The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) is the main way an Australian employer sponsors a skilled worker, and for many Irish professionals it is the step after a Working Holiday year or a direct move with a job offer. It replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage visa in December 2024, runs for up to four years, and carries a defined route to permanent residence. This guide sets out who it suits, the three streams, the three stages, and what an Irish passport changes.
What the 482 is, and who it suits
The 482 lets an approved sponsor employ a skilled worker in a nominated occupation it cannot readily fill locally. It is a temporary visa of up to four years, not a permanent one, but unlike the Working Holiday visa it ties to a single employer and a defined route to residence (Department of Home Affairs, accessed 2026-06-14). It suits engineers, IT professionals, accountants, many health workers and licensed trades who have an employer willing to sponsor them.
The three streams
The 482 runs in three streams, keyed to salary and occupation:
- Core Skills: the main stream, for occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List, with earnings at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold.
- Specialist Skills: a faster stream for higher-paid roles above the Specialist Skills Income Threshold, open across most fields.
- Labour Agreement: for employers with a negotiated agreement covering occupations or concessions outside the standard lists.
The income thresholds decide the stream. From 1 July 2026, the Core Skills Income Threshold is A$79,423 and the Specialist Skills Income Threshold is A$146,576 (Department of Home Affairs salary requirements, verified 2026-07-06). The role must also pay at least the annual market salary rate for the occupation, whichever is higher.
The three stages, in order
A 482 involves three separate steps, usually in this order: sponsorship, nomination, then the visa.
- Sponsorship: the employer applies to become a Standard Business Sponsor (A$420). This is about the business, not the role.
- Nomination: the employer nominates the specific position and occupation (A$540), and pays the Skilling Australians Fund levy.
- Visa: you lodge the visa application (A$4,015 for the primary applicant), with health, character and skills evidence.
The order matters for timing. An employer that already holds a sponsorship shortens your timeline; otherwise all three can be lodged close together. You cannot lodge the visa until the nomination exists.
Choosing the right occupation
The nominated occupation drives everything: which stream you can use, whether a skills assessment is needed, and which permanent route opens later. Match the occupation to the one whose ANZSCO task description fits the work you actually do, not the closest-sounding job title. A mismatch here is a common cause of nomination refusal and a problem that compounds at the permanent-residence stage.
What an Irish passport changes
The visa English-language requirement is met by an Irish passport, so you do not sit IELTS or an equivalent for the 482 itself. You still need a positive skills assessment where your occupation requires one, and registration or licensing where the occupation is regulated: nursing through AHPRA, electrical work through a state regulator. Those are separate to the visa English rule.
The route to permanent residence
The 482's appeal is the clear route to permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186, A$6,140 for the primary applicant in FY 2026-27). After two years working for the sponsoring employer in the nominated occupation, you can usually transition to the 186 through its Temporary Residence Transition stream (Department of Home Affairs, verified 2026-07-06). The skilled permanent residence guide compares the 186 with the points-tested 189 and 190 routes.
Fees and family
The primary applicant fee is A$4,015. A partner or other adult dependant on the application is A$4,015, and a dependent child is A$1,005 (Department of Home Affairs visa pricing, verified 2026-07-06). The sponsorship and nomination fees, and the Skilling Australians Fund levy, are the employer's cost. Budget separately for any skills assessment, health examinations and document certification.
