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Sukh Sandhu, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 1384130 · Register entry · Information checked 22 October 2026
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Skilled and employer sponsored

Work visas for workers, and for the employers who sponsor them.

Skills in Demand, employer nomination and points-tested visas all changed in some way during 2026. Here are the current thresholds, the processing order and the honest limits.

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The visas

The main skilled pathways.

Each has its own occupation lists, skills, English and age rules. We check yours against the current lists before you spend money on assessments.

Temporary

Skills in Demand (subclass 482)

Replaced the earlier temporary skill visa from 7 December 2024, under the same subclass number. Three streams: Specialist Skills, Core Skills (using the Core Skills Occupation List) and Labour Agreement. One year of relevant work experience is generally needed.

Permanent

Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186)

Permanent residence through an Australian employer's nomination. The Direct Entry stream also uses the Core Skills Occupation List, and the Core Skills Income Threshold applies.

Provisional, regional

Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (subclass 494)

For sponsored work in regional Australia, with a pathway to permanent residence. The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold of A$79,423 applies from 1 July 2026.

Points tested

Skilled Independent (subclass 189)

No sponsor or nomination. You lodge an expression of interest in SkillSelect and must be invited. 21,090 places in 2026-27.

Points tested

Skilled Nominated (subclass 190)

Nominated by a state or territory government. 35,500 places in 2026-27. Each state sets its own criteria.

Points tested, regional

Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491)

Nominated by a state or territory, or sponsored by an eligible relative, to live and work in regional Australia. Regional places fall from 33,000 to 14,110 in 2026-27.

Sources: Skills in Demand visa; Core Skills Occupation List; Migration Program planning levels. Department of Home Affairs, checked 22 October 2026.

Skilled work, in every field.

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Care and health

Young electrician in a hard hat working on a switchboard

Trades

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Hospitality

Smiling Indian IT professional working on a laptop in a bright office

Technology

Aerial view of a regional Australian town and countryside under blue sky

Regional Australia: Regional category places fall from 33,000 to 14,110 in 2026-27, while State and Territory Nominated places rise to 35,500.

Visas in this group

Skilled and employer visas, page by page.

Use the PR points calculator for the 189, 190 and 491.

189Skilled Independent visaPermanent visa for invited skilled workers with no employer, state or family sponsor.ChangingInvitation onlyMain applicant charge: A$6,135
190Skilled Nominated visaPermanent visa for skilled workers nominated by an Australian state or territory.ChangingInvitation onlyMain applicant charge: A$6,140
491Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visaFive-year regional visa with state nomination or a relative's sponsorship. Places cut to 14,110 in 2026-27.ChangingInvitation onlyMain applicant charge: A$6,140
191Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visaPermanent visa for 491 and 494 holders after 3 years in regional Australia.In forceMain applicant charge: A$630
858National Innovation visaInvitation-only permanent visa for an internationally recognised record of exceptional achievement.Invitation onlyMain applicant charge: A$6,235
Skills assessmentHow skills assessments work for skilled, employer and graduate visas.In forceMain applicant charge: Check every charge in the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator
417Working Holiday visaTwelve months of holiday and work for young people from 19 partner places.In forceMain applicant charge: A$840
462Work and Holiday visaHoliday and work for 18 to 30 year olds from 30 countries. Ballot for China, India and Vietnam.In forceBallotMain applicant charge: A$840
403MATES visa (India)Up to 2 years of work for recent Indian graduates in eligible fields, by ballot.In forceBallotMain applicant charge: A$470
192Pacific Engagement visaPermanent visa for Pacific and Timor-Leste nationals selected in the annual ballot.In forceBallotMain applicant charge: A$345
403Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) streamShort and long-term work for Pacific and Timor-Leste workers recruited by approved employers.In forceMain applicant charge: A$365
482Skills in Demand visaEmployer sponsored work for up to 4 years: Specialist Skills, Core Skills or Labour Agreement stream.In forceMain applicant charge: A$4,015
186Employer Nomination Scheme visaPermanent employer sponsored visa: Direct Entry, Temporary Residence Transition or Labour Agreement.In forceMain applicant charge: A$6,140
494Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visaFive-year regional employer sponsored visa with a pathway to the 191.In forceMain applicant charge: A$6,140
407Training visaWorkplace training or professional development. Sponsor and nomination must be approved before you apply.In forceMain applicant charge: A$535
400Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visaHighly specialised, short, non-ongoing work, usually up to 6 months.In forceMain applicant charge: A$535
Labour agreements and DAMAsAgreements for employers whose needs fall outside standard settings, used with the 482, 494 and 186.In forceMain applicant charge: Check every charge in the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator
408Temporary Activity visaShort-term work in a specific activity: entertainment, sport, religious work, research, staff exchange, special programs, invited events, superyacht crew, domestic work for executives and Government endorsed events.In forceMain applicant charge: A$535
403Temporary Work (International Relations) visaWork under government agreements, for foreign government agencies, as a domestic worker for a diplomat, or with privileges and immunities. MATES and PALM are separate guides.In forceMain applicant charge: A$470
189 / 191Hong Kong streamIn forceMain applicant charge: A$6,135
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Priority sectors

Construction and healthcare come first in the processing order.

From 19 September 2026 skilled visas in priority sectors are processed first, then onshore applicants. An order is not a promised date.

Processing order · from 19 September 2026

Who is processed first.

Ministerial Direction 121 covers Skills in Demand (482). Ministerial Direction 122 covers permanent and provisional skilled visas, such as 186, 189, 190, 491, 494 and 191. Both replaced the earlier direction.

  1. Priority occupationsConstruction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, law enforcement and defence.
  2. Skills in Demand, Specialist Skills streamSecond, for 482 applications only.
  3. Applicants in AustraliaOnshore applicants come next.
  4. All other applicationsProcessed after the groups above.

An order is not a promised time. Source: Department of Home Affairs visa pages for 482, 190, 191 and 491, updated 1 to 2 October 2026.

For employers who sponsor

Sponsoring a worker is a commitment with legal obligations that continue after the visa is granted. In general terms:

  • Pay at the threshold and the market rate. The income threshold is set by the date the nomination is lodged, and the annual market salary rate must also be met. Non-monetary benefits do not count. The market rate test does not apply to salaries of A$250,000 or more.
  • Tell the Department about changes. Approved sponsors must notify the Department within 28 days of events such as a sponsored worker's employment ending or their duties changing.
  • Never pressure a visa holder. Since 1 July 2024 it is a criminal and civil offence to coerce or pressure a temporary visa holder into breaching their work conditions. Employers can be barred from sponsoring through prohibition notices.
  • Publication of sponsor details. A law in force from 8 October 2026 lets the Department publish some information about approved work sponsors, once regulations prescribe what can be published.

Sources: Sponsor obligations; Migrant worker protections; Migration Act 1958

For workers

Every worker in Australia has workplace rights, whatever their visa. You are entitled to be paid correctly and to work safely, and you can contact the Fair Work Ombudsman for free help. Keep your visa conditions in mind if your job changes, and talk to us early if your employment with a sponsor ends.

Programs that are closed

The Business Innovation and Investment Program, including the subclass 132 business visa, closed permanently to new applications on 31 July 2024. We do not offer to lodge new applications under it. The National Innovation visa (subclass 858) is by invitation only, for people with an internationally recognised record of exceptional achievement.

Sources: Skilled migration recent changes; National Innovation visa

Check the occupation and the threshold before anything else.

Bring your job title, duties, qualifications and salary to the first conversation. We will tell you plainly which pathways fit and which do not.

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