482 Visa Document Checklist for the Worker and the Employer

A 482 visa needs two sets of documents: the worker uploads identity, skills, English, health insurance and character evidence, with references proving at least 1 year of relevant work, and the employer uploads the contract, salary and advertising evidence with the nomination. Home Affairs does not ask for certified copies in the online 482 application; it asks for clear colour scans of the originals and an English translation of any document not in English. The first step is the employer’s nomination, lodged before or with the visa application, and the worker then attaches each document to the visa application in ImmiAccount.

An immigration lawyer makes a complete lodgement more likely, because Home Affairs can decide on the documents attached without asking for more.

What does the worker need for a 482 visa?

The worker’s documents prove each criterion listed under the 482 visa requirements, in the groups Home Affairs uses on the “Step by step” tab of the Core Skills stream page.

Identity documents

• the pages of a current passport showing the photo, personal details, and issue and expiry dates;
• proof of any change of name, such as a marriage or divorce certificate, a change-of-name record or deed poll, or a statutory declaration for a small difference in spelling;
• a facial image of each applicant, children included.

Without proof of identity the visa is refused, and Home Affairs states that it might not grant the applicant or listed family members another visa for 10 years.

Skills and occupation documents

• With a mandatory skills assessment: the Trades Recognition Australia reference number for the SID Skills Assessment, or the VETASSESS reference for program or project administrator. Home Affairs states “We won’t process your application if you don’t provide this”.
• With an exemption from the assessment: the evidence that the exemption applies.
• Without a mandatory assessment: qualification certificates, and evidence of registration or a licence from the Australian authority in the state or territory of work (the sponsor supplies that authority’s details). A medical practitioner supplies evidence that the Australian registration authority recognises the qualifications.

Work experience documents

• employment references on each employer’s letterhead, giving the referee’s name, title and contact details, the position held and the dates of service, covering enough time to show the skill level;
• a CV with full employment and education history, including dates and positions held, for at least the last 5 years.

The references carry the 482 work experience requirement: at least 1 year of relevant work, or its part-time equivalent.

English documents

• the test report from an accepted test (tests taken from 13 September 2025 use the scores in LIN 25/082); or
• the evidence for an exemption: the passport of Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States; for the study exemption, the institution’s name and location, the qualification level, an official transcript, the contact hours per week in English and the years of study; the licence or registration that required equal English; or the earnings evidence of an employee of an established overseas business.

Family documents

• Partner: identity and character documents, and a marriage certificate or de facto evidence, such as joint bank statements, joint bills, a joint lease or mortgage, and proof of the same address.
• Children under 18: passport pages (a child under 5 can be included without a passport), birth certificates naming both parents, adoption papers where relevant, and consent from anyone with the legal right to decide where the child lives who is not coming, on Form 1229 or in a statutory declaration with that person’s signed photo identity.
• Dependants aged 18 or over: identity and character documents, Form 47a, and proof of financial dependency for at least 12 months before applying.

The worker gathers and attaches the documents in this order:

What does the employer’s nomination need?

The employer’s nomination carries its own evidence, under regulation 2.72 of the Migration Regulations 1994:

1. a written employment contract with the worker;
2. evidence that the position is genuine and full time;
3. evidence of the annual market salary rate, unless earnings are $250,000 or more;
4. copies of at least 2 labour market testing advertisements, each open for 4 weeks, placed within the 4 months before lodging, and information on any redundancies, unless an international trade obligation exempts the position;
5. the business’s turnover for the most recent income year, which sets the Skilling Australians Fund levy paid at lodgement;
6. every existing 457 or 482 family member listed, and written agreement for any other secondary applicant;
7. the certification under regulation 2.73(12) that no one has been paid for the sponsorship.

Under regulation 2.87, the employer, not the worker, carries every nomination and sponsorship cost. The steps of the employer nomination are set out on their own page.

What does standard business sponsorship need?

Standard business sponsorship needs a lawfully operating business, in or outside Australia. An Australian business also shows a strong record of, or a demonstrated commitment to, employing local labour, and declares that it does not recruit in a discriminatory way (Home Affairs standard business sponsor page).

Which health and character documents are needed?

• Health examinations: arranged before lodging; the results are generally valid for 12 months (Core Skills stream page).
• Australian police certificate: an Australian Federal Police National Police Certificate, complete disclosure, if the applicant has spent 12 months or more in total in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16. Standard-disclosure and state or territory police certificates are not accepted, and the certificate is valid for 12 months from the date of issue.
• Overseas police certificates: one from each country, including the home country, where the applicant has spent 12 months or more in total in the last 10 years since turning 16.
• Military records: service records or discharge papers for anyone who served in the armed forces of any country.
• Accredited sponsor reference: with an accredited sponsor, the sponsor’s character reference replaces the overseas police certificates, but not the Australian one.

The character requirement in public interest criterion 4001 applies to every applicant aged 16 or over. The 482 visa medical page covers booking and what is tested, and the page on the police check for a 482 visa covers the AFP and overseas certificates.

How do you translate documents for a 482 visa?

Every document not in English needs an English translation, and the worker uploads both the original and the translation.

1. Translated in Australia: the translator must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).
2. Translated outside Australia: the translator need not be accredited, but must add, in English, their full name, address and telephone number, and their qualifications and experience in the language.

Do 482 documents need to be certified?

No. The Core Skills stream page states “You do not need to have any documents certified” for the online 482 application. The worker scans or photographs each original in colour, clearly, and saves a multi-page document as one file. A document that proves two criteria is attached once.

Which forms might Home Affairs request?

Some forms depend on the family’s facts; others are needed only when Home Affairs asks:

• Form 80 (personal particulars for character assessment) and Form 1221 (additional personal particulars): only if Home Affairs asks for them;
• Form 1229 (consent to grant a visa to a child under 18): where a parent with the right to decide where the child lives is not coming;
• Form 47a (details of a dependant aged 18 or over): for each such dependant;
• Form 956 (appointing your lawyer) and Form 956A (appointing an authorised recipient): where someone acts for the applicant or receives letters for them;
• Notification of incorrect answers: if a wrong document was uploaded after submission.

The Form 80 page explains when a 482 applicant is asked for it. Home Affairs states “We are not obligated to request further information or documents” and decides on what is attached, so a missing document can end in a decision rather than a request; the 482 visa refused page covers what follows a refusal.

How do you upload documents in ImmiAccount?

The Home Affairs attach-documents page sets out the upload in five steps:

The limits:

• up to 60 documents for each person on most visa applications;
• each document up to 5 MB, and digital photographs between 70 KB and 3.5 MB;
• accepted formats include PDF, JPG, PNG and DOCX, but not encrypted or secured PDFs;
• documents attached to an unsubmitted application are kept for 30 days, then deleted if the application is not submitted;
• documents cannot be removed after submission, and ImmiAccount does not let the applicant open them again, so the worker keeps copies; a wrong attachment after submission is corrected with a Notification of incorrect answers form;
• each family member’s documents are attached under that person’s name;
• documents are not emailed to Home Affairs.

When is professional help worth it for a 482 document checklist?

An immigration lawyer is more likely to get a 482 lodged complete, because Home Affairs can decide on the documents attached without asking for more, and an application lodged without a mandatory skills assessment reference is not processed at all.

This page is general information about what Home Affairs asks for; it is not a review of anyone’s documents.