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Australia · Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)

Australia Skills in Demand Visa (Subclass 482) from Pakistan

The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) lets an approved Australian employer sponsor you for a skilled job it cannot fill with a suitably skilled Australian. It has three streams: Specialist Skills, Core Skills and Labour Agreement. Your employer sponsors and nominates the role, and you then apply for the visa.

Last reviewed 8 October 2026

At a glance

Sponsor
An approved Australian business sponsor
Streams
Specialist Skills, Core Skills and Labour Agreement
Occupations
Core Skills uses the Core Skills Occupation List
Length of stay
Up to four years
Family
Partner and dependent children can be included
Permanent residence
Possible later through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186)

Who this is for

  • Skilled workers in occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List with an employer willing to sponsor them.
  • Highly paid specialists whose roles fit the Specialist Skills stream.
  • Workers hired by businesses that have a labour agreement with the Australian Government.
  • People with relevant work experience and the English test results their occupation needs.

When another route fits better

  • No sponsoring employer: a points-tested skilled visa may fit, if your occupation and points qualify.
  • Short business visits: the Visitor visa (subclass 600) business stream is the right route.
  • Planning to study first: the Student visa (subclass 500) may be the better starting point.

Documents to prepare

Your documents

  • Valid passport
  • Employment contract or written offer showing pay and conditions
  • Experience letters on company letterhead with duties, hours and dates, plus payslips or tax records
  • Degree, diploma or trade certificates with transcripts
  • English test results, unless exempt
  • Skills assessment, if your occupation needs one
  • Police certificates from Pakistan and other countries where you have lived
  • Health examination results, arranged through a Home Affairs panel physician
  • CV

For family members

  • Marriage certificate or proof of a de facto relationship
  • Children's birth certificates and passports
  • Certified English translations of documents in other languages

Step by step

  1. 1

    Employer becomes an approved sponsor

    The business applies to the Department of Home Affairs to become a standard business sponsor, or uses an existing labour agreement.

  2. 2

    Employer tests the market and nominates the role

    For most roles the employer must first advertise locally. It then lodges a nomination naming your position, occupation and salary.

  3. 3

    Prepare your evidence

    Collect experience letters, qualifications and English results. Get a skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority if your occupation needs one.

  4. 4

    Lodge your visa application

    Apply online through ImmiAccount, linked to the employer's nomination, and pay the visa application charge.

  5. 5

    Complete health and character checks

    Attend a health examination with a panel physician and provide police certificates when asked.

  6. 6

    Decision and travel

    If the visa is granted, you can travel and must work for your sponsor in the nominated role, within the visa conditions.

Costs to plan for

  • The visa application charge for you and each family member included.
  • Employer costs such as sponsorship and nomination fees and the Skilling Australians Fund levy, which the employer must not pass on to you.
  • English test and skills assessment fees.
  • Health examination and police certificate costs.
  • Flights, settling-in costs and health insurance for your stay.

Why applications get refused

  • Work experience that does not meet the requirement or is not backed by detailed employer letters.
  • English test results below the level required.
  • The employer's nomination is refused, for example because the role is not genuine or the salary is below market rates.
  • A missing or unsuitable skills assessment where one is required.
  • Health or character concerns.
  • Inconsistent or false information, which can lead to refusal and a ban on future visas.

Tips before you apply

  • It is against Australian law for anyone to ask you for payment in return for sponsorship. Report such requests instead of paying.
  • Ask your employer which stream and occupation they will nominate, and check it on the official occupation list.
  • Ask former employers for detailed experience letters early; vague letters are a common cause of delay.
  • If your job ends, you have a limited period to find a new sponsor or leave Australia. Check the current rules on the Home Affairs website.

Questions people ask

Yes. The Skills in Demand visa replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa and kept the same subclass number, 482.

Some occupations and applicants need one. Your employer or the Home Affairs website will confirm whether yours does.

Yes. Your partner and dependent children can be included in your application.

Yes, but the new employer must be an approved sponsor and must lodge a new nomination for you before you start working for them.

It can. After working for your sponsor for the required period, you may qualify for the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) through its Temporary Residence Transition stream.

Official sources

Fees, fund requirements and processing times change. Check the current figures on the official site before you apply.

Last reviewed 8 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice. VisaWala is not affiliated with any embassy or government, and only the issuing authority decides a visa application.