EMC Australia / Subclass 482
A temporary employer-sponsored visa — your visa, their nomination.
The Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) is a temporary visa that lets an approved Australian employer sponsor a suitably skilled worker for a position it cannot fill with a suitably skilled Australian. It is not points-tested. The employer's sponsorship and nomination are separate applications from your visa application.
Streams include Core Skills, Specialist Skills and labour agreement. From 19 September 2026, Direction 121 sets the order the Department looks at 482 applications. A place in that queue is not a grant.
Last reviewed:
Official source: Department of Home Affairs – Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)
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Who We Assist
Who We Assist
- An Australian employer wants to hire you or keep you in an eligible occupation
- You need a temporary work visa while a permanent 186 is planned
- You already hold a 482 and the nomination or visa is due to expire
- A 482 or nomination was refused
How it works
What this visa asks of you
These are the parts of this visa, in the order they usually matter.
Sponsorship
The business, first
Employer can sponsor
The employer must be able to sponsor. If they cannot, your visa cannot proceed.
Standard business sponsorship, or a labour agreement, is the employer’s application. It is not yours. We keep the two files separate.
Nomination
The role, not the person
Nomination of the position
The occupation, salary, caveats and labour-market settings have to fit the stream.
Core Skills, Specialist Skills and labour-agreement streams are not interchangeable. The wrong stream is a wasted nomination fee.
In or from outside Australia
Your 482 visa
Skills, English, health, character, and whether you can actually do the nominated work.
A partner or child included on the same application keeps your place in Direction 121. A later subsequent-entrant application does not.
Read about Your 482 visa
How EMC works
How we help
01
We name the stream
Core Skills, Specialist Skills or labour agreement. The occupation and salary have to match the stream, not a preferred label.
02
Two applications, one plan
Sponsorship or nomination is the employer’s. The visa is yours. Timing, caveats and English sit in the right file.
03
Where you sit in the queue
Direction 121 is processing order for 482. Priority occupations first, then Specialist Skills, then other onshore applicants. It does not change the grant rules.
What to Prepare
What to Prepare for Your Consultation
- Passport, current visa, and a CV that matches the nominated occupation
- The employer’s business name and the role they want you in
- Skills assessment if the occupation needs one
- English test if you have it
- Any previous nomination or visa refusal
Before you apply
Important Considerations Before Applying
- The employer must be able to sponsor. A job offer from a business that cannot sponsor is not a 482.
- Caveats on the occupation list still apply. Direction 121 does not switch them off.
- Working in a different occupation than the one nominated is how 482s are cancelled.
- A subsequent-entrant partner application does not keep the primary applicant’s queue place.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
No. It is temporary. Many people later use Temporary Residence Transition to a 186. Not everyone can. The occupation, the employer and the time on the 482 all have to line up.
Often, depending on the occupation and stream. We will not guess. The assessing body is set by the occupation.
Not if a priority occupation is ahead of you. Direction 121 sets order, not the grant.
Start with your situation.
You do not need to memorise the subclass. Book a consultation, or send a short note. MARN 1800335 · Level 14, 333 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000.
Other work
This page is general information, not advice about your circumstances. Australian migration law changes. You should consult a Registered Migration Agent before you apply. EMC Australia is OMARA-registered (MARN 1800335).