Australia’s Skills in Demand visa (482), the neighbouring option

What the Skills in Demand visa is

The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) lets an approved Australian business sponsor you for a nominated position. Like the AEWV, it is tied to the employer and the role, not a visa to look for work.

Sponsorship, nomination and your visa application are three separate decisions by Home Affairs. You start work only once the visa is granted.

Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams

Most trade and professional roles go through the Core Skills stream, which uses the Core Skills Occupation List and the Core Skills Income Threshold: AUD 79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. The Specialist Skills stream is for highly paid roles at or above AUD 146,576 for the same period. Labour agreements cover other cases. Check the current thresholds and the occupation list for the role you are offered.

Experience, skills assessment and licences

You need relevant experience for the nominated occupation, and some occupations and passports need a formal skills assessment. Trades such as electrical and plumbing work also need a state or territory licence before you can work unsupervised. Your New Zealand registration or overseas trade certificate does not transfer automatically.

English

Home Affairs sets the English requirement for the 482: an accepted test result taken within the allowed period, or an exemption that applies to you. Registration bodies can set a higher bar.

Pay and your rights at work

The position must pay the market rate and at least the applicable income threshold. Confirm whether pay is hourly or annual and whether superannuation is on top. Sponsored workers have the same workplace rights as anyone else: see worker rights and sponsor obligations.

If you hold New Zealand citizenship

New Zealand citizens do not need a sponsored visa to live and work in Australia: they are usually granted a Special Category Visa (subclass 444) on arrival. Holding an AEWV or New Zealand residence is not the same as citizenship, so the 444 is not open to you on those alone.

Permanent residence later

A 482 is temporary. The Employer Nomination Scheme (186), including the Temporary Residence Transition stream, and the regional subclass 494 have their own nomination and personal rules.

Step by step

1. Find a suitable Australian role that accepts overseas applicants.
2. Apply with a tailored English CV and evidence of your experience.
3. Interview and confirm the written terms.
4. The employer applies to sponsor and nominate the position.
5. Prepare your skills, English, health and character evidence and lodge the visa application.
6. After the grant, read the conditions and plan your arrival.

Fees and processing time

Check the visa charges and current processing times on the Home Affairs site. Budget separately for skills assessment, English tests, medicals, translations, flights, a rental bond and your first weeks of living costs.

Papers to prepare in your home country

Most delays come from evidence that is incomplete or does not match. Put your papers in order before the employer sends an application link, using your passport name throughout and explaining any change of name.

• Proof of work: references on company letterhead with your dates, weekly hours and duties, backed by contracts, payslips or tax records. Immigration New Zealand treats a CV as a summary, not as proof.
• Qualifications: the certificate and transcript under the exact name the institution used. Many overseas awards need an NZQA International Qualification Assessment for residence or registration; some are on NZQA's list of qualifications exempt from assessment.
• Registration: regulated work such as nursing, electrical, plumbing and gasfitting needs New Zealand occupational registration before you can do the job, which is a separate process from the visa.
• Police certificates: request them only when INZ or Home Affairs asks, and from every country the rules list for you. Follow INZ’s police certificate instructions.
• English: a recent accepted test result or evidence of a listed exemption, where the visa or the registration board requires one.
• Translations: documents not in English need a translation that meets INZ’s translation rules; you cannot translate your own papers.

Keep scanned copies in one folder with clear file names. It saves days when an employer, adviser or case officer asks for a document again.

For Australia, also check Home Affairs’ character requirements and the country-by-country police certificate list.

Avoid sponsorship scams

No one can sell you an Australian job or a visa grant. Before you send money or a passport scan, check the employer, the address of the workplace and the written terms.

• Read what sponsors must pay for; the employer, not you, covers its own sponsorship costs.
• Check an adviser on the Home Affairs migration agent page.
• Never send altered certificates or made-up employment dates.

Home Affairs keeps a page on visa scams.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 482 a job-seeker visa?

No. It needs an approved sponsor and a nominated position, and you must meet the personal requirements.

Which stream applies to tradespeople?

Usually the Core Skills stream, if the occupation is on the Core Skills Occupation List and the pay meets the threshold.

Will my New Zealand trade registration work in Australia?

Not automatically. Check the state or territory licensing body before you accept a role that needs a licence.

Do New Zealand citizens need a 482?

Usually not. New Zealand citizens are normally granted a Special Category Visa (subclass 444) when they arrive in Australia.

Does a 482 lead to permanent residence?

It can, through a separate application such as the subclass 186, but it is not automatic.