Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa guide

What is the Skills in Demand visa?

For Filipino workers in trades, hospitality, care and other skilled jobs, the Skills in Demand visa is the main way an Australian employer can bring you over. Here is how it works, in plain language.

The Skills in Demand (SID) visa, subclass 482, lets an Australian employer sponsor a suitably skilled worker for a position it cannot fill with a suitably skilled Australian. It is a temporary visa: you can stay for up to 4 years. To stay longer on a 482, your employer needs to lodge a new nomination and you need to apply for a new visa.

The visa has three main streams:

• Core Skills stream: for occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). Most trade, hospitality and care roles on this site fall here.
• Specialist Skills stream: for highly paid roles in certain occupation groups, where the salary meets the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (AUD 146,576 (as of October 2026, official page)). It is limited to certain occupation groups, so trade, machinery-operator and labourer occupations are not eligible.
• Labour Agreement stream: for workers nominated by an employer that has a labour agreement with the Australian Government. The agreement can set its own requirements.

Who is eligible

For the Core Skills stream, the main requirements are:

• A nomination from an approved sponsor. Your employer must be an approved sponsor (or have applied to become a Standard Business Sponsor) and nominate you for the position.
• An occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List, with the role genuinely needing your skills.
• The right pay. You must be paid the Annual Market Salary Rate for the job, which can't be less than the Core Skills Income Threshold: AUD 79,423 for nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027 (as of October 2026, official page). Sponsored workers can't be paid less than an Australian doing the same job.
• At least 1 year of relevant work experience in the nominated occupation or a related field (details below).
• English, health and character requirements, and adequate health insurance for your whole stay.
• No age limit. There is no age requirement for the 482 visa.

See the current jobs that may fit: sponsored jobs in Australia.

Skills, experience and skills assessments

• Experience: at least 1 year of relevant work experience in the nominated occupation or a related field, gained in the last 5 years. It must add up to at least 12 months full-time, but it does not need to be continuous.
• Qualifications: you need the skills and qualifications the occupation requires, including any licence or registration needed to work in that occupation in Australia.
• Skills assessments: some occupations need a formal skills assessment, depending on your occupation, usually from Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) or VETASSESS. If yours needs one, you must have started it before you lodge your visa application, or the application will not be valid, and it must be from the 3 years before you apply.
• If no assessment is required, Home Affairs may ask for your qualification certificates, licences, employment references and a CV to show you have the skills.

English language requirements

For the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams you must meet the English requirement unless you are exempt. For tests taken on or after 13 September 2025, the minimum scores in each part are (as of October 2026, official page):

• The test must be taken within 3 years before you apply.
• Tests delivered entirely online or at home (for example IELTS Online) are not accepted.
• Other tests are accepted too (for example CELPIP General, LANGUAGECERT Academic and the Michigan English Test); see the official page for their scores.
• Exemptions include holding a passport from Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States, or having completed at least 5 years of full-time study at secondary level or higher where most classes were in English.
• For the Labour Agreement stream, the English requirement may be set by the labour agreement.

Health and character checks

• Health: you and any family members on the application must meet the health requirement, usually by completing health examinations. Results are generally valid for 12 months.
• Health insurance: you must keep adequate health cover for the whole of your stay.
• Character: you and family members aged 16 and over must meet the character requirement. This normally means a police certificate from every country, including your home country, where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16.

Step by step: from job offer to visa grant

1. The employer tests the local market. Before nominating, the employer usually has to advertise the job in Australia: at least 2 advertisements, running for at least 4 weeks, within the 4 months before the nomination (labour market testing).
2. You apply and get a job offer. You apply for the role, usually interview by video, and receive an offer.
3. The employer becomes an approved sponsor (if it is not already one).
4. The employer nominates your position and gives you the nomination's Transaction Reference Number (TRN).
5. You prepare your documents: passport, skills evidence (and a skills assessment if needed), English results, police certificates, employment references and translations.
6. You lodge your visa application online in ImmiAccount using the nomination TRN, and pay the visa charge.
7. Health examinations and biometrics, if requested.
8. Decision. The nomination must be approved before the visa can be granted.
9. Travel and start work. You must start work within 90 days of arriving in Australia (or of the grant, if you are already there).

Typical timeframes and costs

Processing times (as of October 2026, official page), from the Home Affairs processing-time tool:

These figures change often, and your own case can be faster or slower. Allow time before lodging, too: finding the job, the employer's sponsorship and nomination, skills assessments, English tests and police certificates can each take weeks.

Visa application charge (as of October 2026, official page): AUD 4,015 for the main applicant and each family member aged 18 and over, and AUD 1,005 for each family member under 18. You also pay for your English test, health examinations, police certificates and biometrics. A lower charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens from 1 July 2026.

Working on the visa

• You can only work in the occupation you were nominated for, and only for your sponsor (or, in some cases, an associated entity).
• You must start work within 90 days.
• If you stop working for your sponsor, you have up to 180 days to find a new sponsor or make arrangements to leave Australia.
• Your sponsor must not pass the costs of sponsorship, nomination or recruitment on to you (sponsor obligations). Sponsored workers have workplace rights in Australia too; see worker rights.

Bringing your family

• You can include your partner and your (or your partner's) dependent children in your application.
• Your family can live, study and work in Australia.
• Family members must be included in the nomination, or the sponsor must agree in writing to sponsor them.
• You can't add family members after you lodge the application. Family who join later apply separately as subsequent entrants.
• Each family member pays a visa charge (see above) and must meet the health and, from age 16, the character requirements.

Pathway to permanent residence (subclass 186)

The Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa is permanent. Its Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream is the usual next step for 482 holders. The main requirements (as of October 2026, official page) are:

• You hold a subclass 482 (or 457) visa, or an eligible bridging visa.
• You have worked in eligible sponsored employment for a total of 2 years in the 3 years before you apply.
• Your employer was the last to sponsor you full-time on your 482 or 457 visa, and has a nomination approved for you in the 6 months before you apply.
• You are usually under 45 when you apply.
• You have at least Competent English, for example IELTS 6 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking (Competent English). There is no exemption from the English requirement in this stream.

The 186 visa costs from AUD 6,140 (as of October 2026, official page). Rules for permanent residence change often, so check the official page before you plan around it.

Applying from the Philippines

Most of the preparation is the same wherever you apply from. These are general steps based on the Department of Home Affairs requirements; they are not a checklist for your specific case.

• Passport. You need a valid passport. Home Affairs advises that if you plan to get a new passport, do it before you apply, so your details match.
• Police certificates. You need a police certificate from every country, including the Philippines, where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16. Home Affairs keeps a country-by-country list explaining how to get a police certificate, including an entry for the Philippines. Police certificates are generally valid for 12 months from the issue date (character requirements).
• Qualifications and licences. Gather your qualification certificates, trade certificates and any registration or licence your occupation needs. If your occupation needs a skills assessment, start it early.
• Work references. Employment references should be on the employer's letterhead and include the referee's name, title and contact details, your position and your dates of service. Home Affairs also asks for a CV covering at least the last 5 years.
• English test. Book an accepted test, taken in person (fully online tests are not accepted), and keep your result.
• Translations. Documents not in English must be translated into English. Translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited, but each translation must include the translator's full name, address, phone number, qualifications and experience.
• Scans. Scan or photograph every document in colour, and keep your name and date of birth consistent across all of them.

Also check any rules your own government has for citizens taking up work overseas, using official Philippine government sources.

Common mistakes and how to avoid scams

• Nobody can guarantee a visa. Home Affairs says no one can guarantee an Australian visa, and that Australia does not issue "work permits" or visa labels. Treat any "guaranteed visa" offer as a scam.
• Do not pay for a job or for sponsorship. Sponsors must not pass the cost of sponsorship, nomination or recruitment on to the worker. Asking for, offering or paying a benefit in return for sponsorship is against the rules, and doing so in the past 3 years can stop you getting the 482 visa.
• Only registered agents and lawyers can charge for immigration help. In Australia only registered migration agents (RMAs) and Australian legal practitioners can lawfully charge for immigration assistance. Check an agent's registration on the OMARA register (how to choose a migration agent).
• Pay government charges only through official channels. The government does not charge extra fees to issue visas; the visa charge is paid in ImmiAccount.
• Common mistakes: applying in an occupation that does not match your real experience; letting a police certificate or English result expire; leaving out family members (you cannot add them after you lodge); and documents with inconsistent names or dates.

More: Home Affairs: visa scams and what you need to know.

Frequently asked questions

How long can I stay on a 482 visa?

Up to 4 years. To stay longer on a 482, your employer must lodge a new nomination and you must apply for a new visa.

How much work experience do I need?

At least 1 year of relevant work experience in the nominated occupation or a related field, gained in the last 5 years. It must add up to at least 12 months full-time but does not need to be continuous.

What IELTS score do I need for the 482 visa?

For tests taken on or after 13 September 2025, IELTS 5.0 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking (as of October 2026), unless you are exempt. Other tests such as PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and OET are accepted with their own scores. See the official English page.

Is there an age limit for the 482 visa?

No. There is no age requirement for the Skills in Demand visa. The subclass 186 permanent visa (TRT stream) usually requires you to be under 45.

How much does the 482 visa cost?

As of October 2026, AUD 4,015 for the main applicant and each family member aged 18 or over, and AUD 1,005 for each child under 18, plus your own costs for tests, health checks and police certificates. See the official page.

What happens if I lose my job?

You have up to 180 days to find a new employer to sponsor you or to make arrangements to leave Australia.

Can I get permanent residence from a 482 visa?

Possibly. After 2 years of sponsored work in the last 3 years, you may be able to apply for the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) TRT stream if your employer nominates you and you meet the age and Competent English requirements.