Skills in Demand Visa

Table of Contents

• SID - Three Streams
• Core Skills Stream
• Specialist Skills Stream
• Labour Agreement Stream
• Hong Kong and BNO Passport Holders
• Assistance for Hong Kong and BNO Passport Holders
• Migration Agents Advice - 482 Visa
• VisaConnect Australia - Office

SID - Three Streams

The Skills in Demand visa has three streams:

• Core Skills stream
• Specialist Skills stream
• Labour Agreement stream

Core Skills Stream

To be eligible for the Core Skills stream, Applicants can apply offshore or onshore, holding a substantive visa or Bridging visa A, B or C. See the eligibility criteria for the Core Skills stream below:

• Standard Business Sponsor - Your sponsoring Australian Employer must already be a Standard Business sponsor or apply to become a new Standard Business Sponsor.
• Nomination - You must be Nominated by a Standard Business Sponsor.
• Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) - Your Employer must have Nominated you to work in an occupation listed on the Core Skills Occupation List.
• Work for Nominating Employer - You must work only for your Employer in your Nominated occupation.
• 1 Year's Work Experience in Occupation - You must have at least 1 Year's work experience in your Nominated occupation or a related occupation.
• Positive Skills Assessment - A Skills Assessment of your occupation must be done before your visa application is submitted, by a Skills Assessment Authority, such as Vetassess or Trades Recognition Australia.
• Age - there is no Age requirement for the 482 Visa.
• Health and Character - Applicants must hold Health Insurance, meet Health and Character requirements and not had a Visa cancelled or refused previously.
• English Ability - If you are not a native English speaker from the UK, USA, NZ, you sut sit an English Test. For the IELTS Test, you will need an overall band score of at least 5.0 with a score of at least 4.5 in each of the test components.

The Core Skills Stream allows Applicants to stay and work in Australia for up to 4 years, but Hong Kong Applicants may stay and work for up to 5 years.

Specialist Skills Stream

The requirements for the Specialist Skills stream are the same as the Core Skills stream listed above, except that:

• You must be nominated to work in an Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) occupation listed in Major Groups 1,2,4,5 or 6, with a salary that meets the Specialist Skills Income Threshold.

Labour Agreement Stream

The requirements for the Labour Agreement stream are the same as the Core Skills stream listed above, except that:

• The Labour Agreement stream is meant for skilled workers nominated by employers who have a Labour Agreement. It allows you to live and work in Australia temporarily. Labour agreements are developed between the Australian Department of Home Affairs and Employers.

There are five types of labour agreements:

1. 1. Company Specific labour agreements
2. 2. Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA)
3. 3. Global Talent Employer Sponsored (GTES) agreements
4. 4. Industry labour agreements
5. 5. Project agreements

As at September 2025, there are currently ten industry agreements in place:

• Advertising
• Aged care
• Dairy
• Fishing
• Horticulture
• Meat
• Minister of Religion
• On-hire
• Pork
• Restaurant (premium dining)