The Subclass 482 visa – now formally known as the Skills in Demand visa – is one of Australia’s most widely used employer-sponsored temporary work visas.
It replaced the Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa and introduced a revised three-stream structure designed to better match sponsored workers to genuine skill needs in the Australian economy. The three streams are the Core Skills stream, the Specialist Skills stream, and the Labour Agreement stream. Each stream has different occupation eligibility, salary thresholds, and processing timeframes – and choosing the right stream from the outset is one of the most important early decisions in the sponsorship process.
For many of our clients – both employers and workers – the 482 is not just a temporary work visa. It is step one of a planned pathway to permanent residency. The way the nomination is structured, and the occupation code selected, can have direct consequences for the worker’s eligibility for the 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream down the track.
This is why we always look at the full picture before lodging, not just the immediate visa grant. The 482 visa requires an approved Standard Business Sponsor to nominate the worker, and the worker must meet occupation, English language, work experience, and salary requirements. The visa is employer-tied, meaning the worker is sponsored for a specific role with a specific employer – though the rules around changing employers mid-visa have become more flexible in recent years.
