482 Skills in Demand Visa: Core Skills vs Specialist Skills — Which Stream Applies?

The visa can allow the worker to stay in Australia for up to four
years, or up to five years for eligible Hong Kong passport holders.

The main standard streams are Core Skills and Specialist Skills.

A separate Labour Agreement stream also exists for workers nominated
under an applicable labour agreement.

The nominated occupation generally needs to be specified under the Core
Skills occupation framework.

Home Affairs publishes the Core Skills Occupation List through its
skilled occupation material, including occupation codes and any
applicable caveats.

For a Core Skills nomination, the salary must also satisfy the
applicable income and market salary requirements.

For 2026--27, the CSIT is $79,423.

Home Affairs currently states that the nominated occupation must be in
ANZSCO Major Group:

• 1 --- Managers
• 2 --- Professionals
• 4 --- Community and Personal Service Workers
• 5 --- Clerical and Administrative Workers
• 6 --- Sales Workers

Occupations in Major Groups 3, 7 and 8 are excluded from the Specialist
Skills stream.

The nominated earnings must meet the Specialist Skills Income Threshold.

For 2026--27, the SSIT is $146,576.

Core Skills nominations rely on the occupation being specified under the
Core Skills occupation framework.

For Specialist Skills, the Regulations instead focus on the occupation's
ANZSCO major group and whether the nominee's annual earnings meet the
Specialist Skills Income Threshold.

This is one of the most important differences between the two streams.

A position should therefore not be assumed to be ineligible for
Specialist Skills simply because the occupation is not being assessed
through the CSOL framework used for Core Skills.

Under the Migration Regulations, if the nominated occupation is in
ANZSCO Major Group 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6 and the nominee's annual earnings,
excluding non-monetary benefits, are at least the Specialist Skills
Income Threshold, the occupation is nominated in the Specialist Skills
stream.

Core Skills applies where the occupation is specified for that stream
and the Specialist Skills rule does not apply.

This is why stream selection should be checked against both occupation
classification and proposed earnings before the nomination is lodged.

Salary alone is not enough.

The occupation must also fall within an eligible ANZSCO major group.

Occupations in ANZSCO Major Groups 3, 7 and 8 are excluded from the
Specialist Skills stream even if the proposed salary exceeds the SSIT.

The nominated role must also genuinely correspond to the occupation
being nominated.

$79,423

But meeting the CSIT alone does not automatically make the salary
acceptable.

The employer also needs to satisfy the Annual Market Salary Rate
requirements that apply to the nomination.

If the market salary for the position is higher than the threshold, the
threshold is not a substitute for the higher market rate.

$146,576

Again, this is not simply a target salary that can be selected to obtain
a particular visa stream.

The proposed earnings and market salary need to reflect the genuine
position and applicable nomination requirements.

Non-monetary benefits are excluded when applying the relevant
annual-earnings threshold.

Before the worker can apply for a Core Skills or Specialist Skills SID
visa, the proposed employer needs to lodge a nomination.

The employer must be an approved sponsor or have lodged an application
to become a Standard Business Sponsor.

The nomination identifies the position, occupation and proposed
employment arrangements.

The worker's visa application then needs to satisfy the requirements of
the relevant SID stream.

Home Affairs states that the experience should generally have been
gained within the previous five years.

Relevant full-time, part-time or casual experience can count, with
part-time or casual work needing to be equivalent to at least 12 months
of full-time work.

The experience does not need to be continuous.

Some primary SID applicants are subject to the mandatory subclass 482
skills-assessment program.

Where a mandatory assessment applies, it generally needs to have been
commenced before the visa application is lodged.

Home Affairs can also request a skills assessment even where one was not
mandatory at lodgement.

The requirement depends on the applicant, occupation and applicable
assessment rules rather than simply whether the visa is Core Skills or
Specialist Skills.

The same SID English framework applies across these two streams.

Some applicants may qualify for an exemption based on specified
circumstances.

The English requirement should therefore be checked separately from the
occupation and income rules that determine the stream.

Eligible Hong Kong passport holders may be able to stay for up to five
years.

The SID visa is temporary, although eligible visa holders may later have
access to permanent employer-sponsored pathways.

Home Affairs identifies the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) as
a permanent employer-sponsored option for eligible SID visa holders.

The 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream is available to eligible
SID visa holders in all occupations, subject to the applicable
requirements.

This means the Core Skills Occupation List used for a new Core Skills
nomination should not be confused with the occupation framework applying
to a later 186 TRT pathway.

Permanent residence is not automatic simply because a 482 visa has been
granted.

Home Affairs states that a worker cannot start working for a different
employer until that employer has a new approved nomination.

Where a sponsored worker loses their job, current Home Affairs guidance
states that they may have up to 180 days to find a new employer or
make arrangements to leave Australia.

The worker must continue to comply with their visa conditions.

Home Affairs states that earnings for a Core Skills worker must continue
to meet the CSIT, while earnings for a Specialist Skills worker must
continue to meet the SSIT.

Changes to hours, duties, occupation or employer can also have
sponsorship and visa consequences.

Employers should check the migration implications before materially
changing the sponsored position.

This is used where an employer sponsors a worker under an applicable
labour agreement with the Australian Government.

Labour Agreement cases can have occupation and other settings determined
by the agreement.

They should not be treated as simply another version of Core Skills or
Specialist Skills.

• the genuine duties of the position
• the correct ANZSCO occupation
• the occupation's ANZSCO major group
• whether the occupation is on the Core Skills Occupation List
• the proposed annual monetary earnings
• the applicable CSIT or SSIT
• the Annual Market Salary Rate
• whether occupation caveats apply
• whether a labour agreement is relevant instead
• whether the worker meets the experience, English and skills
  requirements

The stream should follow the position and the nomination rules --- not
the other way around.

Hans Immigration Services can review the occupation, proposed salary and
sponsorship arrangements and help you understand whether the Core
Skills, Specialist Skills or another employer-sponsored pathway may
apply.

Book a consultation with Hans Immigration Services to discuss your 482
sponsorship pathway.