Skilled visa
income thresholds.
A clearer salary plan.
Understand the current minimums for employer-sponsored nominations, how market salary fits and what to check before you lodge.
Current rates.
Clearer planning.
The applicable threshold depends on the visa and stream. These are annual amounts for the nomination period below; the proposed role and other nomination requirements still need to fit.
Core Skills Income Threshold
- Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) Core Skills stream
- Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) Relevant nominations
Specialist Skills Income Threshold
- Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) Specialist Skills stream
Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold
- Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494) Relevant nominations
Also used for eligible legacy Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (subclass 187) nominations.
All figures are annual AUD amounts before tax. Threshold comparisons exclude compulsory superannuation and non-monetary benefits. This guide explains standard salary requirements; approved labour agreement concessions, exemptions and higher-earnings cases require a separate check.
Where does TSMIT fit now?
TSMIT remains relevant to subclass 494 and applicable legacy subclass 187 nominations. For the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), the Core Skills stream uses CSIT and the Specialist Skills stream uses SSIT. CSIT also applies to relevant Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) nominations. The names matter, even where the dollar amounts match.
The threshold is one check.
Market salary is another.
The annual market salary rate (AMSR) reflects what an equivalent Australian worker earns, or would earn, for the same full-time work at the same workplace and location. For the standard salary test:
- The AMSR must meet the applicable income threshold.
- The worker’s qualifying monetary pay must meet that threshold.
- The worker must not be paid less than the AMSR.
If the market salary is $86,000.
| 2026–27 CSIT | AUD79,423 |
|---|---|
| Assumed market salary | AUD86,000 |
| Pay needed for this comparison | At least AUD86,000 |
This example illustrates the standard salary comparison only. It does not assess a visa, role, occupation caveat or exemption.
A lower market salary needs a closer look.
If the assessed AMSR is below the relevant threshold, increasing the offered pay alone does not fix the standard test. Both figures need to meet the applicable threshold. Higher-earnings cases and approved labour agreement arrangements may operate differently.
The headline figure
is only the start.
Separate guaranteed monetary earnings from superannuation, benefits and variable payments before comparing the offer with a visa threshold.
Guaranteed cash pay
Check salary and any fixed cash allowances against the earnings rules. Qualifying guaranteed overtime may count; do not assume every payment in a package qualifies.
Compulsory superannuation
Keep compulsory superannuation outside the threshold comparison. A package quoted as “including super” needs to be broken into its components.
Accommodation and benefits
Non-monetary benefits, such as accommodation or a car, cannot fill a shortfall in the monetary threshold. Assess these separately.
Variable pay and reimbursements
Do not rely on amounts that cannot be determined in advance, such as uncertain commissions, bonuses or overtime. Expense reimbursements are excluded from earnings.
Start with the
nomination date.
The threshold applied to a nomination depends on when that nomination application is lodged. The date a contract was signed or a visa application was lodged is not a substitute for the nomination lodgement date.
An earlier nomination?
Check the threshold and any transitional rules that apply to the actual lodgement date. The figures below are historical reference amounts.
View the earlier rates
| Nomination period | CSIT | SSIT | TSMIT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 2025 to 30 Jun 2026 | $76,515 | $141,210 | $76,515 |
| 7 Dec 2024 to 30 Jun 2025 | $73,150 | $135,000 | $73,150 |
All amounts are AUD per year. TSMIT was also AUD73,150 from 1 July 2024. CSIT and SSIT commenced on 7 December 2024. Older nominations require a date-specific check.
Review the approved arrangements and ongoing sponsor pay obligations before changing salary, hours, role or employer. The original threshold alone does not settle those questions.
Put the salary
evidence together.
A practical review connects the role, the market rate, the employment terms and the nomination timing.
-
Define the role and location
Confirm the duties, occupation, hours and work location. Salary evidence needs to match the actual position.
-
Support the market rate
Use the applicable industrial instrument or award classification, equivalent Australian-worker records and other relevant evidence. Where there is no equivalent worker, the supporting market evidence needs to fit the role and location.
-
Check the contract and the date
Separate each pay component, compare the correct threshold and AMSR, and check any occupation-specific caveats or agreement terms before lodging.
Build the salary plan
around the role.
Talk through your proposed position, pay arrangements and employer-sponsored visa options with our team.
Information checked 12 November 2026 against Home Affairs guidance. This is general information; the relevant visa stream, nomination rules and individual circumstances determine what applies.