Australia 482 Visa Requirements for Filipinos (Best Guide)

Quick Answer: The Australia 482 Visa (Skills in Demand Visa) allows approved Australian employers to sponsor skilled Filipino workers when they cannot find a suitable Australian candidate. The visa can be granted for up to four years and may lead to permanent residency through the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186). As of the 2026–27 fee schedule, the visa application charge is AUD 4,015 for the primary applicant, and applicants generally need employer sponsorship, relevant skills and experience, and English proficiency.

Key Takeaways

The 482 Visa replaced the TSS (Temporary Skill Shortage) Visa on 7 December 2024, keeping the same subclass number but restructuring eligibility and income thresholds.
Employer sponsorship is mandatory — you cannot apply for this visa without a nominating employer approved as a Standard Business Sponsor.
The visa has three streams: Core Skills, Specialist Skills, and Labour Agreement, each with different occupation and income requirements.
Most regulated occupations (nursing, teaching, engineering, most trades) require a positive skills assessment before nomination.
Family members — spouse, de facto partner, and dependent children — can generally be included, with full work and study rights.
The visa can lead to permanent residency through the Subclass 186 visa after two years of full-time work with the sponsoring employer.
Visa validity is generally up to four years, depending on the stream and nomination period.
The minimum work experience requirement has been reduced to one year for most 482 applicants, down from the previous two-year standard.

What Is the Australia 482 Visa?

The Skills in Demand (SID) visa, subclass 482, is Australia’s primary employer-sponsored temporary work visa. It allows an approved Australian business to sponsor a skilled overseas worker for a genuine position it cannot fill locally. Australia created this pathway to address persistent labour shortages in sectors like healthcare, education, engineering, IT, and skilled trades, while requiring employers to demonstrate the role cannot reasonably be filled by an Australian citizen or permanent resident first.

The 482 visa is fundamentally a sponsorship framework: the employer takes on legal obligations (paying at least the relevant salary threshold, covering specific sponsorship costs, and meeting workplace standards) in exchange for the ability to fill a genuine skills gap with an overseas worker.

Australia’s shift from the old Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa to the Skills in Demand (SID) visa in December 2024 was driven largely by advice from Jobs and Skills Australia, the government body tasked with identifying where genuine, persistent labour shortages exist. Rather than relying on a single fixed occupation list for every sponsored role, the SID visa splits eligibility across income-based and list-based criteria, which is intended to respond faster to shifting shortages than the older system allowed.

How the 482 Visa Compares to Independent Skilled Visas

Australia also offers points-tested independent skilled migration, which does not require a job offer:

Visa	Job Offer Required?	Basis	Path to PR
482 (Skills in Demand)	Yes	Employer sponsorship	Via Subclass 186 after 2 years
189 (Skilled Independent)	No	Points test (typically 65+)	Direct grant of permanent residency
190 (Skilled Nominated)	No	Points test + state/territory nomination	Direct grant of permanent residency
491 (Skilled Work Regional)	No	Points test + state/territory or family nomination	Provisional; PR via Subclass 191 after 3 years in a regional area

The 482 is generally the faster route for applicants who already have (or can realistically secure) a job offer in a shortage occupation, while the 189/190/491 pathways suit applicants with strong points but no current employer contact.

Who Can Apply for the 482 Visa?

Filipino Workers

Filipinos are eligible for the 482 visa on the same terms as any other nationality. What determines eligibility is the occupation, qualifications, skills assessment outcome, and whether a genuine employer sponsor exists — not the applicant’s country of origin.

Overseas Applicants

Most Filipino applicants apply from the Philippines, either after receiving a job offer through direct recruitment (common in healthcare and education) or after applying to sponsorship-eligible vacancies on Australian job boards.

Applicants Already in Australia

Filipinos already in Australia on another visa — for example, a student visa (subclass 500) or a temporary graduate visa (subclass 485) — can also apply for the 482 visa onshore if they secure an eligible sponsor, without needing to leave and reapply from the Philippines.

Australia 482 Visa Requirements for Filipinos

Employer Sponsorship

An approved Standard Business Sponsor is a non-negotiable requirement. The employer must have current sponsorship approval (or apply for it alongside the nomination) before a visa application can be lodged.

Occupation Eligibility

The nominated role must appear on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) for the Core Skills stream, or meet the income threshold for the Specialist Skills stream regardless of occupation list inclusion.

Work Experience Requirement

Applicants generally need at least one year of relevant work experience in the nominated occupation or a closely related field — reduced from the previous two-year standard, which has made the pathway more accessible to earlier-career applicants, including recent graduates already in Australia on a subclass 485 visa.

Skills Assessment

Regulated occupations — nursing, teaching, engineering, and most trades — require a positive skills assessment from the relevant Australian authority before nomination. Some Core Skills Occupation List roles do not carry a mandatory assessment requirement, so this should be checked per occupation rather than assumed.

English Language Requirement

Most applicants need to demonstrate English proficiency through IELTS, PTE Academic, or an equivalent recognised test. The required score varies by stream and, in some cases, by occupation, and is generally lower than the English requirement for the subsequent Subclass 186 permanent visa.

Health and Character Checks

Applicants and any accompanying family members must undergo a medical examination and provide police clearance certificates. For Filipino applicants, this typically means an NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) clearance, in addition to clearances from any other country where the applicant has lived for a defined period.

Australia 482 Visa Requirements Checklist for Filipinos

Use this quick-reference table to see, at a glance, whether each requirement applies to your application:

Requirement	Required?	Notes
Employer Sponsor	Yes	Must be an approved Standard Business Sponsor
Eligible Occupation	Yes	On the CSOL (Core Skills) or meets the SSIT (Specialist Skills)
Work Experience	Yes	Generally at least 1 year, relevant to the nominated occupation
Skills Assessment	Often	Mandatory for regulated professions (nursing, teaching, engineering, most trades); not required for every CSOL occupation
IELTS / PTE	Usually	Required for most applicants; score varies by stream and occupation
Medical Exam	Yes	Through a Home Affairs-approved panel physician
NBI Clearance	Yes	Plus police clearance from any other country of residence, where applicable
Genuine Position	Yes	The nominated role must be a real, ongoing vacancy the employer cannot fill locally

If any row above shows a gap in your current documentation, that’s the item most likely to delay or derail your application — address it before your employer lodges the nomination, not after.

The Three Streams of the Australia 482 Visa

Core Skills Stream

The most commonly used stream, covering occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List. Nominations must meet the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), which for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 sits at AUD 79,423 (up from AUD 76,515 in the prior period). This is the primary stream for most Filipino nurses, teachers, engineers, and trades applicants.

Specialist Skills Stream

Designed for high-income roles, largely independent of a fixed occupation list, as long as the position meets the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) — AUD 146,576 for nominations from 1 July 2026. This stream is processed noticeably faster than Core Skills, since the Department prioritises it.

Labour Agreement Stream

For employers operating under a formal labour agreement with the Australian Government — typically industries with unique, persistent shortages such as certain agricultural, meat-processing, or specialised regional occupations. This stream tends to have the longest processing times of the three, since it depends on the terms of the underlying agreement.

Most Common 482 Visa Occupations for Filipinos

Healthcare: Registered Nurses, Physical Therapists (Physiotherapists), Occupational Therapists, Medical Laboratory Scientists (Medical Technologists)

Education: Primary and Secondary Teachers, Early Childhood Teachers

Engineering: Civil Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Electrical Engineers

Information Technology: Software Engineers, Data Analysts, Cybersecurity Specialists

Trades: Electricians, Welders, Carpenters

Healthcare and education occupations tend to have the most established, high-volume assessment and sponsorship pathways for Filipino applicants, given the size of the existing Filipino professional community already working in these sectors in Australia.

A closer look at why these occupations dominate Filipino 482 applications:

Registered Nurses benefit from a well-established assessment pathway through the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC), and Philippine nursing qualifications are widely recognised and understood by Australian hospital recruiters.
Teachers are assessed through the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), with additional state-based registration required once the AITSL assessment is complete — a two-step process worth planning for early.
Engineers go through Engineers Australia, which operates under the Washington Accord and related mutual recognition agreements, generally making CHED-recognised Philippine engineering degrees straightforward to assess.
IT professionals, including those transitioning from business process outsourcing (BPO) backgrounds into data or analytics roles, are assessed by the Australian Computer Society (ACS), which accepts Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) submissions for applicants without a closely matching IT degree.
Tradespeople are assessed through Trades Recognition Australia (TRA), which relies heavily on documented work experience and, in many cases, a practical skills test — making this pathway accessible to experienced tradespeople without formal diplomas.

How Employer Sponsorship Works

The sponsorship process runs through five practical steps:

Employer becomes sponsor → the business applies for (or already holds) Standard Business Sponsorship approval.

Employer nominates the position → the employer lodges a nomination for the specific role, occupation, and salary being offered.

Applicant lodges the visa → once the nomination is approved (or lodged concurrently, in many cases), the worker submits their visa application with supporting documents.

Visa approval → the Department assesses the application against occupation, skills, health, and character requirements.

Move to Australia → once granted, the visa holder can relocate and begin work with the sponsoring employer.

The overall pathway, from initial sponsorship through to permanent residency, follows this sequence:

Employer Sponsor → Nomination → 482 Visa → Work in Australia → 186 Permanent Residency

Australia 482 Visa Costs

Understanding who pays what matters — Australian law prohibits employers from passing certain costs onto the sponsored worker, and doing so can expose the employer to civil penalties.

Applicant Costs

Visa application charge (VAC): AUD 4,015 for the primary applicant (2026–27 fee schedule, effective 1 July 2026), the same amount for each additional applicant aged 18 or over, and AUD 1,005 for each dependent child under 18
IELTS / PTE Academic fees — payable per test attempt
Skills assessment fees — vary by assessing authority (ANMAC for nursing, Engineers Australia for engineering, TRA for trades), typically several hundred to over a thousand AUD
Medical examination — conducted through a Home Affairs-approved panel physician
NBI clearance — required for Filipino applicants as part of the character assessment, alongside any other country-specific police checks
Document certification and translation — for Philippine-issued certificates, transcripts, and licenses

Employer Costs

Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) fee — AUD 420 (payable once, when applying to become an approved sponsor)
Nomination fee — AUD 330 per nominated position
Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy — the largest single employer cost: AUD 1,200 per visa year for businesses with annual turnover under AUD 10 million, or AUD 1,800 per visa year for larger businesses, paid upfront for the full nominated visa period

Combined, total employer-side sponsorship costs (SBS fee, nomination fee, and SAF levy for a multi-year nomination) commonly run from roughly AUD 7,000 to over AUD 15,000, depending on business size and visa length. These costs are the sponsor’s legal responsibility and cannot be lawfully deducted from the worker’s pay or otherwise recovered from the applicant.

Worked Example: Total Cost for a 4-Year Core Skills Nomination

To make the numbers concrete, here’s a simplified illustration for a single Filipino applicant sponsored by a small business (annual turnover under AUD 10 million) for the full four-year visa period:

Cost item	Who pays	Approximate amount (AUD)
Visa application charge	Applicant	$4,015
Standard Business Sponsorship fee	Employer	$420 (one-time)
Nomination fee	Employer	$330
SAF levy (4 years × $1,200)	Employer	$4,800
Skills assessment	Applicant	$300–$1,500 (varies by authority)
English test (IELTS/PTE)	Applicant	$300–$400 per attempt
Medical exam and NBI clearance	Applicant	$150–$300 combined

This example is indicative only — actual figures depend on the applicant’s occupation, the assessing authority used, the employer’s turnover, and the exact nomination period. Always confirm current fees through the Department of Home Affairs’ Visa Pricing Estimator before budgeting.

Australia 482 Visa Documents Required

Gathering these documents early — well before your employer is ready to lodge your nomination — is one of the most effective ways to avoid delays. A typical Filipino applicant’s document set includes:

Valid passport — with sufficient validity remaining and at least one blank page
Curriculum vitae (CV) / resume — detailing work history in a format that clearly matches your nominated occupation
Employment certificates and reference letters — from current and past employers, confirming role, duration, and duties
Payslips or employment contracts — supporting evidence of the work experience claimed
Skills assessment outcome letter — from the relevant assessing authority, where required for your occupation
IELTS / PTE (or equivalent) test results — within the validity period required for your visa stream
NBI clearance — plus police clearance certificates from any other country where you’ve lived for the relevant threshold period
Medical examination results — completed through a Home Affairs-approved panel physician
Educational certificates and transcripts — often needing certified copies or translations if not already in English
Sponsor nomination approval — evidence that your employer’s nomination for your specific position has been lodged or approved
Passport-sized photographs — meeting Australian visa photo specifications
Birth certificate and marriage certificate (if applicable) — particularly relevant if including a spouse or children in the application

Keep both digital and certified physical copies of everything, since some documents (particularly skills assessments and police clearances) have validity windows and may need to be current at the time of lodgement, not just at the time you first gathered them.

Australia 482 Visa Processing Time by Stream

Processing happens across three distinct stages — sponsorship, nomination, and the visa application itself — each with its own timeline. The table below reflects Department of Home Affairs global processing time data (50% and 90% percentiles of recently finalised applications):

Stage / Stream	50% of applications decided within	90% of applications decided within
Standard Business Sponsorship (employer)	24 days	4 months
Nomination (employer)	57 days	9 months
Visa — Core Skills stream	~4 months	9 months
Visa — Specialist Skills stream	~15 days	45 days
Visa — Labour Agreement stream	~7 months	10 months

These figures change periodically, so it’s worth checking the Department’s published processing times directly before planning around a specific date. Factors that most affect your individual timeline include:

Occupation and stream — Specialist Skills is consistently faster than Core Skills
Documentation quality — incomplete applications or requests for additional information add significant delays
Skills assessment delays — some assessing authorities take months to issue an outcome, and this happens independently of the visa application timeline
Sponsor history — accredited or repeat sponsors with a clean compliance record often see faster nomination outcomes

Can Family Members Be Included?

Yes. Eligible family members can generally be included in a single 482 visa application:

Spouse or de facto partner
Dependent children

Included family members generally receive full work and study rights in Australia — a spouse is not restricted to a specific employer or occupation, and dependent children can enrol in Australian schools. Family members undergo their own health and character checks, and additional visa application charges apply per person as outlined in the costs section above.

Family members can also be added to the application after the primary visa is granted, though this generally requires a separate subsequent entrant application and its own set of fees and checks. Planning your family’s inclusion from the start — rather than adding them later — is usually simpler and can avoid duplicate processing steps, particularly for health examinations and police clearances that need to be completed within specific validity windows.

Can a 482 Visa Lead to Permanent Residency?

482 Visa to 186 Visa

Yes — this is one of the most common and reliable pathways to Australian permanent residency for Filipino professionals. Most 482 visa holders become eligible for the Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme) visa after meeting the work requirement with their sponsoring employer.

Temporary Residence Transition Pathway

The Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream of the subclass 186 visa requires at least two years of full-time employment with the sponsoring employer in the nominated occupation while holding a valid 482 visa. Note that for nominations from 29 November 2025 onward, only employment completed while actively sponsored by the same employer nominating the worker counts toward this two-year requirement — a detail worth confirming with your employer if you have changed roles or sponsors during your 482 visa period.

The subclass 186 also has a Direct Entry stream for workers who meet the skills and experience requirements without having held a 482 visa, and an Agreement stream tied to formal labour agreements.

Permanent Residency Benefits

Once granted, the subclass 186 visa provides permanent residency for the primary applicant and included family members, with access to Medicare, no restrictions on work or study, and a pathway to Australian citizenship after meeting the standard residency requirement.

What Happens If You Lose Your Sponsored Job?

If your employment with your sponsoring employer ends — whether through redundancy, resignation, or the business closing — you are not required to leave Australia immediately. Under current rules, you generally have:

Up to 180 consecutive days to find a new approved sponsor, apply for a different visa, or arrange to depart Australia
A cumulative cap of 365 days across the entire life of your visa grant spent “between sponsors”

During this grace period, you can generally work for other employers — including in different occupations — while you search for a new sponsor, which helps you stay financially stable during the transition. This is a substantial improvement over the previous 60-day rule that applied before mid-2024. Importantly, the clock starts from your last day of employment, not from when your employer formally notifies the Department, so it pays to start searching for a new sponsor as soon as you know your role is ending rather than waiting for official confirmation.

If the 180-day (or cumulative 365-day) limit is exceeded without securing a new sponsor, an alternative visa, or departure, the visa holder risks visa cancellation and a possible exclusion period affecting future Australian visa applications.

Common Reasons 482 Visa Applications Are Refused

Wrong occupation — the nominated role does not genuinely match the applicant’s qualifications and experience, or does not appear on the correct occupation list for the stream used
Missing documents — incomplete evidence of qualifications, employment history, or identity documents
Insufficient experience — fewer than the required years of relevant, well-documented work experience in the nominated occupation
Weak English scores — falling short of the required IELTS, PTE, or equivalent score for the stream
Employer issues — the sponsoring business fails to meet Standard Business Sponsorship obligations, or the nomination doesn’t reflect a genuine vacancy
Skills assessment problems — a negative assessment outcome, an assessment from the wrong authority, or a missing assessment where one is mandatory

Step-by-Step 482 Visa Application Process for Filipinos

Step 1: Check occupation eligibility. Confirm your role is on the Core Skills Occupation List, or that you can meet the Specialist Skills income threshold.

Step 2: Complete skills assessment. Apply to the correct assessing authority for your occupation and obtain a positive outcome — this can take months, so start early.

Step 3: Take IELTS/PTE. Sit an approved English test and achieve the score required for your target stream.

Step 4: Find a sponsor. Apply for sponsorship-eligible roles or work with your existing employer if you’re already working toward an Australian opportunity.

Step 5: Employer nomination. Your sponsoring employer lodges a nomination for your specific position with the Department of Home Affairs.

Step 6: Submit visa application. Lodge your 482 visa application with your skills assessment, English results, and supporting documents.

Step 7: Medical exam. Complete your health examination through a Home Affairs-approved panel physician.

Step 8: Visa decision. Await the Department’s decision — timelines vary significantly by stream, as outlined above.

Step 9: Relocate. Once granted, arrange housing, finalise logistics, and begin your role in Australia.

Tips to Strengthen Your 482 Visa Application

Start your skills assessment before you start job hunting. Since assessments for occupations like nursing and engineering can take several months, having a positive outcome already in hand makes you a more attractive candidate to employers who don’t want to wait.
Keep employment records detailed and consistent. Vague job descriptions or gaps in your documented work history are among the most common reasons applications stall — make sure payslips, certificates of employment, and contracts all tell the same clear story.
Choose your assessing authority carefully. Applying to the wrong authority for your occupation, or submitting an assessment that doesn’t match the exact ANZSCO code your employer is nominating you for, causes unnecessary delays.
Don’t wait for a job offer to sit your English test. Since scores are typically valid for a set period, completing this early avoids it becoming the bottleneck once you do have an employer ready to sponsor you.
Verify your employer’s sponsorship status. A genuine, currently approved Standard Business Sponsor is essential — some smaller employers may be applying for sponsorship for the first time, which adds its own processing timeline on top of your visa application.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Australia 482 Visa? The 482 (Skills in Demand) visa is Australia’s main employer-sponsored temporary work visa, allowing approved Australian businesses to sponsor skilled overseas workers, including Filipinos, for roles they cannot fill locally.

Is IELTS required? Most applicants need an approved English test result — IELTS, PTE Academic, or an equivalent — with the required score depending on the visa stream.

How much does a 482 Visa cost? The applicant pays a visa application charge of AUD 4,015 (2026–27 schedule) plus personal costs like skills assessment, English tests, and medical checks. The employer separately covers sponsorship, nomination, and SAF levy costs, which together often total AUD 7,000–15,000 or more.

Can family members join me? Yes. A spouse or de facto partner and dependent children can generally be included, with work and study rights in Australia.

Can I change employers? Yes, though a new employer must lodge a fresh nomination for your specific role before you’re considered sponsored by them. If your employment ends, you generally have up to 180 days to secure a new sponsor.

Is skills assessment mandatory? It depends on the occupation. Regulated professions like nursing, teaching, engineering, and most trades almost always require one; some other Core Skills Occupation List roles do not.

How long is the visa valid? Generally up to four years, depending on the stream and the nomination period requested by the employer.

Can I get PR from a 482 Visa? Yes, most commonly through the Subclass 186 visa’s Temporary Residence Transition stream after two years of full-time work with the sponsoring employer.

Can Filipinos apply from the Philippines? Yes. Most Filipino applicants complete their skills assessment, English test, and initial job search while still based in the Philippines, then relocate once the visa is granted.

What jobs qualify for sponsorship? Any occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List, or any role meeting the Specialist Skills income threshold. Healthcare, education, engineering, IT, and trades occupations are the most common for Filipino applicants.

Is a job offer required before starting the skills assessment process? No — most successful applicants complete their skills assessment and English testing before securing a job offer, since employers typically expect these steps to already be done.

Does the 482 visa allow onshore applications? Yes, Filipinos already in Australia on an eligible visa (such as a student or temporary graduate visa) can apply for the 482 visa onshore once they secure a sponsor.

What is the difference between the 482 and 186 visas? The 482 is a temporary employer-sponsored visa (up to 4 years); the 186 is the permanent employer-sponsored visa most 482 holders can transition to after two years with the same sponsor.

Do all 482 visa streams have the same processing time? No — Specialist Skills is processed significantly faster (median around 15 days) than Core Skills (several months) or Labour Agreement (several months to over a year).

What’s the difference between the CSIT and SSIT income thresholds? The Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) is the minimum salary a Core Skills nomination must meet, sitting at AUD 79,423 from 1 July 2026. The Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) is much higher, at AUD 146,576 from the same date, but roles meeting it don’t need to appear on a fixed occupation list, which is why the Specialist Skills stream suits senior, high-paying roles across almost any field.

Can I switch from the Core Skills stream to the Specialist Skills stream later? Not directly within the same visa — if your circumstances change (for example, a promotion pushes your salary above the SSIT), a new nomination and visa application under the Specialist Skills stream would generally be required, rather than an automatic upgrade of your existing 482 visa.

Atlas Australia Sponsorship Pathway Framework™

Skills Assessment → Employer Sponsorship → 482 Visa → Australian Work Experience → 186 Permanent Residency

Each stage depends on the one before it. Applicants who complete their skills assessment and English test before actively job-hunting typically move through the remaining stages faster, since employers generally expect these steps to already be finished before they commit to sponsoring you.

Atlas 482 Visa Readiness Checklist™

Score yourself honestly across these five areas before applying:

Occupation eligibility — Is your role on the Core Skills Occupation List, or can you realistically meet the Specialist Skills income threshold?
Skills assessment — Started, in progress, or completed with a positive outcome?
English readiness — Do you have a current, valid test score that meets your target stream’s requirement?
Work experience — Do you have at least one year of clearly documented, relevant experience?
Sponsorship readiness — Are you actively targeting employers with a track record of sponsoring overseas workers, or applying broadly enough to find one?