Skip to content 
The Department of Home Affairs has made significant changes to the employer-sponsored 482 visa and permanent residency 186 visa from 7 December 2024. These changes remove the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) 482 visa and replace it with the Skills in Demand (SID) 482 visa, providing foreign workers with a pathway to permanent residency under the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) Subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream.
Key highlights of the reforms include:
- SID 482 visa holders who have completed 2 years of full-time work experience in the 3 years prior to the date of lodging a ENS TRT 186 may be eligible for 186 (TRT) visa, allowing skilled workers to transition to permanent residency.
- The period of the visa’s applicants relevant experience requirement for the SID 482 visa was reduced from two years, to just one year of full time experience in that nominated occupation or a related field.
- Eligible occupations for the ENS 186 TRT visa pathway will change from the Medium Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MTSSL) to the new Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), expanding opportunities for workers to meet Australian industry needs.
- SID visa holders will no longer need to work for the same employer to meet eligibility requirements for the ENS 186 TRT stream.
These changes aim to strengthen Australia’s skills profile, address skills shortages across industries and maintain competitiveness on the international stage.
Other updates effective from the new financial year of 2024-25 include:
- Increase in the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) from $70,000 to the new Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) of $73,150 effective from July 1, 2024. Which will further increase to $76,515 from July 1, 2025.
- The Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT), similarly, will increase to $141,210 from AUD 135,000 in the next financial year by 1 July 2025.
These changes reflect the government’s commitment to enhancing Australia’s workforce, attracting skilled migrants, and boosting economic recovery efforts post-pandemic.
Overall, the Australian government has replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) 482 visa with a new three-tiered system of visa pathways in 2024:
- Specialist skills visa pathway: This pathway is for individuals with specialist skills earning over $135,000 per year. It does not have an occupational list and will offer a processing turnaround of 7 days.
- Core skills visas pathway: This pathway caters to a wide range of foreign workers under the new Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) in line with Jobs and Skills Australia.
These changes aim to streamline visa processes, address skills shortages, and provide clear pathways to permanent residency for foreign workers.