Who can be sponsored for a 482 visa?
The subclass 482 visa is a temporary work visa. It is for skilled workers from overseas who have been sponsored by an employer. The purpose of the 482 visa is to help address skills shortages in Australia. From late 2024, the name for the 482 visa will change to the Skills in Demand Visa or SID. So what’s the criteria for deciding who qualifies as a skilled worker?
Who can be sponsored for a 482 visa?
A 482 visa applicant must be nominated by an accredited sponsoring employer. A skilled worker from overseas cannot apply for a 482 visa without this. An employer must be an approved business sponsor to be able to nominate a skilled worker for a 482 visa. The position the employer nominates must be a profession on the Core Skilled Occupation List.
The candidate, meanwhile, needs to show they are qualified and competent in that occupation, have sufficient English language skills and meet character and health checks.
Professional Competency 
The sponsored worker needs to show their competency in the profession they are being nominated for. To do this, they need to prove:
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- they have been practicing a profession from the skilled occupation list for at least 1 year at the time of submitting the visa application.
- show competency in their occupation and trade. Some occupations require visa applicants a skills assessment. Skills assessments are run by Trades Recognition Australia. Different affiliates of Trades Recognition Australia assess different occupations.
Skills assessments involve assembling documents to prove the candidate’s training, qualifications, professional experience and competency. Documents required for skills assessments include salary evidence, confirmation of employment with previous employers, detailed descriptions of duties, certificates and course transcripts.
The purpose of the skills assessments is to ensure nominated candidates are able to perform at a level at least consistent with Australian standards.
Although the 482 visa requires candidates to have 1 year of professional experience in their nominated occupation, skills assessments often require 3 years of full time professional experience to pass.
Language 
482 visa applicants need to meet the English language requirement for the 482 visa. This is the equivalent to an IELTS score of 5.
Other English language test providers accepted by the Department are:
Pearson Test of English (PTE)
Cambridge English (CAE also known as C1 Advanced)
Occupational English Test (OET) – this is aimed at health professionals
Exceptions
Passport holders: The English language requirement does not apply for applicants holding passports issued by the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada or the United States.
Education: 482 visa applicants who can confirm they received 5 or more years of secondary education in English or if received tertiary education delivered in English are also exempt. However, a letter from the educational institution is needed to confirm teaching was delivered in English.
Character 
482 applicants need to meet Australia’s ‘good character test’ which includes presenting military clearances (if applicable) and police clearances from countries you have lived in for at least 12 months for the last 10 years.
Health
You will need to present a certificate of Overseas Visitors Health Cover, a type of medical insurance for visa holders.
You may also need to do a health check.
How do we help?
Our registered migration agent (RMA) helps 482 visa applicants with their visa applications.
Before you even begin the process of applying for a 482 visa, our registered migration agent can assess if you will pass the skills assessment or not based on your work history.
To do this, our migration agent will ask 482 visa applicants some questions about their professional experience and review your CV or resume.
Each occupation on the Skilled Occupation Lists has a code called the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). From 6th December 2024, the Department of Home Affairs will adopt a revised occupation classification system called Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA). These set out the basic competencies expected for each occupation.
From there we organize and help visa applicants prepare for their skills assessment.
482 Visa in 60 Seconds
We strive to simplify the process for you. So here’s an overview of what you need to know about the Temporary Skill Shortage subclass 482 visas in 60 seconds.The aim of this video is to give you the top level gist of some of the key features of the TSS 482 visa. Naturally detail matters. If you’re being sponsored and are unsure about what you need to do, we recommend you seek professional advice from a reputable Australian registered migration agent, like us. We’ve been doing this for 15 years because we really like helping people.
