Subclass 482 Changes in 2026: Costs, Salary Rules, Processing and the Student Visa Bar

The subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) visa has changed four times in 2026. In March, employers got more room to set the annual market salary rate above the award. On 1 July the visa application charge rose from $3,210 to $4,015, with a lower $3,290 rate for Pacific and Timor-Leste passport holders. In September, Direction 121 reset the order the Department works through 482 applications. And from 2 October, a 482 holder can no longer apply for a student visa from inside Australia.

None of this changes who can get a 482. It changes what it costs, how the salary is tested, how long you wait, and where you can go next. Below is each change in date order, with the Department's processing times as at 6 October 2026.

March: more room to pay above the award

For a nominee earning under the high-income cut-off, the decision-maker must be satisfied they'll be paid at least the annual market salary rate. That's the rate an equivalent Australian worker gets. Before 25 March 2026, where an award or enterprise agreement covered the occupation, the rate was simply what that instrument paid.

Since then, the annual market salary rate instrument has given sponsors a second option. Where an award or agreement applies, the market rate can instead be set from the employment documents of an Australian worker doing equivalent work in the same workplace and at the same location or, if there isn't one, from other relevant information. There's one condition: the figure that results must not be lower than what the award or agreement pays.

So the award becomes a floor. It's no longer the answer. According to the explanatory statement for the March 2026 change, the point is to reflect actual market wages, because awards only set minimum pay. The same method covers nominations for the subclass 494, 186 and 187, and it applies to nominations that were already lodged on 25 March and still undecided.

What a 482 costs from 1 July 2026

Pacific pricing turns on the main applicant's passport, from one of 13 countries including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Timor-Leste. A family member applying later to join a 482 holder with that passport pays the lower rate too. A small group named by the Minister pays no charge at all, and that hasn't changed.

Salary thresholds moved on 1 July as well. Our July 2026 changes roundup has the figures and which stream each one governs, so check it before you fix a salary in the nomination.

Where 482 applications sit in the queue

Direction 121 now sets the processing order for the 482. It revoked Direction 119 and sorts applications into five priority bands. Priority sector occupations come first: construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, and occupations tied to law enforcement or defence. The Specialist Skills stream sits second. Onshore applicants come next, then offshore applicants applying alone, then everyone else. Family members take the main applicant's place.

You can see that order in the numbers. These come from the Department's processing time guide. They're for an application made on 6 October 2026.

Treat the 90% column as your planning number. Sponsorship, nomination and visa are three separate decisions, so a start date that assumes the 50% figure at every step is a start date you'll probably move.

Moving from a 482 to a student visa? Leave first

This is the change most 482 holders won't hear about until they need it. Since 2 October 2026, holders of the 482 in either form, Skills in Demand or the older Temporary Skill Shortage, are on the list of people who can't apply for a student visa (subclass 500) or a student guardian visa from inside Australia.

Take a software engineer on a 482 in Melbourne who decides to leave the job and start a master's degree. Before 2 October she could lodge the student visa onshore and stay put. Not anymore. Now she has to leave Australia to apply. And because she had to apply from outside, the student visa can only be granted while she's still outside. Factor that wait into the course start date, the lease and the last day of work. Resigning first and working it out later is the expensive order.

Our guide to the 2 October student visa changes covers the full list of visas affected and who is exempt.

FAQ

What is the latest update on the 482 visa for Australia?

The most recent change is from 2 October 2026: holders of a subclass 482 can no longer apply for a student visa from inside Australia. Earlier in 2026, the visa application charge rose to $4,015 on 1 July, Direction 121 reset the processing order in September, and the annual market salary rate method changed on 25 March.

How long does it take to process a 482 visa in 2026?

On 6 October 2026 the Department's guide showed 50% of Core Skills stream applications decided in 4 months and 90% in 9 months. Specialist Skills stream applications were faster, at 37 and 78 days. Nominations took 64 days for half and 9 months for 90%, and sponsorship took 11 and 57 days.

Is the 482 visa going to be replaced?

It already was, in name. The subclass 482 Temporary Skill Shortage visa was replaced by the subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa on 7 December 2024. The 2026 changes adjust the Skills in Demand visa's cost, salary method, processing order and onshore options rather than replacing it.

What are the new visa rules for Australia in 2026?

For 482 holders and sponsors, four rules changed in 2026. A new annual market salary rate method started on 25 March, visa charges and income thresholds rose on 1 July, Direction 121 reset the processing order in September, and a bar on applying for a student visa onshore started on 2 October.

Can a 482 visa be rejected?

Yes. A 482 can be refused if the Department isn't satisfied that the applicant meets the visa criteria. The visa application must also be tied to an employer's nomination for the same occupation and stream, so problems with the sponsorship or nomination affect the visa as well.

Sponsoring a worker, or holding a 482 and weighing your next step? Book a consultation and we'll check the salary, the stream and the timing before anything is lodged. Employers can also read about our visa sponsorship service.