key Documents

You must provide documents that match your visa type. These usually include:

• Evidence you meet the relevant English language requirements
• Documents showing you meet the health requirement
• Police certificates
• A completed Form 80, if requested
• An Australian Federal Police National Police Check application form, if required

Police certificates expire 12 months after issue (https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/meeting-our-requirements/character). If your application remains in progress after that, you might need a new certificate.

If you later seek permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) or the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 494), you must lodge a separate application.

Other temporary visas, such as the Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) Visa (subclass 400), Training Visa (subclass 407), or Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485), follow different application processes through Home Affairs.

You hold the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa to fill a role facing labour shortages. If you want permanent residence, you must move into a permanent employer-sponsored pathway managed by the Department of Home Affairs.

The main permanent and regional pathways linked to employer sponsorship include:

Your employer must take an active role in any nomination-based pathway.

Can You Apply for PR After Holding Subclass 482?

Yes, but not automatically, and not simply because time has passed. The usual route is the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream of subclass 186. It asks that you have worked full time for your sponsoring employer in the nominated occupation for a qualifying period while holding a subclass 482 or subclass 457 visa, and that the same employer nominates you again for the permanent role. That qualifying period was shortened as part of the Skills in Demand changes, so confirm the rule in force when the nomination is lodged instead of relying on figures quoted in older articles.

The Direct Entry stream of subclass 186 is the alternative where the transition rules don't fit. It generally turns on a positive skills assessment and relevant work experience rather than a set period with one sponsor. State or territory nomination and points-tested skilled visas sit outside employer sponsorship altogether, and staying on subclass 482 while you qualify for one of those is a legitimate plan — provided you keep meeting your visa conditions in the meantime.

Other temporary visas may support your long-term plan, depending on your situation:

• Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485)
• Training Visa (subclass 407)
• Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) Visa (subclass 400)

Each visa serves a different purpose. You must review eligibility directly with Home Affairs before applying.

Character requirements apply to both temporary and permanent stages. You must declare:

• All criminal convictions
• Any pending charges
• Spent convictions
• Relevant military service history
• Work history on ships or offshore facilities exceeding 12 months in the last 10 years

Failure to disclose information, even if minor, can lead to refusal. The police-certificate and disclosure rules behind those declarations are set out on the Home Affairs character requirements page.

You apply and manage your applications through your ImmiAccount. Check the official Home Affairs processing times guide and fee calculator for current timeframes and charges in AUD (A$).

If required, complete Form 80 accurately and in full. Incomplete or misleading information can delay or jeopardize your permanent residence pathway.

Your employer must nominate you for a skilled position and hold approval as a sponsor with the Department of Home Affairs. If they’re not already approved, they need to apply to become a standard business sponsor before lodging the nomination.

They submit the nomination through ImmiAccount and provide evidence that the position is genuine and skilled. Home Affairs won’t assess your visa without an approved nomination.

Your employer must:

• Be an approved sponsor
• Nominate you for a specific skilled role
• Lodge the nomination with Home Affairs
• Pay the required government charges

Government Fees the Employer Pays

The Skilling Australia Fund levy amount depends on the employer’s annual turnover, and it is charged per year of the nomination period, not once — a four-year nomination by an employer under the A$10M turnover threshold attracts A$4,800, not A$1,200. The employer can’t transfer these costs to you. Both charges are published on the Home Affairs visa pricing page and are the figures to confirm immediately before payment.

Labour Market Testing

Most nominations require labour market testing (LMT) — evidence the employer genuinely tried to fill the position with an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident before turning to overseas recruitment. The employer advertises the role, records what the advertising produced, and lodges that evidence with the nomination. Home Affairs sets rules about where the position is advertised, how the advertisement describes the role and the salary on offer, and how recent the advertising has to be at lodgement.

LMT is an employer obligation rather than an applicant one, but a thin labour market testing record is a common reason a nomination is refused — and without an approved nomination your visa application cannot be granted. Some Labour Agreement nominations and cases covered by Australia's international trade obligations are exempt.

Sponsorship Obligations After Approval

Approval is not where the sponsor's role ends. A standard business sponsor must keep prescribed records, notify Home Affairs when circumstances change (including when the sponsored worker's employment ends), pay the worker the terms set out in the nomination, and ensure the worker performs the nominated occupation rather than drifting into a different role. Sponsors that breach these obligations can be barred or sanctioned, and that affects every worker they sponsor, not just one.

Your employer must also confirm your nominated salary meets the income threshold for your stream: the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), or the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) for the Specialist Skills stream — both A$79,423 and A$146,576 respectively for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 (indexed annually).

If your employer later wants to sponsor you for permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) or the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 494), they must lodge a new nomination under those programs.

Different obligations apply for other visa types, such as the Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) Visa (subclass 400), Training Visa (subclass 407), or Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485). Each program has its own nomination or sponsorship rules set by Home Affairs.

Home Affairs processes the nomination and visa application. The Australian Border Force manages entry at the border.

You may also need to provide personal background details, such as through Form 80, but your employer handles the nomination component.

A subclass 482 visa is not permanently locked to one employer, but changing jobs requires careful compliance with the conditions on your grant.

If you stop working in accordance with the sponsored arrangement, the amended condition 8607 settings allow up to 180 consecutive days at a time, with no more than 365 days total across the visa grant period (https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skills-in-demand-visa-subclass-482/change-in-situation), to find a new sponsor, apply for another visa or arrange departure. During that transition period, the regulations allow work outside the previous sponsorship arrangement, including in another occupation.

A new employer generally needs to become an approved sponsor (if not already) and lodge a new nomination. Do not assume a change of occupation is covered in the same way as a change of employer; a different occupation can require a new subclass 482 visa. Check your VEVO conditions and Home Affairs’s “change in situation” page because the facts and timing matter.

Keep the old employment end date, new contract, payslips and nomination records. Do not wait until day 180 to act, and track the cumulative 365-day limit over the whole visa period.

Subclass 482 is not extended by changing the expiry date on the existing grant. To remain longer, you generally need a new Skills in Demand visa application supported by a valid nomination, or another visa for which you qualify.

Before expiry:

1. confirm the correct Core Skills, Specialist Skills or Labour Agreement stream;
2. make sure the employer nomination and salary meet the rules applying on the nomination date;
3. document the required relevant work experience, skills, English, health and character criteria; and
4. lodge while you still have a lawful pathway and check the bridging-visa consequences before travel.

Some holders may later qualify for the Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 186, including the Temporary Residence Transition stream, but permanent residence is a separate application and is not automatic.

To qualify for the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), you must meet core criteria set by the Department of Home Affairs.

You cannot apply without an approved employer sponsor and a valid nomination for a skilled position.

You must:

• Be nominated for a skilled role by an approved sponsor
• Have the skills required to perform the nominated job
• Meet the relevant English language requirements

Your sponsoring employer must lodge a nomination that aligns with skilled migration standards.

Home Affairs assesses whether your skills match the position offered.

Occupation, Work Experience and Skills Assessment

Your occupation has to sit on the list that applies to your stream. The Core Skills stream draws on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). The Labour Agreement stream draws on the occupations written into your employer's agreement. The Specialist Skills stream is open to most occupations other than a defined group of trades workers, machinery operators, drivers and labourers, provided the salary condition is met.

You also need relevant work experience in the nominated occupation or a closely related field. Home Affairs counts full-time equivalent experience, and part-time or casual work can count on a pro-rata basis, so keep contracts, payslips and reference letters that show hours as well as duties. The required period of work experience changed when Skills in Demand replaced TSS, so confirm the rule in force for your stream rather than working from older advice.

Some applicants also need a skills assessment from the assessing authority named for their occupation, or a state or territory registration or licence needed to do the job lawfully. Whether an assessment applies depends on your occupation and your passport country — it is not something your employer can waive.

Skilled visa income thresholds apply to this visa, and which one applies depends on your stream:

• Core Skills stream: your pay must meet the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) — A$79,423 for nominations lodged on or after 1 July 2026 — or the market salary rate, whichever is higher.
• Specialist Skills stream: your pay must meet the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) — A$146,576 for nominations lodged on or after 1 July 2026 — or the market salary rate, whichever is higher.

Both thresholds are indexed annually on 1 July in line with Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings, and the figure that applies is the one in force on the date your nomination is lodged, not the date it's decided. The current CSIT and SSIT figures are published by Home Affairs.

Home Affairs manages the Skills in Demand visa process.

The Australian Border Force handles border entry, not visa assessment.

If you later seek permanent residence, you may consider the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) or the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa (subclass 494).

Other temporary options, depending on your circumstances, include the Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) Visa (subclass 400), Training Visa (subclass 407), or Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485).

Home Affairs may also require forms such as Form 80 during processing.

Every subclass 482 applicant must meet the relevant English language requirements unless an exemption applies. Home Affairs expresses the standard as a minimum result on an accepted test, set both as an overall score and as a floor in each component. Read the requirement published for your stream rather than a general one: Core Skills, Specialist Skills and Labour Agreement are documented separately, and a labour agreement can carry its own concession.

You Do Not Have to Sit IELTS

IELTS is one accepted provider, not the only one. Home Affairs also accepts:

• PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English Academic)
• TOEFL iBT
• Cambridge C1 Advanced (formerly CAE)
• OET (Occupational English Test), for eligible health occupations

Each provider uses its own scale, so Home Affairs publishes an equivalent minimum per test instead of one universal number. Sit whichever test suits you, then check the current minimum for your stream on the Home Affairs English language requirement page before paying for a sitting. The published score table is the authority — not a coaching-college summary or a recruiter's rule of thumb.

How the PTE Requirement Is Actually Set

There is no single "PTE score for 482." Home Affairs sets an overall result and, in most cases, a floor in each of the four components — listening, reading, writing and speaking. A solid overall score that hides one weak component still fails the requirement, and that mismatch is one of the more avoidable reasons an application stalls. Your result also has to be current when you lodge, because test results expire.

Exemptions

You may not need a test result at all. Passport holders from recognised English-speaking countries are treated as meeting the requirement, and a qualifying period of full-time study conducted in English can also exempt you. Exemptions are narrow and are assessed on documents, so treat one as something you evidence rather than something you assume.

Your employer cannot carry this requirement for you. It sits with the applicant, and Home Affairs does not relax it because a sponsor urgently needs the role filled.

Eligible members of the family unit can be included in the application or may apply later as subsequent entrants where the rules permit. Each family member pays the applicable charge and must satisfy identity, health and character requirements.

Prepare passports, civil-status and relationship evidence, police certificates when requested, and health examinations through the instructed process. All subclass 482 holders must maintain adequate health-insurance arrangements under condition 8501 unless covered by an applicable reciprocal arrangement or other accepted coverage.

A family member's work or study rights come from the conditions on their own visa grant. Check VEVO rather than assuming the primary worker's conditions apply unchanged to everyone.

Home Affairs may request more information when the visa application or employer nomination does not clearly establish a criterion. Australia does not formally call this an “RFE,” but the response deadline is just as important.

Common request areas include:

• whether the nominated position is genuine and the occupation matches the actual duties;
• market salary evidence and the applicable CSIT or SSIT threshold;
• the applicant's relevant work experience, qualifications or occupational licence;
• English evidence or a claimed exemption;
• police, military, identity or travel-history records; and
• health-insurance or family-relationship evidence.

Upload a direct, indexed response before the stated deadline. Reconcile discrepancies instead of submitting a second set of conflicting dates. If more time is genuinely needed, request it promptly—an extension is discretionary.