482 Skills in Demand Visa Document Checklist 2026 (Free)
The Subclass 482 Skills in Demand (SID) Visa replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa on 7 December 2024 and is Australia's primary employer-sponsored temporary skilled work visa. It has three streams: the Core Skills stream (occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List, salary at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold), the Specialist Skills stream (no occupation list, but the occupation must sit in ANZSCO Major Group 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6 and the salary must meet the higher Specialist Skills Income Threshold), and the Labour Agreement stream. All streams allow a stay of up to 4 years (5 years for Hong Kong passport holders), with a pathway to permanent residence via the Subclass 186 ENS where eligible.
The employer must be an approved sponsor and must have lodged the nomination before you can lodge the individual visa application. Labour Market Testing (LMT) is required for most nominations — at least two valid advertisements running for at least 4 weeks within the 4 months before the nomination is lodged. Income thresholds are indexed every 1 July: for nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) is $79,423 and the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) is $146,576. Your salary must also meet the Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR) for the occupation.
You need at least 1 year of relevant work experience in your nominated occupation or a related field — this applies to both the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams, and is more flexible than the old TSS 2-year rule. A formal skills assessment is only needed if your occupation requires one — check the current requirement for your ANZSCO code before preparing your application.
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Common 482 document mistakes to avoid
- Income threshold non-compliance — your guaranteed annual earnings must meet both the AMSR and the CSIT/SSIT in force when the nomination is lodged; a nomination lodged on or after 1 July 2026 is assessed against $79,423 (Core Skills) or $146,576 (Specialist Skills), not last year's figures.
- LMT not completed within the 4-month window before nomination — the position must have been advertised for at least 4 weeks within the 4 months before lodgement; stale advertising evidence is rejected.
- Assuming the Specialist Skills stream is open to any high earner — the occupation must fall within ANZSCO Major Group 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6 (trades workers, machinery operators, drivers and labourers are excluded), and 1 year of relevant work experience is still required.
- Researching requirements under the old TSS structure — Short-Term/Medium-Term stream rules, STSOL/MTSOL occupation lists and the TSMIT no longer apply to new 482 applications; guides written before December 2024 will mislead you.
Identity documents
3 itemsClear colour scan of your current valid passport photo page.
Official birth certificate showing your full name and date of birth.
Marriage certificate, deed poll or other official proof if your name has changed.
Sponsorship & nomination
3 itemsCopy of your employer's approved Standard Business Sponsor (SBS) confirmation from the Department of Home Affairs, or their SBS reference number.
Approval letter from the Department of Home Affairs confirming your position, location, salary and occupation have been nominated.
Signed contract or formal offer of employment from your sponsoring employer, stating salary, position title, duties and location.
Skills & qualifications
5 itemsCertified copies of your degree, diploma, trade certificate or other relevant qualifications for your nominated occupation.
Official transcripts for each qualification provided.
Letters from each employer, on company letterhead, confirming your job title, duties, employment dates and hours per week. Both the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams require at least 1 year of relevant work experience in your nominated occupation or a related field.
Evidence of salary payments corroborating your claimed work experience.
Positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for your occupation, required for most medium-term stream occupations.
English language
1 itemIELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, OET or Cambridge CAE results meeting the 'vocational English' threshold, or evidence of an English language exemption (passport from an exempt country or Australian education history).
Health & character
3 itemsMedical examination completed through an approved Panel Physician or by booking a Health Assessment Portal (HAP) appointment. Results are sent directly to the Department of Home Affairs. Book early — appointments can take several weeks.
National police certificates from each country you have lived in for 12 or more months since age 16.
Completed Form 80 for Character Assessment. Fill for free →
Current residential address (if in Australia)
1 itemIf you are currently in Australia: driver licence, utility bill (electricity, gas or water), bank statement or council rates notice showing your name and current Australian residential address. Required by the Department for onshore applicants.
Ready to lodge your Skills in Demand (SID)?
Answer a few quick questions to get a checklist tailored to your exact situation — only the documents that apply to you. Upload each file, then export a clean ZIP ready to attach.
Build my personalised checklist →Frequently asked questions
What documents do I need for a Skills in Demand (SID) (Subclass 482) application?
The Skills in Demand (SID) (Subclass 482) typically requires 16 documents across 6 categories: Identity documents, Sponsorship & nomination, Skills & qualifications, English language, Health & character, Current residential address (if in Australia). Use the personalised builder above to filter this list to your exact circumstances — it removes items that don't apply based on your profile.
How do I prepare my documents for the Skills in Demand (SID)?
Work through each category in the checklist. Scan or photograph every document as a clear colour PDF at 150–200 DPI. The Department of Home Affairs (ImmiAccount) has a 5 MB per-file limit — compress any oversized file using VisaPacks' built-in tool. Combine multi-page documents (e.g. bank statements, payslips) into a single PDF using Merge. VisaPacks automatically renames your files on export, ready to attach to your ImmiAccount lodgement.
Can I prepare my Skills in Demand (SID) documents myself without a migration agent?
Yes. Many applicants successfully self-prepare their documents using publicly available Department of Home Affairs guidance. VisaPacks provides a free personalised document checklist and upload tool to help you organise everything correctly. For complex cases — such as those involving previous refusals, health waivers, character issues, or difficult relationship circumstances — consulting a registered migration agent (MARA) may be worthwhile.
What file format should Skills in Demand (SID) documents be in?
The Department of Home Affairs accepts PDF, JPG, and PNG files up to 5 MB each. Most documents should be submitted as PDF. Passport photos can be JPG. If a scan exceeds 5 MB, use VisaPacks' built-in PDF compressor to reduce file size while maintaining legibility — it uses three quality levels (screen, standard, or high) so you can choose the right trade-off.
Is this checklist official Department of Home Affairs guidance?
No. This checklist is based on publicly available Department of Home Affairs guidance but is maintained by VisaPacks as a convenience tool only — it is not legal advice and does not replace the assessment of a registered migration agent. Always verify current requirements on the Department of Home Affairs website.
What are the most common mistakes when preparing Skills in Demand (SID) documents?
The most common errors are: exceeding the 5 MB per-file ImmiAccount limit without compressing first; omitting certified NAATI translations for non-English documents; submitting uncertified copies when originals or certified copies are required; including documents expiring within 6 months (particularly passports); and forgetting documents for a spouse or dependent children on the same application. VisaPacks addresses all of these — it includes a built-in PDF compressor, auto-naming to a consistent convention, and per-applicant sections for family members included in the application.
How does VisaPacks compare to the Department of Home Affairs checklist tool?
The Department of Home Affairs website shows a static document list for each visa type. VisaPacks goes further: it personalises the list to your circumstances (employment type, relationship status, whether children are included), lets you upload documents against each item, includes built-in PDF compression and merging to meet the 5 MB limit, auto-renames files to a consistent naming convention, and exports a complete ready-to-lodge ZIP. VisaPacks is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Home Affairs.