482 Visa Australia 2026: Skills in Demand Streams & Costs Explained
The subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa explained: the Core Skills, Specialist Skills and Labour Agreement streams, current salary thresholds, sponsorship costs, processing times, and the pathway to a subclass 186 permanent visa. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 The 482 has 3 pathways.
- 0:14 Core Skills: $79,423
- 0:34 Three streams,
- 0:52 Eligibility basics:
- 1:03 SBS: 3–6 weeks.
- 1:17 Visa charge: $4,015 (adult)
- 1:30 Health: $300–$400. Clearances: $50–$150.
- 1:44 Processing: Specialist ~8 days,
- 1:56 PR after 2 years —
- 2:10 Where it goes wrong:
- 2:20 If the job ends:
- 2:33 Where to read more
Transcript
Got a job offer from an Australian employer? The subclass 482 has three different pathways in — and which one applies depends almost entirely on your salary.
The Core Skills stream needs a salary of $76,515, rising to $79,423 from 1 July 2026. The Specialist Skills stream needs $141,210, rising to $146,576.
Core Skills covers occupations on the CSOL list, lasts up to 4 years, and leads to PR after 2 years. Specialist Skills covers almost any occupation at the higher salary, and processes in about 8 days. Labour Agreement covers negotiated employer deals.
To qualify, you need at least 1 year of relevant work experience in the last 5 years, English at IELTS 5.0 in each band, and to meet health and character requirements.
Employers need Standard Business Sponsor approval first — 3 to 6 weeks — then a Nomination, taking 4 to 10 weeks, plus a $1,200 or $1,800 SAF levy depending on turnover.
The worker's own visa application charge is $4,015 for the primary applicant, the same $4,015 for an adult partner, and $1,005 for each dependent child under 18.
Health checks run about $300 to $400, police clearances $50 to $150 each, and a migration agent typically charges $2,500 to $6,000 for the full process.
End to end, expect 2 to 5 months. Specialist Skills visas process in about 8 days; Core Skills, around 51 days; Labour Agreement, up to 6 months.
Core Skills leads to a subclass 186 permanent visa after 2 years of continuous employment — down from 3 years since November 2023 — and that time now carries across sponsors if you change employers.
The 482 fails most often on the details: a misclassified ANZSCO code, or a salary sitting too close to the threshold without the right structure.
If your employer closes down, condition 8607 gives you up to 180 consecutive days at a time, capped at 365 in total, to find a new sponsor or lodge another application.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.
Short versions
- Your salary decides which 482 stream you're on (0:38)
- Lose your 482 job and a 180-day clock starts (0:35)
- By law, your employer can't bill you for this (0:36)
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