The Labour Agreement stream of the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) lets an employer that holds a labour agreement with the Commonwealth nominate a worker for up to 4 years, in an occupation the agreement covers and on the concessions it sets. The worker needs at least 1 year of relevant full-time work experience in the last 5 years unless the agreement says otherwise, any skills assessment the occupation requires, and English at the level the agreement specifies. The employer first obtains the agreement, and for a DAMA that means endorsement by the Designated Area Representative. It then lodges a nomination for $330 plus the Skilling Australians Fund levy.
| Agreement type | Who sets the terms | Occupations | What can be varied | Salary floor | Labour market testing | Example or limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company-specific | Negotiated with Home Affairs on the employer’s business case | ANZSCO skill level 1 to 4, not already available in the standard programs unless the business case is strong and compelling; skill level 5 considered in Category 3 regional areas only in exceptional situations | English, age, salary and work experience, within the example concessions in the template | No concession that leaves overseas workers on worse pay or conditions than Australians in equivalent roles | Evidence of many and diverse recruitment efforts, plus consultation with the industry body, union and affected community groups | Overseas workers no more than one-third of the workforce |
| Industry (10 agreements) | Fixed and non-negotiable, set with the industry’s representative bodies | Set for each industry | Set for each industry | Set for each agreement; On-hire needs at least 20% above TSMIT | Set for each agreement; in the Aged Care agreement a union MoU meets it | The Aged Care agreement covers Nursing Support Worker, Personal Care Assistant, and Aged or Disabled Carer |
| DAMA (13 regions) | A head agreement with the Designated Area Representative, then an individual labour agreement for each endorsed employer | Skilled and semi-skilled occupations listed in the head agreement | Occupations, English, age and salary, as the head agreement allows | Set by the head agreement; the Northern Territory DAMA allows 85% of the CSIT ($67,510 from 1 July 2026) or the market rate if higher | A genuine attempt to recruit Australians first | The Northern Territory DAMA lists 325 occupations |
| Project | For project companies with genuine skills shortages during the construction phase of resource or infrastructure projects | As agreed for the project | Not published | Not published | Not published | Projects endorsed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the China–Australia Investment Facilitation Agreement |
| Item | Amount | Applies from | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longest 482 visa period (Core Skills and Specialist Skills) | 4 years | current | Migration Regulations 1994, cl 482.511 |
| Work experience required in the nominated occupation or a related field | 1 year | 7 December 2024 | Home Affairs: Core Skills stream |
| 482 nomination fee | $330 | current | Home Affairs: cost of sponsoring |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, 482, turnover under $10 million (per year nominated) | $1,200 | current | Home Affairs: cost of sponsoring |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, 482, turnover $10 million or more (per year nominated) | $1,800 | current | Home Affairs: cost of sponsoring |
| Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) | $79,423 | 1 July 2026 | Home Affairs: salary requirements |
| NT DAMA concessional income threshold (85% of CSIT/TSMIT, or the market rate if higher) | $67,510 | 1 July 2026 | NT Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations: NT DAMA concessions |
Who qualifies for the Labour Agreement stream?
Six conditions apply to the worker in the Labour Agreement stream, and four to the employer. The Home Affairs Labour Agreement stream page sets out each criterion in full.
The worker:
- is nominated in an occupation the labour agreement specifies;
- has at least 1 year of full-time work experience, or the part-time equivalent, in the last 5 years, unless the agreement varies it (clause 482.242 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994);
- holds any skills assessment the agreement or the occupation requires;
- meets the English level the agreement specifies, or is exempt (clause 482.243);
- works only for the employer that nominated them, under condition 8607(2)(a);
- meets the health and character requirements and holds adequate health insurance.
The employer:
- holds a labour agreement approved by Home Affairs;
- pays the $330 nomination fee and the Skilling Australians Fund levy of $1,200 a year (turnover under $10 million) or $1,800 a year (turnover of $10 million or more) for each year nominated. Ministers of religion and religious assistants nominated in this stream are exempt from the levy (section 5(3) of the Skilling Australians Fund Charges Regulations 2018);
- gives labour market testing evidence where the agreement requires it;
- stays within the number of workers the agreement permits for the year (regulation 2.72(19)(c)).
Worth knowing
Home Affairs announced a replacement “Essential Skills stream” as under development on 7 December 2024, in news item 1272. It is not in force as at 24 September 2026, and the Labour Agreement stream remains the route for agreement-based nominations.
Which labour agreements use this stream?
A labour agreement is an agreement between the Commonwealth and an employer that lets it sponsor overseas workers where a demonstrated need cannot be met in the Australian labour market and the standard visa programs are not available. According to the Home Affairs labour agreements overview, agreements are generally in effect for 5 years, there is no cost to request one, and they feed the 482, 186 and 494 visas.
Four types of labour agreement lead to a 482 in this stream:
- Company-specific agreements, negotiated for one employer’s exceptional need.
- Industry labour agreements, with fixed terms for a whole industry. The ten current agreements are Advertising, Aged care, Dairy, Fishing, Horticulture, Meat, Minister of Religion, On-hire, Pork, and Restaurant (premium dining).
- Designated area migration agreements (DAMAs), which set regional terms under a head agreement.
- Project agreements, for the construction phase of resource or infrastructure projects.
The Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot was extended to 30 June 2026. Its status after that date is not published on the Home Affairs page.
What concessions can an agreement set?
The table at the top of this page sets out the concessions for each agreement type. Among the industry agreements, the dairy, fishing and meat agreements allow earnings of 90% of the CSIT for a 482 or 186, or of TSMIT for a 494, in Category 3 regional locations; the horticulture agreement sets the same 90% floor against those thresholds; and the pork agreement allows 90% of TSMIT in Category 3 regional locations. The On-hire agreement lets the employer place workers with a third party but requires 482 earnings at least 20% above TSMIT, as the Home Affairs industry labour agreements page sets out.
Three conditions limit every concession:
- A DAMA is not endorsed where an industry labour agreement covers the industry.
- A company-specific agreement is not considered where the employer can use a standard visa program, an industry agreement or a DAMA. The Home Affairs company-specific labour agreements page also requires the business to have operated lawfully in Australia for at least 12 months and to give stakeholders 10 working days to respond to consultation.
- Home Affairs does not apply a concession that would create worse pay or conditions for overseas workers than for Australians in equivalent roles, and requests for greater concessions than the template’s examples are unlikely to be approved.
Does a DAMA use this stream?
Yes. Individual DAMA labour agreements use the 482, 494 and 186 programs, and a 482 worker nominated under one is in the Labour Agreement stream. The Goldfields DAMA’s representative, the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, states that the DAMA uses “the labour agreement stream”, and South Australia’s Skilled and Business Migration says the same of its DAMA.
A DAMA nomination follows three steps:
- The Designated Area Representative for the region endorses the employer.
- The employer lodges a labour agreement request in ImmiAccount, and Home Affairs approves the agreement.
- The employer nominates the worker, and the worker applies for the 482.
There are 13 DAMAs, according to the Home Affairs DAMA page updated on 24 September 2026. The statewide WA DAMA, run by the Department of Training and Workforce Development, has operated since 1 July 2024 alongside the regional DAMAs in Western Australia.
Does the Labour Agreement stream lead to PR?
Yes, where the agreement provides a permanent pathway. The employer then nominates the worker for the 186 visa in its Labour Agreement stream, and the agreement’s terms replace some standard 186 criteria. Examples from government sources:
- Restaurant (premium dining): a 186 after a transition period, which is shorter for chefs and cooks than for trade waiters and café or restaurant managers.
- Aged Care: a 186 needs 2 years of Australian direct-care work, and the standard 186 age limit (under 45) still applies.
- Northern Territory DAMA: workers in skill level 1 to 4 occupations must be under 55 and must have worked full time in the Northern Territory for 2 years in the 3 years before nomination, according to the NT Government’s DAMA concessions page and its requirements for overseas workers.
The 186 Agreement pathway was published at 58 days for 50% of applications and 12 months for 90%. The wider picture of the 482 visa to PR covers the Temporary Residence Transition stream as well.
A migration lawyer makes a Labour Agreement nomination more likely to be approved by drafting the business case for any concession and matching each nomination to the agreement’s occupations and yearly ceiling. That matters because a nomination that takes the employer past the number of workers the agreement permits for the year cannot be approved (regulation 2.72(19)(c) of the Migration Regulations 1994).
Unregistered agents
An unregistered agent who gives immigration assistance on a sponsorship, nomination or visa is breaking the law (Migration Act 1958 s 280). They also carry no professional indemnity insurance, so if their mistake leads to a refusal, lost fees or a closed pathway, the worker or employer has no insurer to claim against. A practising Australian lawyer must carry that insurance.
Questions people ask
What occupations are eligible for the 482 visa in Australia in 2026?
In the Core Skills stream, the 456 occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List. In the Specialist Skills stream, any occupation in ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6 at the Specialist Skills threshold. In the Labour Agreement stream, whatever the employer's agreement lists, which can include semi-skilled occupations under a DAMA.
Can I apply for PR after 2 years on a 482 visa?
Usually through the 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream after 2 years in the last 3 of full-time sponsored work. A Labour Agreement worker can also use the 186 Labour Agreement stream where the agreement provides a permanent pathway.
What is the minimum salary for a Labour Agreement 482?
The Core Skills Income Threshold ($79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026) and the market salary rate, unless the agreement grants a salary concession. The worker is never paid less than an equivalent Australian worker.
How long does the 482 Labour Agreement stream take?
As published on 24 September 2026, half of Labour Agreement stream applications were decided within 7 months and 90% within 10 months.
How much does an employer pay for a 482 visa?
A nomination fee of $330 and the Skilling Australians Fund levy of $1,200 or $1,800 for each year nominated, depending on turnover. There is no charge to request the labour agreement itself.