Key points about the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)

1. Employer sponsorship is mandatory: You must be nominated by an approved Australian employer for a genuine, full-time position. The sponsoring employer must meet sponsorship obligations and demonstrate that they cannot fill the role with an appropriately skilled Australian worker.
2. New three-stream structure: The SID 482 is divided into three main streams:
   • Specialist Skills Stream: For highly paid, highly skilled roles meeting a higher minimum salary threshold. This stream generally does not rely on a fixed occupation list and targets senior or niche specialist positions, with priority processing.
   • Core Skills Stream: For most skilled occupations that appear on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). Applicants must meet at least the applicable minimum income threshold (aligned with TSMIT) and other stream criteria.
   • Labour Agreement Stream: For workers sponsored under an approved labour agreement between an employer (or industry/region) and the Australian Government. This can include concessions agreed for specific sectors or regional needs.
3. Stay period and work rights: Depending on the nominated stream and occupation, the SID visa can be granted for up to 4 years. Visa holders can work only in the nominated occupation for their sponsoring employer, but the framework allows changing sponsors within set time limits if a new approved employer nomination is lodged.
4. Occupation and salary requirements:
   • For the Core Skills Stream, your occupation must be on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), and you must be paid at or above the relevant minimum salary (no less than the market rate for that role).
   • For the Specialist Skills Stream, you must meet a higher income threshold set by policy (indexed annually) and work in an eligible occupation group.
   • For the Labour Agreement Stream, occupation and salary settings must comply with the specific terms of the signed labour agreement.
5. Work experience requirement: The SID 482 generally requires at least 1 year of relevant full-time work experience within the last 5 years in the nominated occupation (or equivalent part-time). Certain occupations, agreements, or licensing bodies may require more experience or formal skills assessment.
6. English language requirement: You may need to demonstrate English proficiency using an approved test such as IELTS, PTE, TOEFL or equivalent, unless an exemption applies (for example, certain passport holders or higher income levels). The minimum score depends on the stream and visa settings in place at the time of application.
7. Health and character requirements: You and any accompanying family members must meet Australia’s health and character requirements. This usually involves medical examinations and police clearances for countries where you have lived for a certain period.
8. Pathway to permanent residency: All SID streams are designed with clearer pathways to PR through options such as the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) or other relevant permanent visas, provided you and your employer meet the applicable eligibility criteria at that time (such as minimum period of sponsored work, salary level, and occupation requirements).
9. Labour Market Testing (LMT) and salary benchmarks: In most cases, the sponsoring employer must show that they have undertaken Labour Market Testing (advertising locally) and that the offered salary meets both the minimum income threshold for the stream and the Australian market salary rate for the role.
10. Application process (high level): The SID 482 process still broadly follows three stages:
    • 1. Sponsorship: Employer becomes or remains an approved sponsor.
    • 2. Nomination: Employer nominates a specific occupation, position, stream and salary for you.
    • 3. Visa application: You lodge the visa application, providing evidence of qualifications, work experience, English, health, character, and any stream-specific requirements.