In August our commercial team reviewed a template offer letter for a logistics client. It promised sponsorship under the Temporary Skill Shortage visa. That visa closed to new applications in December 2024. The client had not missed anything dramatic. Nobody had told it which changes were law and which were talk. This note lists the changes in force as at 2 September 2026, what each replaced, and which of your documents it touches. Nothing here is a prediction.
In short: Five reforms landed between March and December 2024, and every charge was re-indexed on 1 July 2026. The 482 charge is now $4,015, the 186 charge is $6,140 and the review fee is $3,727.
The six changes, in date order
| Date | Change | What it replaced | Document to update |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2024 | Genuine student requirement for subclass 500. | Genuine temporary entrant test. | Student statements and any employer support letter. |
| 14 October 2024 | Administrative Review Tribunal. | Administrative Appeals Tribunal. | Review deadline diary and a $3,727 fee line. |
| November 2024 | Two years with the sponsor for the 186 transition stream. | Three years. | Retention plans and contract terms. |
| December 2024 | Skills in Demand visa, subclass 482. | Temporary Skill Shortage visa. | Offer templates, sponsorship clauses, salary bands. |
| December 2024 | National Innovation visa, subclass 858. | Global Talent visa. | Executive and founder recruitment plans. |
| 1 July 2026 | Indexation of charges and thresholds. | The 2025-26 figures. | Budgets, quotes and invoices. |
Each of these sits in a registered instrument or on the Home Affairs site. That is our test for whether a change is real. An announcement is not law until the instrument is registered, and a consultation paper is not law at all.
What changed for you
The 482 now runs in three streams set by salary and occupation. The Core Skills stream uses a single list of 456 occupations with a floor of $79,423. The Specialist Skills stream starts at $146,576 for most occupations outside trades. The Labour Agreement stream continues. A worker can transition to the 186 after two years with you, not three. For senior hires with an international record, the National Innovation visa replaced Global Talent at $6,235.
The two year rule means the permanent application comes a year sooner than it did. The age line of 45 at lodgement has not moved, so the earlier date matters more for anyone in their forties. A worker who leaves a sponsor now has a longer period to find a new one before the visa is at risk. The charges are $4,015 for the 482 and $6,140 for the 186.
Review is now at the Administrative Review Tribunal. The fee is $3,727, halved to $1,863.50 in financial hardship and partly refunded if the decision is set aside. Deadlines still run from notification and the Tribunal cannot extend them. Student refusals are reassessed against the genuine student requirement, not the old test. See our note on review after a refusal.
Which document are you holding?
What is on your desk right now?
The employer side of the ledger
Most published charge tables list what the applicant pays. Sponsors budget on the other column. These are the 2026-27 figures.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Standard business sponsorship | $420 |
| 482 nomination charge | $330 |
| 186 nomination charge | $540 |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, 482, per year of visa | $1,200 under $10 million turnover, otherwise $1,800 |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, 186, one off | $3,000 under $10 million turnover, otherwise $5,000 |
| Core Skills Income Threshold | $79,423 |
| Specialist Skills Income Threshold | $146,576 |
None of the sponsor charges can be recovered from the worker. A contract clause that tries is void and is also a sponsor obligation breach. Our contracts note sets out the clauses that survive.
What did not change
Stability is easy to miss in a list of reforms. The partner visa is still a two stage process at $11,710. Standard business sponsorship still comes before any nomination. Labour market testing still needs 28 days of advertising within the 4 months before nomination. Sponsor obligations, record keeping and the ban on cost recovery apply as before. The 186 age line of 45 at lodgement is unchanged. The plan for a 482 holder is therefore the same plan as last year, brought forward by twelve months. We set it out in the two year plan.
Documents to update this quarter
Charges are indexed every 1 July, so any application planned for the second half of 2027 should expect a higher figure. The occupation list is reviewed from time to time. Beyond those two certainties we do not forecast. When an instrument is registered, the migration practice updates its pages and the commercial practice updates the templates that depend on them.
Figures verified against Home Affairs visa pricing as at 1 July 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Do staff who still hold a Temporary Skill Shortage visa need a new visa?
No. Existing visas continue on their original terms until they expire. The next application, whether a further 482 or a 186, is made under the current rules.
Does the two year transition rule apply to workers who started before November 2024?
Yes. The rule is tested when the nomination and visa are lodged, not when the 482 began. Time already served with the sponsor counts towards the two years.
Which charge applies to an application lodged in June 2026?
The charge in force on the day of lodgement. An application lodged before 1 July 2026 paid the 2025-26 figure, and one lodged after pays the 2026-27 figure.
Is the Global Talent visa still open?
No. It closed to new applications in December 2024. The National Innovation visa under subclass 858 took its place, by invitation, with a main applicant charge of $6,235.
Does a refusal from 2024 go to the AAT or the ART?
The ART. Matters before the AAT moved to the Administrative Review Tribunal on 14 October 2024, and every new review application is made there.
General information as at 2 September 2026. Not legal advice. Settings change by registered instrument, and your position depends on your facts. Speak to a lawyer before relying on any of it.