Is Your Salary High Enough for a 482 or 186 Visa in 2026?

A salary of $80,000 may be enough for one sponsored job but too low for another.

This is because the 2026 visa rules use more than one salary figure. For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026, the employer must check both the relevant income threshold and the usual market salary for the job. In many cases, the higher amount must be paid.

The Core Skills Income Threshold for a subclass 482 Core Skills nomination is $79,423. The Specialist Skills Income Threshold is $146,576. These amounts apply to nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027.

What are the 482 and 186 salary thresholds in 2026?

The nomination date also matters. An employment contract signed in June does not necessarily preserve the earlier threshold if the employer lodges the nomination after 1 July.

Anyone assessing the 482 visa minimum salary after 1 July 2026 should therefore check the intended lodgement date, the visa stream and the way the salary package has been written.

A salary above $79,423 can still be too low

The Core Skills Income Threshold is a floor. It is not a government-approved salary for every occupation.

An employer must also consider the Annual Market Salary Rate, commonly referred to as the AMSR. In simple terms, the salary should reflect what an Australian worker earns, or would earn, for equivalent work in the same business and location.

Take an accountant offered $82,000. The proposed salary clears the Core Skills threshold. But suppose another accountant in the business earns $92,000 for substantially the same duties, hours, qualifications and level of responsibility. The $82,000 offer may still be inadequate.

The gap matters because the market salary test is intended to prevent sponsored workers from being paid less than comparable Australian workers. The employer may need to support its position with the salary of an equivalent employee, an industrial instrument, reliable remuneration data, comparable job advertisements, or other evidence relevant to the role.

The evidence should match the actual position. A broad national salary guide may say little about a small hospitality business in regional Australia or a senior engineering role in central Sydney.

There is also a credibility issue at the other end. A salary that appears unusually high for the duties, business turnover or seniority of the position may prompt questions about whether the role and remuneration are genuine. The potential consequences are discussed further in this guide to 482 nomination refusal risks.

Does superannuation count towards the visa salary threshold?

An offer described as “$85,000 package including super” should not be read as an $85,000 salary without checking the breakdown.

Base salary, guaranteed allowances, compulsory superannuation, overtime, bonuses, commissions and non-cash benefits are not necessarily treated in the same way under the migration rules. Some amounts may be contingent rather than guaranteed. Others may sit outside the earnings used to assess the threshold.

That distinction can change the result.

Before signing, the worker should ask for an employment document showing the base annual salary, ordinary hours, superannuation, guaranteed allowances and any performance-based payments separately. PACE’s sponsored employment contract checklist covers several other terms that should be clear before the nomination proceeds.

Three examples: Is the proposed salary high enough?

Example 1: Below the Core Skills threshold

A chef is offered a base salary of $78,000 for a Core Skills nomination to be lodged in August 2026.

The offer is below the $79,423 threshold. Unless the employer can rely on an authorised concession under a labour agreement or another applicable provision, the nomination would not meet the standard threshold.

Example 2: Above the threshold but below the market rate

A civil engineer is offered $86,000. An equivalent Australian employee in the same business earns $98,000 for comparable work.

The offer exceeds $79,423 but may still fail the market salary test. The relevant comparison is not only the government threshold; it is also the salary attached to the actual position.

Example 3: Both figures appear to be met

A marketing specialist is offered $90,000. The employer has an Australian employee performing comparable duties on the same salary and conditions.

That evidence may support the salary component of the nomination. It does not settle the whole application. The occupation, duties, business need, sponsorship status, and other nomination criteria still need to be satisfied.

What about the subclass 186 visa?

The Employer Nomination Scheme subclass 186 visa is a permanent employer-sponsored pathway. Its streams include Temporary Residence Transition, Direct Entry and Labour Agreement.

A worker moving from a 482 visa to a 186 visa should not assume that the salary accepted for the earlier nomination will automatically be acceptable again.

Time may have passed. The income threshold may have increased. The market salary may have changed. The worker may have moved to a different location, taken on more senior duties or remained on the same salary while comparable employees received increases.

The 482 to 186 permanent residency pathway involves a new nomination assessment. It is not simply the conversion of a temporary visa into permanent residence.

The subclass 482 visa itself now operates through the Core Skills, Specialist Skills and Labour Agreement streams. Home Affairs states that Core Skills and Specialist Skills visa holders may stay for up to four years, with limited concessions applying in some circumstances.

What should be checked before nomination?

The useful questions are fairly specific:

• On what date will the nomination be lodged?
• Which visa stream is being used?
• What is the base salary, excluding amounts that are not guaranteed?
• What does an equivalent Australian worker receive?
• Do the duties, seniority, hours and location support that comparison?
• Is the employer relying on a labour agreement concession, and does the agreement actually provide one?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum salary for a 482 Core Skills visa in 2026?
For a Core Skills nomination lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, the Core Skills Income Threshold is $79,423. The proposed salary must also satisfy the applicable market salary requirements, so $79,423 will not be sufficient where the market rate for the position is higher.

What is the 482 Specialist Skills salary threshold in 2026?
The Specialist Skills Income Threshold is $146,576 for nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027. The nominated occupation must also fall within the occupational parameters of the Specialist Skills stream.

Does the subclass 186 visa have a minimum salary?
Subclass 186 nominations are subject to salary requirements, but the correct test depends on the nomination stream, the position and any applicable exemption or labour agreement. The proposed salary should not be assessed from a single threshold figure without checking those details.

Can superannuation be added to the base salary to meet the threshold?
It should not be assumed that a total package including compulsory superannuation satisfies the income threshold. The base salary and each additional component should be identified separately and assessed under the migration rules. [Source needed for detailed treatment of individual payment types.]

Can an employer nominate a worker below $79,423?
Possibly, but only where a valid concession or other specific provision applies. Labour agreement concessions are not automatic, and the employer must be covered by the relevant agreement and meet its terms. A worker cannot create or claim a labour agreement concession independently.

Need more help? Contact the team at Pace Migration to get started.

Tags: 482 nomination refusal risks, 482 to 186 permanent residency pathway, 482 visa minimum salary after 1 July 2026, sponsored employment contract checklist

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