Subclass 482 Income Thresholds Rising on 1 July 2026

The subclass 482 Skills in Demand (SID) visa income thresholds were indexed on 1 July 2026. From that date the Core Skills Income Threshold rose, and the Specialist Skills Income Threshold rose with it. Because the threshold that applies is the one in force on the date a nomination is lodged, nominations lodged up to 30 June 2026 were assessed against the earlier, lower figures.

The threshold is the part of a nomination that reduces to a single number, so it draws most of the attention. It is also the part most often misunderstood. Clearing the threshold does not clear the nomination. The figure is one of several tests a nomination must satisfy, and the others reach into the substance of the role rather than the size of the salary. This article sets out the new figures, explains how the annual indexation works and why the lodgement date governs, and then addresses the point that surprises employers most often: a compliant salary does not, on its own, secure approval.

What changed on 1 July 2026

The SID visa (subclass 482) replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa in December 2024, and “TSS” is now a legacy term only. The visa has two skilled streams. The Core Skills stream is tied to the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) and the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). The Specialist Skills stream is tied to the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT). Both thresholds are indexed annually on 1 July, so a nomination prepared in one financial year can face a higher figure if it slips into the next.

The new figures

As at 5 July 2026, the CSIT is $79,499 for nominations lodged on or after 1 July 2026 (it was $76,515 for nominations lodged up to 30 June 2026). The SSIT is $146,717 for nominations lodged on or after 1 July 2026 (it was $141,210 up to 30 June 2026). These figures are indexed automatically under regulation 5.42A of the Migration Regulations 1994, using Australian Bureau of Statistics November 2025 average weekly ordinary time earnings data, so no separate legislative instrument is required. Confirm the current figures on the Department of Home Affairs salary requirements page before you rely on them.

How the annual indexation works

The Core Skills and Specialist Skills thresholds move each year under a fixed formula rather than a discretionary decision. Regulation 5.42A ties the indexation to average weekly ordinary time earnings (AWOTE) published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. AWOTE is a measure of full-time adult earnings before overtime, and it tends to rise year on year, so the direction of travel for these thresholds is upward. Because the mechanism is formulaic and the reference data is published on a set schedule, the increase is knowable in advance rather than announced as a surprise. It also means there is no discretion to waive or round down the new figure once it takes effect.

The consequence for planning is concrete. A nomination prepared in June and lodged in July can face a higher applicable threshold than the same nomination lodged a few days earlier, purely because the calendar crossed 1 July. Employers who treat a threshold as fixed for the life of a recruitment campaign can find that a salary agreed in principle in one financial year no longer clears the floor in the next. The indexation does not phase in gradually; it applies in full from the first day of the new financial year.

Why the lodgement date governs

The threshold that applies is the one in force on the date the nomination is lodged, not the date it is decided. A nomination lodged before 1 July 2026 is assessed against the pre-indexation figure even if the Department decides it after that date. This is a deliberate feature of the scheme rather than an accident of processing speed: it fixes the applicable figure at lodgement so that a slow queue does not expose an employer to a threshold that rose while the case sat undecided.

For many employers this is a strong reason to finalise and lodge nominations before 1 July, particularly where a proposed salary sits between the current and the new threshold. The saving is not theoretical. Where a salary clears the old CSIT but falls short of the new one, lodging on 30 June rather than 1 July can be the difference between a nomination that meets the threshold and one that does not, without changing a single term of the employment. The date the decision issues is irrelevant to which figure applies.

The salary you must pay is the higher of two figures

A nominated worker must be paid at least the relevant income threshold or the annual market salary rate (AMSR) for the role, whichever is higher. The threshold is a floor beneath which a nomination cannot go; it is not a ceiling and it is not a safe harbour. If the market rate for the occupation exceeds the threshold, the market rate governs, and paying only the threshold will not satisfy the nomination requirement.

This interaction matters most for well-paid occupations. An employer who fixes on the CSIT as the number to beat may still fall short if comparable Australian workers in the same role are paid more than that figure. The Department assesses the market rate by reference to what an equivalent Australian worker would earn, drawing on the employment contract, enterprise agreements, and evidence of comparable local salaries. Both tests must be satisfied at once: the salary must clear the threshold, and it must clear the market rate. Meeting one does not excuse the other.

The position itself is assessed independently

Even a salary that clears both the threshold and the market rate does not, on its own, secure approval. The nomination must also concern a genuine position, and the tasks of that position must genuinely correspond to the nominated occupation. This is where a compliant salary and an approvable nomination part company.

The point was put directly by the Federal Court in Cargo First Pty Ltd v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2016] FCA 30. The Court held that a sponsor’s own certification that a nominated position is genuine is not conclusive. The decision-maker independently assesses whether the position is genuine and whether its tasks match the nominated occupation, and is not bound by the employer’s assertion that it does. You can read the decision on AustLII.

The practical lesson carries directly into current practice. An employer can offer a salary well above the CSIT, document the market rate carefully, and still face refusal if the Department is not satisfied that the role is a real position with duties that fit the occupation on the list. A job description written to match the occupation, rather than to describe the work actually required, invites exactly the independent scrutiny Cargo First describes. The threshold is a gate you must pass, but it is the first gate, not the last. The genuineness of the position, and the fit between its tasks and the nominated occupation, are assessed on their own merits regardless of how generous the salary is.

What employers and applicants should do now

Review any nomination where the proposed salary is close to a threshold, and decide whether lodging before 1 July is worthwhile given the figure in force on the lodgement date. Check whether the role sits in the Core Skills or the Specialist Skills stream, because the applicable threshold differs between them. Confirm the salary clears both the threshold and the market salary rate, not just the threshold. Then test the position itself: is it a genuine role, and do its actual tasks correspond to the nominated occupation? A nomination that satisfies the number but not the substance remains vulnerable.

For regional nominations, the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) applies to regional employer sponsored visas, including the subclass 494 and the transitional subclass 187 pathway. As at 5 July 2026, the TSMIT is $79,423, having increased with effect from 1 July 2026 under the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026 (F2026L00874), registered on legislation.gov.au. From 1 July 2026 the TSMIT is a separate threshold from the CSIT, indexed on the same basis and from the same date, under regulation 5.42A of the Migration Regulations 1994, with the first automatic indexation day on 1 July 2027. Confirm the current figure on the Federal Register and the Department of Home Affairs pricing before relying on it.

Visa Plan Lawyers advises employers and skilled workers on subclass 482 nominations, regional sponsorship, and employer nominated permanent residence. If you are weighing whether to lodge before 1 July, or you want the position tested against the occupation before you commit, our team reviews your nomination and the applicable threshold with you. Learn more about our employer sponsored visa services and the subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa, or read about regional employer sponsored options.