Check Your Eligibility for the Australia 482 Visa
Answer a few quick questions to see if you qualify for the 482 work visa. Nothing is mandatory — skip anything you’re unsure about.
Want to work in Australia? An Australian company can sponsor you through the 482 visa.
Its new name is the Skills in Demand visa. It replaced the old TSS visa on 7 December 2024. The visa number is still subclass 482.
Australia changed who gets processed first — 19 September 2026 update
Important correction first: Australia has NOT launched a new visa. No new visa category was created in September or October 2026. What changed is the order in which existing skilled visa applications are processed.
On 19 September 2026, Ministerial Directions 121 and 122 came into effect, replacing the processing priorities under Ministerial Direction 119. They do not change who is eligible for a visa — they change whose application is looked at first.
The new priority order (subclass 482 — Ministerial Direction 121)
- Primary applicants in the priority sectors (below).
- Skills in Demand (subclass 482) Specialist Skills stream applicants.
- All other applicants who were in Australia when they lodged.
- Applicants who were outside Australia when they lodged, whose application is not combined with another person’s application.
- All other applicants.
The new order also applies to applications that were lodged before 19 September 2026 but had not been finally decided yet — so if you already lodged, your place in the queue may have moved.
The priority sectors (top tier)
Construction, Healthcare, Teaching, Agriculture, Aquaculture, Fishing, Resources, and occupations related to law enforcement or defence interests. At the top tier there is no onshore/offshore split: applicants in these sectors are treated the same whether they applied from inside Australia or from outside. Agriculture is newly in the top tier.
The priority sectors — the verified occupation lists (Ministerial Direction 121)
There is one highest tier — the top tier sectors are: construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, plus law-enforcement/defence occupations. There is no onshore/offshore split in this top tier.
Construction: Sub-Major Groups 33 and 82; Unit Groups 1331, 1332, 2321, 2332, 3121, 3122, 3126, 3129, 3222, 3223, 7111, 7121, 7212; plus 341111 Electrician (General) and 341112 Electrician (Special Class).
Healthcare: Sub-major Group 25; Minor Group 411; Unit Groups 2346, 2721, 2723, 2725, 3112; plus 423111 Aged or Disabled Carer, 423312 Nursing Support Worker and 423313 Personal Care Assistant.
Teaching: Minor Group 241; Unit Group 1341; plus 134311 School Principal, 134411 Faculty Head, 242111 University Lecturer, 242211 Vocational Education Teacher and 421111 Child Care Worker.
Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fishing: descriptive only — there is no ANZSCO list for this sector. The nominated position must be directly involved in primary produce production or supporting productivity, including crops; livestock, poultry and seafood capture, breeding, raising, management and production; support including animal health, irrigation, quality assurance, inspection and farm supervision; and slaughter, dressing, boning, slicing, processing, preparation and inspection for sale, distribution and consumption.
Resources: Unit Groups 2336, 2344 and 7122; plus 133513, 232212, 232214, 234912, 323211, 323212, 323213, 323214 and 323299.
Law enforcement: Unit Group 4413 Police, where the applicant is nominated or sponsored by the Australian Federal Police or a state or territory police force.
Defence: occupations related to AUKUS Pillar I or Pillar II, or nominated or sponsored by the Australian Defence Force or the Department of Defence, or with a letter of support from the Australian Defence Force or the Department of Defence plus work at a defence facility or on defence materiel.
Agriculture (including aquaculture and fishing) and resources are NEW in this top tier versus the previous Direction 119, which had no such definitions for agriculture and resources and split its sector tier by onshore/offshore.
The same top tier for permanent and regional visas (Ministerial Direction 122)
The same top tier also applies to provisional and permanent skilled visas: subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme), 187 (Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme), 189 (Skilled Independent), 190 (Skilled Nominated), 191 (Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional)), 489 (Skilled Regional (Provisional)), 491 (Skilled Work Regional (Provisional)), 494 (Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional)), 887 (Skilled Regional) and 888 (Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent)). Their remaining order is: applicants in Australia at lodgement, then applicants outside Australia with non-combined applications, then all others.
The honest part: priority is not a grant
Being in a priority sector does not mean you qualify, and it does not mean your visa is guaranteed. The occupation lists have not changed, and you still have to meet every requirement of the visa you apply for — including, for the 482 visa, employer sponsorship (you cannot apply on your own), the English requirement, and the salary threshold for your stream. Priority only decides the order your application is looked at, and nothing more. Anyone who asks you for money to jump the queue is not telling you the truth.
This Direction does not change the occupation lists, and applicants must still meet all grant requirements.
Student visa changes — 2 October 2026
From 2 October 2026, the rules for further student visa applications changed. If you hold one of the following temporary visas, you must now apply for your next Student (subclass 500) or Student Guardian (subclass 590) visa from outside Australia: 400, 403 (Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) stream only), 407, 408, 417, 457, 462, 482 (Skills in Demand and Temporary Skill Shortage — listed separately), 485, 600, 601, 602, 651, 771, 988 and 995 (Diplomatic (Temporary), with a criteria condition).
Most new students can no longer include their partner or dependent children in the application, and family can no longer be added after the visa is granted.
Good news for Filipino readers: if you hold a Philippine passport, your family may still be included in your student application — at the same time and in the same place as your own application. This does NOT remove the offshore-application rule for your own next student visa. (Source: Migration Regulations subitem 1222(3)(da)(i) and subregulation 1222(5A), as amended by the Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 — the Philippines is specified as an ASEAN member country.)
These changes apply to visa applications made on or after 2 October 2026 (transitional provision, Schedule 13 Part 166 of the Regulations).
Check your eligibility and related guides
Use the free eligibility checker at the top of this page for the 482 visa, and the CV builder if you are preparing a sponsored-job application.
Related guides: Australia caregiver requirements; Australia farm worker visa; 491 visa; Australia nursing support worker jobs.
Sources: Department of Home Affairs, “Skilled visa processing priorities” (https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/Visa-subsite/Pages/Processing-times/skilled-visa-processing-priorities.aspx); Migration (Student Visa Applications to Be Made from outside Australia) Instrument 2026 (F2026L01348); Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 (F2026L01347).
Need a Real Job Offer First? Start Here
Everything below starts with one thing: a genuine offer from an Australian employer. These 5 legit employers hiring in Australia let you apply direct — no middlemen.
How does it work?
Simple. An Australian employer offers you a job. The employer sponsors you. You get a visa to work for them in Australia for up to 4 years.
The 3 streams
There are 3 doors into this visa. You only need one.
Door 1: Core Skills stream. For most skilled jobs. Your job must be on the Core Skills Occupation List (456 jobs). Your pay must be at least A$79,423 per year (from 1 July 2026). Your employer must also pay at least the normal market salary for the role, if that is higher.
Door 2: Specialist Skills stream. For high earners. Your pay must be at least A$146,576 per year (from 1 July 2026). No occupation list needed — but trades, machinery operators, drivers and labourers are excluded. Processing is very fast — about 7 days.
Door 3: Labour Agreement stream. For companies that have a special deal with the Australian government.
Regional Australia Has Its Own Deal
Some regional areas hire through special migration agreements with lower requirements. Read our DAMA visa Australia guide — how to apply.
What do YOU need?
1 year work experience. In your job or a close job. In the last 5 years. (It was 2 years before. Now only 1!)
English: IELTS 5.0. At least 5.0 in each part — reading, writing, listening, speaking. Some people are exempt.
A real job offer from an approved Australian employer.
Health check and police clearance.
Health insurance for your stay in Australia.
Is there an age limit?
No age limit for the 482 visa itself. But the permanent residency step later needs you to be under 45.
Can this visa lead to permanent residency?
Yes! After 2 years working for the same employer on a 482 visa, your employer can nominate you for the 186 visa — that is permanent residency. For that step you need IELTS 6.0 and to be under 45.
No Employer Yet? Another Australian Path Exists
The 482 needs a sponsoring employer, but the 491 Skilled Work Regional visa is a points-based route to live and work in regional Australia — a different door to the same dream.
The 3 steps to apply
1. Sponsorship. Your employer applies to become an approved sponsor.
2. Nomination. Your employer nominates YOUR job position.
3. Visa application. You apply for the visa.
What if you lose the job?
You get 180 days to find a new approved sponsor. (It was only 60 days before.) There is also a 365-day total limit across the whole visa. Use this time well.
How much does it cost?
The visa fee is about A$4,015 for the main applicant — it went up from A$3,210 on 1 July 2026. Your employer also pays their own sponsorship and nomination fees. Budget for the English test and the medical check too.
Can your family come?
Yes. Your partner and children can come with you. Your partner can usually work full-time in Australia.
Watch out for scammers
No one can sell you a 482 visa. The job must be real. The employer must be real. If someone asks you to pay for a “guaranteed” visa, walk away.
Is the 482 right for you?
This visa is great if you have skills + 1 year experience + a real job offer. Not sure where you stand? Take the free 2-minute eligibility check at the top of this page. If you are a caregiver, also read our Australia caregiver jobs guide — it explains the PR pathway for care workers too.
Want new Australia vacancies as they come?
Join our free Facebook group Work Abroad — we post new openings there every week.
Last checked: 11 October 2026. Visa rules change often — always confirm on the Department of Home Affairs website before you apply.
