You have a job offer — or you are close to one — and someone has mentioned the Skills in Demand visa. Maybe you are a tradie in a regional area wondering if sponsorship is even real for someone like you. Maybe you have an employer ready to move but you are not sure what they actually have to sign up for. Either way, this page walks through how subclass 482 works, what the streams mean, and what an honest pathway forward looks like.
What Is the Skills in Demand Visa?
The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) is Australia's main employer-sponsored temporary work visa. An approved Australian employer nominates you for a specific occupation, and if the nomination and your application are both approved, you can work for that employer in that role.
It replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage visa and is sometimes still called by that name — but the official name is Skills in Demand.
The visa does not come to you. Your employer applies for approval first, then nominates you, then you apply. Three separate steps, three separate decisions.
Three Streams — and They Are Not Interchangeable
The subclass 482 has three streams. Which one applies to you depends on your occupation and your employer's situation. Getting this wrong at the start wastes time and money.
Core Skills stream — for occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). The CSOL currently lists 456 occupations, of which 315 are flagged as specialist-stream eligible. The stay period under this stream is set by the Department — confirm the current grant period on the official page.
Specialist Skills stream — for highly specialised roles. The 315 occupations flagged on the CSOL as specialist-stream eligible are the starting point, but meeting the stream's requirements goes beyond just appearing on a list.
Labour Agreement stream — for employers who have negotiated a formal labour agreement with the Department. This stream can cover occupations that do not appear on the standard lists, which is why it matters for certain regional and industry situations. Stay under this stream is up to a maximum of 4 years, depending on the terms in the labour agreement — 5 years for Hong Kong passport holders.
When the lists differ between streams, that difference is real and it matters. Do not assume your occupation qualifies for a stream just because it qualifies for another.
What Your Employer Has to Do
Sponsorship is not a favour your employer does informally. They become a Standard Business Sponsor — an approved entity with obligations to the Department. They must pay you at least the income threshold set by the Department; that threshold is reviewed periodically, so confirm the current figure on the official page rather than relying on any number you have seen quoted online.
Your employer also nominates a specific occupation for you. The occupation must match what you will actually do. If your day-to-day work does not match the nominated occupation, that is a compliance risk for both of you.
Some employers have never sponsored before and do not know the process. That is common. It does not mean they cannot sponsor — it means they need to understand what they are committing to before they start.
What You Have to Meet
Your side of the application has several requirements. The main ones:
- Your skills and qualifications must match the nominated occupation.
- For trade occupations, a skills assessment through the relevant assessing body is typically required — Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) assesses most trade occupations.
- English language requirements apply — the level depends on the stream and occupation.
For tradies specifically: TRA maps required qualifications to 133 assessed trade occupations. If your occupation is on that list, your Australian qualification (or overseas qualification assessed against it) needs to match what TRA accepts. For example, TRA accepts a Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration for the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic occupation. The mapping is specific — check your occupation against the TRA list, not a general assumption.
Regional and DAMA Pathways — Often Overlooked
If you are working or willing to work in a regional area, the Labour Agreement stream opens a different door: DAMA regions.
DAMA stands for a Designated Area Migration Agreement — a labour agreement negotiated between the Department and a regional authority. Across the DAMA regions we track, there are 400 distinct occupations. The occupation lists vary significantly by region — the largest lists include Statewide WA with 140 occupations, Kimberley with 116, and Far North Queensland with 112.
Critically: 33 occupation-region entries under DAMA are qualification-only — no work experience requirement. That matters if you have the cert but not years of documented employment history.
Requirements under DAMA are set per region and per occupation. What applies in one region does not automatically apply in another. If you are in regional Queensland, the Far North Queensland DAMA list and its specific requirements are what you check — not a national list.
We have detailed DAMA region pages at /dama/ — start there if you are in or open to a regional location.
Industry Labour Agreements
Outside DAMA, some industries have their own labour agreements. We track 7 distinct industry labour agreements, covering sectors including aged care, dairy, horticulture, meat, and others. These agreements can cover occupations and conditions that differ from the standard streams.
Across those agreements, 40 occupation-to-ILA mappings are on file. If your occupation or industry is in that set, the Labour Agreement stream via an ILA may be the relevant path — not the Core Skills stream.
The Pathway Beyond Subclass 482 — Honest Framing
A subclass 482 is a temporary visa. Many people use it as a step toward a more permanent arrangement. The most common route discussed is the subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme), which carries a permanent stay.
Whether a subclass 482 holder can transition to a subclass 186 depends on the stream, the occupation, the employer's situation, and the requirements at the time of application. No outcome is certain, and the requirements can change. Use your time on a subclass 482 to understand what the subclass 186 requires and whether your occupation and employer situation make it a realistic next step — not to assume the transition is automatic.
The Labour Agreement stream of the subclass 186 is also permanent and follows a similar employer-anchored logic.
Application Charges
The subclass 482 application charge is set by the Department and reviewed periodically. We do not print a figure here because an outdated number is worse than no number — confirm the current charge on the official Department of Home Affairs page before you budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my employer sponsor me if they have never done it before? Yes — an employer does not need prior sponsorship history. They apply to become a Standard Business Sponsor as part of the process. The obligations they take on are real, so they need to understand them before starting.
My occupation is not on the CSOL — does that mean I cannot get a subclass 482? Not necessarily. The Labour Agreement stream, including DAMA and industry labour agreements, can cover occupations outside the standard lists. Check the DAMA region pages and the ILA list for your occupation.
I am a tradie in regional Queensland — is sponsorship realistic? It depends on your occupation and the specific DAMA region. Far North Queensland lists 112 occupations, and some of those entries carry no work experience requirement. The honest answer is: check your occupation against the Far North Queensland list and its requirements — not a general assumption about tradies.
Do I need a skills assessment? For most trade occupations, yes. TRA assesses trade occupations against specific qualifications. The requirement is occupation-specific — confirm with TRA or a MARA agent for your occupation.
What income threshold applies? The threshold is set by the Department and reviewed periodically. Confirm the current figure on the official page — do not rely on a figure quoted in an article, including this one.
Can I change employers on a subclass 482? Your visa is tied to your sponsoring employer and nominated occupation. Changing employers generally requires a new nomination and may require a new visa application. Get advice from a MARA agent before making any move.
One Honest Summary
The subclass 482 is a real pathway — but it is employer-anchored, occupation-specific, and stream-dependent. The CSOL has 456 occupations across the standard streams. DAMA regions add 400 more occupations with region-specific requirements. Industry labour agreements cover a further set of occupations across 7 agreements.
None of those lists are interchangeable. The requirement that applies to you is the one for your occupation, in your stream, in your region. That is the check worth doing before anything else.