482 Visa Changes: What Changed, When, and Who It Affects

The newest 482 visa change is Ministerial Direction 121, which took effect on 19 September 2026 and puts priority sectors first, the Specialist Skills stream second and applicants in Australia third in the order Home Affairs processes Skills in Demand visa applications. Before that, from 1 July 2026, the income thresholds rose to $79,423 for the Core Skills stream and $146,576 for the Specialist Skills stream, and the visa application charge rose to $4,015 (Home Affairs news, 1 July 2026; Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026). To see which rules apply to a case, compare each row’s date with the date the nomination or visa application was lodged, because most changes apply only to applications lodged on or after the day they start.

The changelog (newest first)

Sixteen dated changes since 7 December 2024, newest first:

Dates are commencement dates. For thresholds and charges, the lodgement date decides which figure applies.

An immigration lawyer makes an application more likely to meet the rules in force because they read each change against the lodgement dates in a live case: a nomination lodged on 30 June and one lodged on 1 July face different thresholds, and a change of employer after 1 July needs a new nomination that meets the new figure.

What is announced but not in force?

Four items are announced or pending, and none of them applied when this page was checked on 24 September 2026:

• The Essential Skills stream. Home Affairs announced it on 7 December 2024 as “under development”, to replace the Labour Agreement stream (news item 1272). The Migration Regulations as compiled on 1 July 2026 contain no Essential Skills stream, and no later Home Affairs news item on it was found when this page was checked.
• A new Core Skills Occupation List. Jobs and Skills Australia advised Government on 20 October 2025. LIN 24/089, with 456 occupations classified under ANZSCO 2022, is still the list.
• The public register of approved sponsors (s 140GD). The Combatting Migrant Exploitation Act 2026 commences on a day fixed by Proclamation, or automatically under section 2 of the Act if none is made. No Proclamation was found on the Federal Register of Legislation at 24 September 2026.
• OSCA. The Australian Bureau of Statistics released the Occupation Standard Classification for Australia on 6 December 2024, but migration instruments still use ANZSCO 2022.

The labour market testing advertising period has not changed: advertising still has to fall within the 4 months before the nomination is lodged (LIN 18/036; Home Affairs labour market testing page, updated 21 September 2026).

What has not changed?

Seven rules have stayed the same through every change above:

1. Time without a sponsor: up to 180 days in a row and 365 days in total under condition 8607, since 1 July 2024.
2. The Skilling Australians Fund levy for a 482: $1,200 a year for a business with turnover under $10 million, or $1,800 a year at or above it, since 12 August 2018.
3. Labour market testing: at least 2 advertisements, each open for at least 4 weeks, within the 4 months before lodging; the two-advertisement rule has applied since 11 December 2023.
4. The market salary carve-out: the market salary and threshold tests do not apply at earnings of $250,000 or more, since 18 March 2018.
5. The sponsorship term: 5 years for a standard business sponsorship approved since 3 March 2018.
6. The longest 482: 4 years in every stream since 7 December 2024 (5 years for Hong Kong passport holders).
7. No cap on the number of 482 visas a person can hold, in Schedule 1 item 1240 and Part 482 of the Migration Regulations as compiled on 1 July 2026.

19 September 2026: new processing priorities (MD 121 and MD 122)

Ministerial Direction 121 sets the order for temporary skilled visa applications, including every 482 stream:

1. applications relating to the construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources sectors, or to Australia’s law enforcement and defence interests;
2. applications in the Specialist Skills stream of the Skills in Demand visa;
3. applications where the applicant was in Australia at lodgement;
4. applications where the primary applicant was outside Australia at lodgement and the application is not combined with anyone else’s;
5. all other applications.

Ministerial Direction 122 applies the same order, without the Specialist Skills step, to the 186, 494 and other provisional and permanent skilled visas. Home Affairs warns that published processing times may move backwards for a time while applications are re-prioritised. The waits now published for each stage are set out under 482 processing time.

7 December 2024: the TSS became the Skills in Demand visa

The subclass number stayed the same; the rules behind it changed:

Existing TSS holders keep their visas and conditions until they expire. What the TSS 482 visa name meant, and who still holds one, is covered separately.

18 March 2018: the 457 closed

The Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) replaced the 457 for nominations made from 18 March 2018 (section 9 of IMMI 18/033; the Home Affairs repealed 457 page). Sponsorships approved from 3 March 2018 run for 5 years, and the Skilling Australians Fund levy started on 12 August 2018. This is background: the changelog itself starts on 7 December 2024.

How this log is kept

The log follows five rules:

1. Every row comes from a legislative instrument on the Federal Register of Legislation, or from a Home Affairs page or notice, and the source is linked in the row.
2. Every figure comes from one register and carries its start date.
3. The 1 July indexation is entered in the first week of July.
4. A new Ministerial Direction, CSOL instrument, DAMA or labour agreement is logged within 48 hours of it appearing on the Federal Register of Legislation or a Home Affairs page.
5. Figures on this page were last checked against government sources on 24 September 2026.

The method behind every page, and how this 482 guide is sourced, is set out on the about page.

Supplementary: labour market testing changes

Three dated changes shape the labour market testing an employer does today:

• 11 December 2023: advertising on Workforce Australia stopped being required, and at least 2 advertisements became the rule.
• 7 December 2024: LIN 18/036 was compiled for the Skills in Demand visa, applying to both Core Skills and Specialist Skills nominations.
• 1 October 2025: the compilation of LIN 21/075, which sets the international trade obligation exemptions, took effect.
• Now: at least 2 advertisements, each open for at least 4 weeks, within the 4 months before the nomination is lodged.

The ads, the evidence and the exemptions are explained under labour market testing, and the visa it serves is explained in the main guide to the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482).