Temporary Skill Shortage Visa

Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa — What It’s Called Now

If you have been searching for the Temporary Skill Shortage visa, the key point is that it closed to new applications on 7 December 2024. It was replaced by the Skills in Demand (SID) visa, which retained the Subclass 482 number but introduced a different stream structure and updated eligibility requirements. New employer-sponsored applications are now made under the Skills in Demand framework.

We keep this page updated because a lot of people, understandably, are still searching for “TSS visa” — it was the name of this visa for years, and old advice, old forum posts, and even some outdated agency websites still reference it. At Auslife Migration Consultants, we’d rather tell you plainly that it’s changed than let you draft an application against rules that no longer apply.

Is the TSS Visa Still Available?

No — the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa closed to new applications on 7 December 2024 and was replaced by the Skills in Demand (SID) visa, which retains the Subclass 482 number. If you’re an employer or an overseas worker starting a new sponsorship process now, you’re applying under the Skills in Demand framework, not the old TSS rules.

This is more than a change of name. The streams, occupation arrangements and salary thresholds changed, so employers and workers should not prepare a new application using old TSS guidance.

What Replaced the TSS Visa?

The Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa replaced the TSS visa’s old Short-term and Medium-term streams with a new three-stream structure: Core Skills, Specialist Skills, and Labour Agreement. The visa subclass number, 482, didn’t change — only the internal structure, eligibility criteria, and stream names did.

What Changed From TSS to Skills in Demand

• Occupation framework — the former TSS Short-term and Medium-term streams were replaced. The current Core Skills stream uses the Core Skills Occupation List, while the Specialist Skills stream applies separate occupation and salary rules. Labour Agreement nominations continue to depend on the terms of the relevant agreement.
• Income thresholds — for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, the Core Skills Income Threshold is AUD $79,423. The annual market salary rate and the worker’s guaranteed annual earnings must generally meet the threshold, and the worker must not be paid less than an equivalent Australian worker.
• Specialist Skills stream — this stream does not use the Core Skills Occupation List, but it is limited to eligible occupations within specified ANZSCO major groups. For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, the Specialist Skills Income Threshold is AUD $146,576. Salary alone does not make a position eligible.
• Permanent residence pathway — the Subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream usually requires at least two years of eligible full-time sponsored employment in Australia during the three years immediately before application. Separate age, English, nomination and visa requirements also apply.

What Stayed the Same

• It’s still an employer-sponsored visa — you need a genuine job offer and an approved (or approvable) sponsor, exactly as before
• The Labour Agreement stream is essentially unchanged from its TSS equivalent
• English, health and character requirements continue to apply, but the exact criteria should be checked against the rules in force when the visa application is lodged.

If You Already Hold a TSS Visa

If you were granted a TSS visa before December 2024, it remains valid until its original expiry date — you don’t need to do anything or switch visas early. The change only affects new applications. When your current TSS visa is due for renewal or you’re ready to apply for permanent residency, that next step happens under the current Skills in Demand framework, not the old TSS rules.

This is a common point of confusion we clear up with clients — holding an old TSS visa doesn’t put you at any disadvantage, but it does mean your next application (renewal, PR, or otherwise) needs to be prepared against today’s requirements, not the ones that applied when you first got the visa.

How to Apply for the Current Employer-Sponsored Work Visa

The Three Streams Under Skills in Demand

• Core Skills Stream — uses the Core Skills Occupation List. For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, the Core Skills Income Threshold is AUD $79,423, together with annual market salary rate requirements.
• Specialist Skills Stream — does not use the Core Skills Occupation List, but is limited to eligible occupations within specified ANZSCO major groups. The Specialist Skills Income Threshold is AUD $146,576 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
• Labour Agreement Stream — for employers with a formal, negotiated agreement with the Australian Government, largely unchanged from the old TSS equivalent

Which stream applies to you depends on your occupation and salary offer, and we check this before anything else — matching the wrong stream at the nomination stage is one of the most common reasons applications stall for months.

How Long Does It Take, and What Does It Cost?

Processing times vary by stream and by the circumstances of the employer and worker. A case may involve sponsorship, nomination and visa stages, and each stage can be affected by document completeness and further enquiries. The Department’s current online processing-time guide should be checked rather than relying on a fixed timeframe.

Government visa charges apply per stream and are separate from any sponsorship or nomination fees your employer pays — we confirm the exact figures for your specific case during your eligibility check, since fees are reviewed periodically and vary by circumstances.

Our Process — What Happens After You Contact Us

1. Free initial eligibility check — we confirm which current stream applies to you (Core Skills, Specialist Skills, or Labour Agreement) based on your occupation and salary offer, and correct any assumptions carried over from old TSS information.
2. Employer sponsorship review — if your employer isn’t an approved sponsor yet, we walk through what that process involves and the realistic timeline.
3. Nomination and application preparation — we prepare your nomination and individual visa application against current requirements, not outdated TSS criteria.
4. Lodgement and follow-up — we lodge your application and manage any Department requests through to a decision.
5. PR pathway planning — if permanent residency is the goal, we map your route through the Subclass 186 two-year pathway from the outset.

Why Work With an Immigration Lawyer in Melbourne

A large amount of outdated information remains online under the TSS name. An application based on old stream names, occupation lists or salary figures may be prepared against requirements that no longer apply. An Immigration Lawyer can identify the current framework and advise the employer and worker on the sponsorship, nomination and visa requirements.

Why Families and Workers Choose Auslife

• Operating since 2007, with our Melbourne office open since 2008
• 2,160+ families and individuals guided through their Australian migration journey
• Led by an Australian Immigration Lawyer who is also a qualified solicitor in Malaysia
• Two offices — Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne
• Multilingual team, fluent in English, Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, and Indonesian

We do not guarantee visa outcomes. What we do is assess the application against the current Skills in Demand requirements rather than the former TSS rules.

Book Your Free Eligibility Assessment

If you’ve had a job offer and aren’t sure whether the old TSS information you’ve found still applies, book a free eligibility check with our Melbourne team and we’ll confirm exactly where things stand.