December 2024
The Subclass 482 Skills in Demand or the newly named “SID” Visa enables employers to sponsor skilled workers to Australia for between 1 to 4 years. The purpose of the program is to fill skill gaps in the Australian labour market for positions that cannot be filled by a suitable Australian citizen or permanent resident employee.
As of 7 December, there are now three streams to the new look 482 visa and these are:
1. Specialist Skills Stream
- recognises highly skilled workers who drive innovation and bring significant economic benefit
- available to applicants nominated in ANZSCO 2022 occupations in Major Groups 1,2,4,5 and 8
- The candidate must earn at least the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) which is currently $135,000 AUD and this will be subject to annual indexation
- Stay in Australia up to 4 years
Note that this visa stream excludes Major Group 3 (trades and technicians) and Group 7 (Machinery Operators and Drivers and Group 8 (Labourers).
2. Core Skills Stream
- Available to candidates nominated on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL)
- Earn at least the Core Skills Income Threshold which is currently $73,150 AUD and is indexed annually
3. Labour Agreement Stream
It is noted that the Immigration Department has announced that the labour agreement stream of the 482 program will remain but the details are yet to be finalised
Simplified English language results
- English language results must now be at a level of 5 or higher on each component and an overall score of 5
- English test results must be achieved in a single setting
- Results must not be older than three years at time of application
Skilled Occupation List
- All 482 visas (regardless of stream) can now be applied for up to a maximum of 4 years
- Different government fees depending on the occupations is no longer relevant and all fees are now aligned regardless of occupation
- 70 new occupations were added to the list including occupations in health, childcare, education, construction and cybersecurity
- Some occupations were removed such as Restaurant Manager, Financial Dealers and Brokers, Specialist Managers and Graphic Designers
Work Experience
- Work experience has been reduced from the previous 2 years to 1 year full-time or equivalent (including part time and casual) within the last five years before visa lodgement
Changes to Permanent Residence Visa Subclass 186
- Time spent with ANY sponsoring employer now counts toward the permanent residency requirement under the Temporary Residence Transition Streat (TRT). This is a significant change to the requirements before 7 December where the candidate had to work with the sponsoring employer for 2 years on a 482 visa
- Candidates wishing to apply for 186 (Direct Entry) are limited to occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL)
- 482 visa holders under the TSS regime and currently sponsored in occupations removed from the CSOL will still be able to apply for the 186 TRT visa
- The Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) will apply to all 186 applications lodged from 7 December. The threshold is currently $73,150 AUD.
Merry Christmas to you and yours. The Team at Visa Executive thanks you for your trust and more importantly, your friendship throughout 2024. We hope that you all have a wonderful holiday period and we will see you in the New Year. We look forward to our chats and emails with you in 2025 as we try to decipher the ever-changing world of immigration together.
Best wishes from Amanda, Sarah, William, Christina, Sheelagh, Angeline, Elgy, Gary, Lisa, Stephen, Corinne, Catherine, Alex, Sandra and Carmilla.
