Australia Skills in Demand Visa (Subclass 482) from Pakistan 2026

Published September 21, 2026 · by Hijrat — visa consultants, Islamabad & Rawalpindi

Australia has quietly become one of the more realistic skilled-work destinations for Pakistanis, but the visa most people still call the “457” or “TSS” no longer exists under those names. Since late 2024 the employer-sponsored route is the Skills in Demand (SID) visa, subclass 482, and its salary thresholds and charges were both indexed on 1 July 2026. Here is how the route works from Pakistan.

You cannot apply on your own

This is the single point that costs Pakistani applicants the most money. Subclass 482 is an employer-sponsored visa: an approved Australian business must nominate you for a genuine, full-time position before you can lodge anything. There is no self-sponsored version, no “open work permit” and no way to buy a sponsorship. Any agent offering a guaranteed Australian work visa without naming a real employer is selling you nothing. If you want a route that does not need a sponsor, look at points-tested skilled migration instead, which is a separate and much longer process.

What the Core Skills stream asks for

1. Your occupation must appear on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), which covers roughly 456 occupations.
2. At least one year of relevant full-time work experience in that occupation or a closely related field, gained in the previous five years.
3. A skills assessment where your occupation or nationality requires one.
4. English of at least IELTS 5.0 in each component, or an accepted equivalent. Pakistani passport holders are not in the exempt group, so the test is compulsory.
5. A salary that meets both the Core Skills Income Threshold — AUD 79,499 from 1 July 2026 — and the annual market salary rate for that role in that location, whichever is higher.
6. Health checks, police clearance and character requirements. Our guide to the police character certificate in Pakistan covers how to obtain yours.

Costs in 2026

From 1 July 2026 the visa application charge for the Core Skills stream is around AUD 4,015 for the main applicant and for each dependant aged 18 or over, with a lower charge of about AUD 1,005 for children under 18. These charges are indexed each July, so check the current figure before you lodge.

Several costs sit with the sponsor rather than you: the Skilling Australians Fund levy is AUD 1,200 per year of sponsorship for small businesses and AUD 1,800 per year for larger ones, paid at nomination. On top of the government charge you should budget for IELTS, a skills assessment, the panel medical, police certificates and document attestation and translation.

How long it takes

Plan for six to fourteen months from the employer starting their sponsorship application to a visa grant, depending on the stream, the occupation and how complete the employer’s paperwork is. Nomination and visa stages are assessed separately, and an incomplete nomination is the usual reason a file sits still.

Documents to prepare from Pakistan

Australian case officers expect clean, verifiable evidence. That means degrees and diplomas attested through HEC or IBCC and then MOFA, employment letters on company letterhead with dates, salary and duties, payslips or bank statements matching those letters, and certified English translations of anything issued in Urdu. Reference letters that merely confirm employment, without describing duties, are the most common weak point in Pakistani applications.

If Australia is not the right fit, our visa services page sets out the work routes we handle for the UK, Europe and the Gulf, and our attestation services apply whichever country you choose.

Australian visa rules, occupation lists, salary thresholds and charges change frequently and are indexed each July; every decision rests with the Australian Department of Home Affairs. This article reflects information available on the date of publication — confirm current requirements with Hijrat or the Department before you lodge or pay any fee. Hijrat is not a registered Australian migration agent and does not provide Australian immigration advice.