Australia Work Visa: Subclasses, Requirements, and Salary Thresholds

Foreign nationals who want to work in Australia need a visa before they start, and the right one depends on whether an Australian employer will sponsor you, whether you qualify on skills alone, whether you’ll live regionally, and how old you are. The Migration Act 1958 requires every non-citizen to hold a valid visa to work for pay, and the Department of Home Affairs runs several distinct pathways under that requirement. For most workers, the choice comes down to five: the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186), the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa (subclass 494), and the Working Holiday and Work and Holiday visas (subclasses 417 and 462). Each has its own salary rules, application charges, and stay length, and the system has changed enough recently that older guidance can mislead you.

Skills in Demand Visa (Subclass 482)

The subclass 482 is the main temporary employer-sponsored option and replaced the older Temporary Skill Shortage visa. It has three streams: Core Skills for occupations meeting a minimum salary threshold, Specialist Skills for higher-paid roles, and Labour Agreement for industries covered by a formal agreement between an employer and the government.¹

You can stay up to four years, or up to five if you hold a Hong Kong passport. An Australian employer must sponsor you and nominate you for a specific occupation. The visa application charge for the primary applicant starts at AUD 3,210.¹ The employer pays separate sponsorship and nomination fees on top of that and also contributes to the Skilling Australians Fund levy for each nominated worker.²

Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186)

Where the 482 is temporary, the subclass 186 grants permanent residency from the date it’s approved, with the right to live and work anywhere in Australia. The Direct Entry stream requires a skills assessment and at least three years of relevant work experience. The Temporary Residence Transition stream is for people already on a 482 who have worked for their sponsor for a qualifying period.³

The base application charge is AUD 4,910 for the primary applicant.³ Family members aged 18 or older who do not have at least Functional English face a second instalment charge of AUD 4,890 each.⁴

Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189)

If no employer is lined up, the subclass 189 lets you apply on your own through a points-tested system. It grants permanent residency and full work rights across Australia with no tie to a specific employer or location.⁵

How the Points Test Works

The Department of Home Affairs scores applicants across categories. The minimum threshold to be considered is 65 points, but meeting the minimum guarantees nothing. In recent rounds, most occupations required 85 points or higher, and some medical specialties hit 100.⁶ Key scoring categories:

Age: applicants aged 25 to 32 get the maximum 30 points; those 18 to 24 or 33 to 39 get 25; those 40 to 44 get 15.
Education: a doctorate is worth 20 points, a bachelor’s degree 15, and a diploma or trade qualification 10. Only your highest qualification counts.
Work experience: Australian experience is weighted more heavily than overseas experience. Eight or more years of Australian skilled employment earns 20 points; eight or more overseas earns 15. The combined cap is 20.

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SkillSelect and the Expression of Interest

You can’t apply for the 189 directly. First you submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through the SkillSelect online system. The Department ranks EOIs by points and issues invitations in periodic rounds. If invited, you have 60 days to lodge a full visa application through ImmiAccount.⁸ You can update your EOI at any time before an invitation arrives. Miss the 60-day window and the invitation is gone.

Regional Skilled Migration (Subclass 494)

The subclass 494 targets workers willing to live and work outside Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Designated regional areas cover most of the country, including all of South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, and large portions of New South Wales and Queensland outside the metro cores.⁹

It is a provisional visa lasting five years, and after three years you can apply for permanent residency.⁹ You need an approved employer sponsor to nominate you for a full-time, genuine regional position expected to remain available for at least five years.

Working Holiday Visas (Subclasses 417 and 462)

Working holiday visas suit younger travellers who want to fund their stay by working. Both the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) and the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) allow a 12-month stay with the right to work.¹⁰ The 462 is open to passport holders aged 18 to 30 from eligible partner countries. The 417 covers a different set of countries and raises the age cap to 35 for applicants from Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, and the United Kingdom.¹¹

These aren’t long-term skilled migration visas, but they are popular and can be a stepping stone. Completing specified work in regional areas, such as agriculture or hospitality, may qualify you for a second or third-year extension.

Salary Thresholds for Employer-Sponsored Roles

Employer-sponsored visas aren’t only about finding a willing sponsor. The nominated position must meet a minimum salary threshold, adjusted annually. For nomination applications lodged between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026:

Core Skills stream (subclass 482): AUD 76,515 per year
Specialist Skills stream (subclass 482): AUD 141,210 per year

¹²

The salary must also meet or exceed the annual market rate for the occupation, so an employer can’t pay you less than an equivalent Australian worker. Non-monetary benefits like accommodation or a company car don’t count toward the threshold.¹²

Sponsorship costs on the employer’s side include AUD 420 to become an approved sponsor, AUD 330 to nominate a worker, and the Skilling Australians Fund levy, which varies by business size.² These are the employer’s obligations, not yours. Confirm what your sponsor is and isn’t legally required to pay before signing anything.

Documentation Every Skilled Applicant Needs

Skills Assessment

Most skilled visas require a formal skills assessment from a designated authority before you can apply. There are 39 approved authorities, each covering specific occupations and running its own process, timeline, and fees.¹³ The Australian Computer Society handles IT occupations, Engineers Australia covers engineering roles, and so on. The authority checks whether your qualifications and experience meet the Australian standard for your nominated occupation.¹⁴ A positive assessment can take weeks or months, and appeals add more time, so start early.

English Language

You’ll need to demonstrate English ability through a standardised test. Most skilled visa programs require at least “Competent English,” which for IELTS means a minimum score of 6 in each of listening, reading, writing, and speaking.¹⁵ The Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic and several other approved tests are also accepted. Higher scores earn additional points on points-tested visas.

Employment Evidence

Prepare tax records, payslips, and reference letters on company letterhead that spell out your job title, duties, and dates of employment. The Department checks whether the work you actually performed aligns with the occupation description in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). Vague reference letters are a common cause of delays.

Character and Health Checks

You must provide police clearances from every country where you’ve lived for a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years, starting from age 16.¹⁶ Medical examinations must be done by a panel physician approved by the Department. The health check screens for conditions that could impose a significant cost on Australia’s public health system.

Lodging the Application

Nearly all visa applications go through ImmiAccount, the Department of Home Affairs’ online portal. You create an account, select the visa subclass, upload scanned copies of your documents, and complete legal declarations. Every attachment needs to be high-resolution and legible; blurry scans trigger re-submission requests that eat into your processing time. Paying the Visa Application Charge finalises the lodgment; the system accepts credit card, PayPal, and UnionPay, with surcharges.

Processing Times

As of February 2026, the median processing time for temporary skilled visas is 87 days, and for permanent skilled visas nine months.¹⁷ These are medians, not guarantees. Complex cases, incomplete documentation, and requests for further information push timelines out. A case officer may issue a request for additional documents with a specified deadline. Missing that deadline can lead to a decision on the information already on file, which rarely goes in your favour.

Conditions Once Your Visa Is Granted

Working Only for Your Sponsor (Condition 8607)

Subclass 482 holders are bound by condition 8607, which requires you to work only for your approved sponsor and only in the nominated occupation. You must begin work within 90 days of the visa grant if you’re onshore, or within 90 days of arrival if granted offshore. Changing employers in the same occupation requires a fresh nomination from the new employer, and you cannot start the new job until it’s approved. Changing occupations requires both a new nomination and a new visa.

If your employment ends, you have up to 180 consecutive days to find a new sponsor, and no more than 365 days total of non-working time across the visa period. Exceed those limits without a new arrangement and your visa is at risk of cancellation.

Health Insurance

Most temporary visa holders must maintain adequate Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) for themselves and any accompanying family members for the entire stay. Visa condition 8501 sets this requirement, and standard travel insurance doesn’t satisfy it. Your policy must cover hospital treatment, ambulance transport, and medication listed under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and must run from arrival until your visa expires. If Australia has a reciprocal health care agreement with your country, you may be exempt after enrolling in Medicare.

Cancellation Risk

Breaching visa conditions isn’t a minor administrative matter. Under Section 116 of the Migration Act 1958, the Minister may cancel a visa if satisfied that the holder hasn’t complied with a condition, or that the original grant was based on circumstances that have changed or never existed.¹⁸ Cancellation can also follow if the holder’s presence is considered a risk to the health, safety, or good order of the community. Cancellation typically means leaving the country and facing a potential re-entry ban.

Bringing Family

Most skilled visa applications let you include your partner and dependent children as secondary applicants. Each family member adds to the visa charge, and anyone aged 18 or older who doesn’t meet the Functional English standard may face a second instalment fee. On the subclass 186, that second instalment is AUD 4,890 per person.⁴

Dependents on employer-sponsored and permanent skilled visas generally receive full work and study rights. A partner included on a subclass 482 can work for any employer without restriction, and dependents on permanent visas like the 186 and 189 have the same unrestricted rights as the primary applicant.

Superannuation and What You Get Back on Departure

If you work in Australia on a temporary visa, your employer must pay superannuation on your behalf. The super guarantee rate for the 2025–26 financial year is 12% of your ordinary time earnings, and it applies whether you’re a temporary resident, part-time, or casual. There is no minimum monthly income threshold.¹⁹

When you leave Australia permanently and your visa has expired or been cancelled, you can claim your super back through a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP). The tax is significant: the taxed element is taxed at 35% and the untaxed element at 45%. If you worked on a working holiday visa, the rate is 65% on both elements.²⁰ The tax-free component isn’t taxed. Unclaimed super eventually gets transferred to the ATO as unclaimed money, so applying for DASP after departure is almost always the right move.

If Your Visa Is Refused

A refusal isn’t necessarily the end. Most visa refusal decisions can be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). The application fee for a migration review is AUD 3,580, though applicants experiencing financial hardship can apply for a 50% reduction.²¹ If the Tribunal decides in your favour, you receive a 50% refund of the fee paid.

Deadlines are strict and cannot be extended. If you’re in Australia, you generally have 28 days from the date of notification to lodge your review application. If you’re in immigration detention, that window shrinks to 14 days.²² You must pay the fee before the deadline. Miss it by a day and you lose the right to review, so treat the notification date as the starting gun.

1
Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Skills in Demand Visa (subclass 482)
2
Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Cost of Sponsoring
3
Department of Home Affairs. Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) Visa
4
Department of Home Affairs. Employer Nomination Scheme Visa (subclass 186) Direct Entry Stream
5
Department of Home Affairs. Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) Points-Tested Stream
6
Department of Home Affairs. Skill Select – Invitation Rounds
7
Department of Home Affairs. Points Table for Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189)
8
Department of Home Affairs. SkillSelect Expression of Interest
9
Department of Home Affairs. Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa
10
Department of Home Affairs. Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462)
11
Department of Home Affairs. Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417)
12
Department of Home Affairs. Salary Requirements to Nominate a Worker
13
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. Assessing Authorities
14
Department of Home Affairs. Skills Assessment
15
Department of Home Affairs. Competent English
16
Australia in the USA. Visa Requirements
17
Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Visa Processing Times
18
Federal Register of Legislation. Migration Act 1958
19
Australian Taxation Office. How Much Quarterly Super to Pay
20
Australian Taxation Office. Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP)
21
Administrative Review Tribunal. Fees
22
Administrative Review Tribunal. Administrative Review Tribunal (Migration, Protection and Character) Practice Direction 2026