From 1 July 2026, the income thresholds for the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams of the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) and Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) visa programs will be increased to A$79,499 and A$146,717 respectively. This change will impact all Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) and Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) applications lodged on or after 1 July 2026.
The annual earnings for Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) nominations in the Core Skills stream (as well as Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 186) nominations must meet the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), or the annual market salary rate, whichever is higher.
Annual earnings for Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) nominations in the Specialist Skills stream must meet the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT), or the annual market salary rate, whichever is higher.
In addition, the cash components of a visa applicant’s guaranteed annual earnings must be greater than or equal to CSIT or SSIT as applicable. ‘Earnings’ for this purpose are defined as wages, amounts applied on the visa holder’s behalf, and the value of agreed non-monetary benefits, but do not include amounts that cannot be determined in advance, reimbursements and guaranteed contributions to superannuation.
To meet their sponsorship obligations, approved business sponsors must ensure that subclass 482 and 494 visa holders are paid in accordance with the guaranteed annual earnings as per their approved nomination. In addition, sponsors must ensure that subclass 482 and 494 visa holders are not being paid less than what an equivalent Australian worker would receive performing the same work in the same location.
The income thresholds under both the Subclass 482 and Subclass 186 visa programs are indexed annually in line with the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings published data.
From 1 July 2026, the relevant income thresholds will be increased as follows:
This change will impact all Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) and Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) applications lodged on or after 1 July 2026.
For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:
Cherie Wright
Partner & Principal Solicitor
Stacey Tsui
Partner & Principal Solicitor
Arathi Tekkam
Director
Ben Reid
Director
John O’Brien
Director
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