Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) - Core / Specialist / Essential streams

Eligibility requirements

• Core Skills stream: occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL, around 456 occupations) and earnings at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold - AUD 76,515 (2025-26), rising to AUD 79,499 from 1 July 2026 - or the market salary rate, whichever is higher.
• Specialist Skills stream: earnings at or above the Specialist Skills Income Threshold - AUD 141,210 (2025-26), rising to AUD 146,717 from 1 July 2026; no fixed occupation list and faster (target ~7-day) processing, but excludes trades, machinery operators, drivers and labourers.
• Essential Skills stream: lower-paid essential occupations accessed only via a labour agreement (the relabelled labour-agreement stream, being formalised in 2026).
• At least 1 year of full-time (or equivalent) relevant work experience in the past 5 years - cut from 2 years under the old TSS rules.
• At least Competent English for Core (from 13 Sept 2025, generally IELTS 5.0 overall with no band below 5.0, or equivalent); the Specialist stream uses a functional/relevant English standard.
• Nominated by an approved business sponsor, who pays the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy.

Requirements reviewed June 2026. They change frequently — confirm the current rules on the official page before relying on them.