Australia: Subclass 482 is replaced by the Skills in Demand (SID) visa (from 18 April 2026)

What changed On 18 April 2026, new legislation formally repealed the Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa and replaced the pathway with the Skills in Demand (SID) visa, structured as three streams. If you are researching employer sponsorship, old "482" checklists and occupation lists are now potentially misleading — you need SID-specific rules. The three streams (conceptual) • Specialist Skills — for very high earners, above a government-set annual earnings threshold (public reporting cites figures around A$141,210; confirm the current year's number on the official instrument). • Core Skills — tied to a consolidated occupation list and standard sponsorship processes for mainstream skilled roles. • Essential Skills / labour agreement — for sectors with negotiated arrangements (e.g. parts of care and primary industries). In-flight applications If you had already lodged a 482 and it was not decided by the transition date, the case is generally transferred to the equivalent SID stream — but your migration agent (MARA-registered) should confirm how your nomination lines up under the new lists and earnings tests. Implications for students If your post-graduation plan was "get sponsored on a 482," that label is dead. The question is now which SID stream your occupation, salary, and employer line up with — and how that pairs with the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) step. Sources: Home Affairs and legislative instruments; public summaries (e.g. legal and migration press from 19–20 April 2026). Do not use pre-April-2026 PDFs for sponsorship steps without checking them against SID.