Skills in Demand Visa
Employer-sponsored temporary work visa, formerly the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa — with a direct route to PR.
Overview
Australia's main employer-sponsored work visa, restructured around salary-based streams since replacing the old Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa on 7 December 2024 — same subclass number, fundamentally different structure. There's a Core Skills stream for most sponsored roles (drawn from the Core Skills Occupation List, which replaced the old MLTSSL/STSOL), a Specialist Skills stream for higher earners with faster processing, and a Labour Agreement stream for specific industry arrangements.
Around 70% of Skills in Demand grants come through the Core Skills stream. Specialist Skills applications can process in as little as 7 days, though the stream is capped at roughly 3,000 places per year.
Who it's for
- Skilled workers with a genuine job offer from an approved Australian employer
- Roles an employer genuinely cannot fill with a local worker
Key requirements
- Your employer must be an approved Standard Business Sponsor before nominating you
- Nominated occupation on the relevant list for your stream
- Salary meeting the relevant income threshold (CSIT or SSIT) or the Annual Market Salary Rate for the role, whichever is higher
- Relevant qualifications, skills and experience for the role
- An English language test result (requirements vary by stream)
- Health and character checks
Both income thresholds increased on 1 July 2026 as part of annual wage indexation — Core Skills to roughly $79,500 and Specialist Skills to roughly $146,700, both up about 3.9%. Nominations lodged before 1 July are still assessed against the previous year's thresholds even if decided later, so timing a nomination around that date can matter.
The visa application charge also rose on 1 July 2026, to $4,015 across all three streams — up from $3,210.
After at least 2 years of continuous full-time work with your sponsoring employer on a valid 482, you become eligible to apply for permanent residency via the Subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream.
Not sure if this is the right visa for you?
Tell us your situation and we'll confirm whether the Skills in Demand Visa fits, or point you to the one that does.
Book a free visa assessmentVisa subclasses, eligibility criteria, streams, salary thresholds and fees are set by the Australian Department of Home Affairs and change periodically, often each 1 July. The figures above reflect published guidance as of August 2026 — your Rigpa House adviser will confirm current figures and eligibility before you apply.