Skills in Demand visa (Subclass 482 replacement)
Statutory definition
The Skills in Demand visa was implemented through amendments to Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) taking effect from 23 November 2024. The visa retains the Subclass 482 number but introduces the three-stream structure.
Explanation
The Skills in Demand (SID) visa is a temporary employer-sponsored visa with three streams:
- Specialist Skills stream — highly skilled roles with an annual earnings threshold (AET) of $135,000 or more; broader occupation coverage; faster pathway to permanent residence (two years)
- Core Skills stream — replaces the Short-term and Medium and Long-term streams of the old TSS visa; salary-based approach linked to the TSMIT (Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold) and the new Core Skills Income Threshold
- Essential Skills stream — lower-wage essential sectors such as agriculture, care economy, and hospitality; bilateral agreements with specific countries; pathway conditions apply
The SID visa introduced a requirement to pay the worker the Annual Earnings Threshold rather than the market salary rate in certain streams, simplifying some compliance obligations while increasing the salary floor.
How this term is used
Subclass 482 TSS visas granted before 23 November 2024 remain valid under their original conditions. New applications from that date use the SID visa framework. The transition affected the applicable occupation lists, sponsorship obligations, and LMT requirements.