482 Skills in Demand (TSS) Visa Checklist 2026
The Subclass 482 Skills in Demand (SID) Visa — previously called the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa — is Australia's primary employer-sponsored temporary skilled work visa. It replaced the 457 visa in 2018. The Subclass 482 has three streams: the Short-Term Skilled Occupations stream (STSOL occupations, up to 2 years, no PR pathway via 482), the Medium-Term Skilled Occupations stream (MTSOL occupations, up to 4 years, PR pathway via Subclass 186 TRT after 3 years), and the Labour Agreement stream.
The employer must be an approved sponsor and must have completed the business nomination before you can lodge the individual visa application. Labour Market Testing (LMT) is required for most occupations — the employer must demonstrate they genuinely tried to fill the role with an Australian before sponsoring overseas. A Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) applies: as of 2026 this is $73,150 per year (reviewed annually), and your salary must meet or exceed this.
Skills assessment requirements vary by occupation and stream — some occupations require a formal skills assessment, others do not. Check the ANZSCO listing for your specific occupation code before preparing your application.
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Common 482 document mistakes to avoid
- TSMIT non-compliance — the salary offered must meet or exceed $73,150 (2026) for the actual hours worked, not just the base salary; penalties for underpayment of sponsored workers are severe for employers.
- LMT not completed within the 4-month window before lodgement — the advertising must be current and dated correctly; stale LMT evidence is rejected.
- Skills assessment for occupations that require it — many medium-term occupations require a formal skills assessment from an assessing authority; this can take 2–3 months and must be current at visa grant.
- On-hire restrictions — 482 visa holders cannot be on-hired to a third party unless the sponsor holds a specific on-hire licence; this is a common compliance issue.
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. Core Skills stream requires at least 1 year of relevant experience; Specialist Skills stream has no minimum.
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.
Family members
5 itemsBio-data page of your spouse or de facto partner's current passport.
Official birth certificate for your spouse or de facto partner.
Marriage certificate or evidence of de facto relationship for your spouse/partner.
Bio-data page for each dependent child included in the application.
Official birth certificate for each dependent child included.
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 21 documents across 7 categories: Identity documents, Sponsorship & nomination, Skills & qualifications, English language, Health & character, Current residential address (if in Australia), Family members. 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 subsequent entrants (secondary applicants, i.e. members of the family unit).
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.