Skills in Demand Visa

Current rules

From 1 July 2026: Core Skills Income Threshold: AUD 76,515 Specialist Skills Income Threshold: AUD 141,210 The applicable salary must meet the threshold or the annual market salary rate, whichever is higher. The change applies to relevant new nomination applications. The Core Skills stream requires the nominated occupation to be on the Core Skills Occupation List. The Specialist Skills stream applies to eligible occupations and requires the nominated salary to meet the SSIT.

Overview

The Core Skills and Specialist Skills income thresholds for the Skills in Demand visa have been indexed upward in line with earnings growth.

What changed in the latest version

This change means that applicants for the Skills in Demand visa in the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams must now meet higher income requirements to be eligible. The increased thresholds reflect a broader adjustment to economic conditions, potentially affecting the eligibility of some prospective visa holders and the remuneration strategies of sponsoring employers.

Explained simply

Imagine the Australian government sets a minimum salary you need to earn to get certain work visas, like the Skills in Demand visa. Think of it like a minimum income requirement. Now, they've nudged that number up a bit. This means if you're applying for the Core Skills or Specialist Skills versions of this visa, you'll need to show you're earning a bit more than before. It's like they've updated the 'price tag' for these visas to keep up with how much people are generally earning now.

Version history

1. v2Effective 1 Jul 2026EffectiveMedium impact
   Australia indexes Skills in Demand income thresholds

   The income limits for the Core Skills stream and the Specialist Skills stream of the Skills in Demand visa are now higher. This change matches the growth in earnings.

2. v1Effective 1 Jul 2026EffectiveHigh impact
   Skills in Demand Salary Thresholds Indexed and Core Skills Occupation List Updated

   The Skills in Demand income limits now have new, higher figures. This started on 1 July. The Core Skills Occupation List also changed. This list tells which jobs qualify for certain visas. We changed it after looking at the job market.