Commonwealth of Australia
Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482): total cost to complete
By Sam Parks · Last checked:
A source-linked budget for a from-scratch four-year subclass 482 Skills in Demand nomination: the applicant visa charge, employer sponsor and nomination fees, SAF levy range, salary evidence under CSIT or SSIT plus AMSR, English, health, character, biometrics, skills-assessment exposure, and family scaling.
What does the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) actually cost?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are A$10,381-A$13,335. Refundable proof-of-funds requirements are tracked separately at A$79,423, because that money is shown or blocked rather than normally lost.
Verified against Home Affairs - cost of sponsoring on 1 July 2026.
Australia skilled-route cost and points layer
Australia skilled points, nomination and Skills in Demand cost answer
Use this answer stack to compare Australia points routes with the sponsor-led Skills in Demand route without merging applicant costs, employer costs and salary evidence.
Calculator context
A points result does not guarantee an invitation, nomination or visa grant. It only says whether the profile clears the 65-point SkillSelect EOI floor. Skills assessment, occupation demand, state nomination, sponsorship, salary thresholds and post-invitation fees still need separate evidence.
| Australia route | Points or sponsor trigger | Mandatory paid-away baseline | Skills, nomination or salary dependency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subclass 189 Skilled Independent | Points-tested SkillSelect route. The EOI floor is 65 points; there is no sponsor or state nomination bonus. | A$7,501-A$8,705 | A$550-A$1,200 skills assessment before the EOI can become usable. No fixed salary floor in the route model; invitation depends on occupation demand and invitation rounds. |
| Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated | Points-tested SkillSelect route plus state or territory nomination. Nomination can add 5 points after the state gate is met. | A$7,506-A$9,010 | A$550-A$1,200 skills assessment plus A$0-A$300 state or territory fee exposure. No employer sponsor or national salary floor; state criteria can add occupation, residence and funds declarations. |
| Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional | Points-tested regional route. State/territory nomination or eligible-relative sponsorship can add 15 points. | A$7,506-A$9,010 | A$550-A$1,200 skills assessment plus A$0-A$300 nomination or eligible-relative gate exposure. No upfront national salary floor; later subclass 191 context is income-evidence timing, not an upfront 491 fee. |
| Subclass 482 Skills in Demand | Sponsor-led route. It is not a points-tested SkillSelect invitation route. | A$10,381-A$13,335 | A$0-A$1,200 skills-assessment exposure where required by occupation, nationality or stream. A$420 sponsor fee, A$330 nomination fee and A$4,800-A$7,200 SAF levy are employer-side; A$79,423/yr CSIT or A$146,576/yr SSIT, plus AMSR where the stream requires it. |
| Comparator route | Route type | Paid-away baseline | Do not collapse these lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore S Pass | Employer-sponsored pass with quota, levy and insurance duties. | SGD 16,405-SGD 18,205 | SGD 15,600 levy and SGD 600-SGD 2,400 insurance stay employer-side; SGD 39,600-SGD 45,600 salary evidence is not a visa fee. |
| New Zealand AEWV | Employer-accredited work route with job-check approval before the worker applies. | NZ$3,060-NZ$4,325 | NZ$775 accreditation and NZ$735 job check are employer-side; variable market-rate job evidence is not paid away. |
| New Zealand SMC | Residence route with points, skilled-employment evidence and post-invitation filing. | NZ$6,810-NZ$8,925 | NZ$0 EOI and NZ$6,450 resident-stage application; NZ$72,800-NZ$109,200 skilled-job pay evidence is not a fee. |
| Austria Red-White-Red Card | Points and employer-declaration route with AMS assessment. | €228-€363 | €218 application fee; €0 points and labour-market gate; €41,580 salary evidence remains a category condition. |
- Australia points calculator
- Subclass 189 guide
- Subclass 190 guide
- Subclass 491 guide
- Skills in Demand guide
- 189 cost-to-complete
- 190 cost-to-complete
- 491 cost-to-complete
- Skills in Demand fees
- Australia salary thresholds
- Singapore S Pass cost
- New Zealand AEWV cost
- New Zealand SMC cost
- Austria RWR cost
- Austria RWR calculator
- Cost-to-complete JSON feed
- How our skilled-route cost figures compare
Source dates: Australia cost and salary data checked 1 July 2026; comparator cost rows checked 1 July 2026. Latest source record in this cluster: 1 July 2026. This cluster supports retrieval and review, not ranking, traffic, AI-citation or market-share outcome claims.
What it actually costs
A source-linked budget for a from-scratch four-year subclass 482 Skills in Demand nomination: the applicant visa charge, employer sponsor and nomination fees, SAF levy range, salary evidence under CSIT or SSIT plus AMSR, English, health, character, biometrics, skills-assessment exposure, and family scaling.
Money you don't get back
A$10,381-A$13,335
Mandatory fees, services and one month of insurance.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
A$79,423
For Core Skills nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, pay must be no less than the Annual Market Salary Rate and no less than the Core Skills Income Threshold of AUD 79,423.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
A$146,576
Use this instead of the Core Skills threshold for Specialist Skills nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. The salary must also meet AMSR.
| Cost line | Amount | Type | When / who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Business Sponsor application | A$420 | Gov fee | Employer-side cost where the business is not already an approved Standard Business Sponsor. Home Affairs says employers must pay sponsor costs and cannot transfer them to the visa holder or family. Home Affairs - cost of sponsoring |
| Skills in Demand nomination application fee | A$330 | Gov fee | Employer-side subclass 482 SID nomination fee. Home Affairs says nomination costs cannot be transferred to the visa holder or family. Home Affairs - cost of sponsoring |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy for 4-year SID nomination | A$4,800-A$7,200 | Gov fee | For a four-year Skills in Demand nomination: AUD 1,200 per year or part year for businesses under AUD 10m turnover, or AUD 1,800 per year or part year for other businesses. Paid up front and not transferable to the worker. Home Affairs - cost of sponsoring |
| Visa application charge (main applicant) | A$4,015 | Gov fee | Home Affairs current pricing table lists AUD 4,015 for the main applicant in the Core Skills, Specialist Skills and Labour Agreement streams from 1 July 2026. Home Affairs - current visa pricing table |
| Core Skills salary evidence (CSIT and AMSR) | A$79,423per annual salary | Proof of funds | For Core Skills nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, pay must be no less than the Annual Market Salary Rate and no less than the Core Skills Income Threshold of AUD 79,423. Home Affairs - salary requirements |
| Specialist Skills salary evidence (SSIT)(optional) | A$146,576per annual salary | Proof of funds | Use this instead of the Core Skills threshold for Specialist Skills nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. The salary must also meet AMSR. Home Affairs - salary requirements |
| Approved sponsor and nomination gate | A$0 | Service | The worker cannot use subclass 482 without a nomination by an approved sponsor for an eligible skilled position. Home Affairs - Skills in Demand visa |
| Occupation or labour-agreement stream gate | A$0 | Service | Core Skills uses the Core Skills Occupation List; Specialist Skills is limited by ANZSCO major-group exclusions; Labour Agreement cases must be nominated under the agreement. Home Affairs - Skills in Demand visa streams |
| Relevant work experience gate | A$0 | Service | Core and Specialist stream pages require at least 1 year of relevant work experience; the Labour Agreement stream generally requires at least 12 months in the last 5 years unless the agreement says otherwise. Home Affairs - Skills in Demand visa streams |
| Skills assessment where required(optional)· indicative | A$0-A$1,200 | Service | Required for some occupations, nationalities and stream rules. Assessing-authority costs vary by occupation and are separate from Home Affairs charges. Home Affairs - skills assessment requirement |
| English-language test· indicative | A$410-A$520 | Service | Home Affairs requires applicants to meet English requirements unless exempt; approved test prices vary by provider and location. Home Affairs - English language visa requirements |
| Health checks· indicative | A$350-A$650 | Service | Home Affairs lists health checks as a possible additional cost; panel-physician fees vary by country and exam components. Home Affairs - health requirement |
| Police certificates / character documents· indicative | A$56-A$200 | Service | Character evidence may include Australian and overseas police certificates; costs vary by country and fingerprint route. Home Affairs - character requirements for visas |
| Biometrics collection where requested(optional)· indicative | A$0-A$120 | Service | Conditional on country, applicant history and collection channel. Home Affairs - biometrics |
| Document translation / certification(optional)· indicative | A$0-A$300 | Service | Conditional: only needed where documents are not in English or a credential/occupation authority requires certified copies. Country-specific - verify by document language and assessing authority |
| Adult dependant visa application charge(optional) | A$4,015per adult | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line for each adult additional applicant. Home Affairs - current visa pricing table |
| Child dependant visa application charge(optional) | A$1,005per child | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line for each child additional applicant. Home Affairs - current visa pricing table |
| Subsequent temporary application charge(optional) | A$700per applicant where it applies | Gov fee | Conditional on application history. Not included in the baseline first-application case. Home Affairs - current visa pricing table |
Baseline sunk cost models a from-scratch four-year Core Skills nomination for one main applicant: new sponsor application, nomination fee, small-to-large business SAF levy range, main applicant visa application charge, one English test, health check range and police-certificate range. Employer-side sponsor, nomination and SAF costs are included for total-route budgeting but Home Affairs says they cannot be passed to the visa holder or family. The Core Skills salary threshold is shown separately as refundable salary evidence, not a fee paid away. Optional dependants, Specialist Skills threshold, skills assessment, biometrics, translations and the subsequent temporary application charge are excluded unless applicable. Last checked 1 July 2026.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This cost model is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite Visa Atlas for the compiled sunk/refundable split and cite each linked authority or provider source for the underlying line item.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) cost-to-complete model", https://visaatlas.org/cost-to-complete/australia-subclass-482-skills-in-demand. Last verified 1 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/cost-to-complete
Primary and supporting sources (10)
- Home Affairs - cost of sponsoring
- Home Affairs - current visa pricing table
- Home Affairs - salary requirements
- Home Affairs - Skills in Demand visa
- Home Affairs - Skills in Demand visa streams
- Home Affairs - skills assessment requirement
- Home Affairs - English language visa requirements
- Home Affairs - health requirement
- Home Affairs - character requirements for visas
- Home Affairs - biometrics
FAQs
What does the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) actually cost to complete?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are A$10,381-A$13,335 in the current model. Separately, refundable proof-of-funds requirements are A$79,423. The line table explains each item and source.
Is proof of funds a sunk cost?
No. Proof of funds is money you must show, hold or block. It can still be a cash-flow barrier, but it is different from application fees, document costs and insurance payments that you do not normally get back.
Why are some lines marked indicative?
Some third-party costs vary by country, provider and document count. Those lines use a range and are marked indicative so they are not confused with a single government tariff.