On 1 October a software developer in Australia on a Temporary Graduate visa posted in r/AusSponsorship. Employers were showing "genuine interest" in their experience. "The problem is that once the conversation gets to sponsorship, things usually go quiet." They didn't want to "spend time doing multiple interview rounds only to find out at the end that they don't sponsor."
The top answer: "Put it on your resume that you require sponsorship and only those open to it will interview. You'll see your interview rate drop close to zero. But it saves wasting everyone's time." Another person did the opposite. They said nothing until their 485 visa had a few months left, and the employer sponsored them because "finding a new person to fill in the rolls was more expensive". A reply called that "a huge gamble".
Whichever way you go, the conversation goes better if you've done the homework first. When an employer asks "what would we have to do?", you want answers, not "I'll find out".
1. Know your occupation and whether it's on the list
A 482 is tied to a specific occupation, identified by an ANZSCO code. For the Core Skills stream, the occupation has to be on the Core Skills Occupation List. Home Affairs' skilled occupation list page shows, for each occupation, the code, any caveats, which lists it's on, and "the assessing authority for skills assessments".
Find your occupation, write down the code, and note the assessing authority. When we read the page on 13 November 2026 it was marked as unpublished in its header, so check the date on whatever list you use.
2. Find out whether you need a skills assessment
For some occupations, especially trades, an assessing authority has to confirm your skills. The Facebook groups are full of people asking each other about it: "Did you self-apply for TRA fitter assessment? I have around 3 years of experience as a Fitter", or "can someone please review my statement of service which had been signed am just nervous on outcome".
Even people further along get confused. Someone applying under the Far North Queensland DAMA wrote that the skills assessment asked for "either a cert 2 or a year full time employment but other sources say 2 years". A person who had recently been through a DAMA 482 in the Kimberley replied that they passed the skills assessment on a degree plus employment the assessor counted, and that it "was a lot of prep for each employer".
Whether you need an assessment for a 482 depends on your occupation and stream. We couldn't confirm the rule from an official Home Affairs page when we wrote this, so check with the assessing authority for your occupation. Assessments take time and cost money, which is why it helps to start before an employer asks.
3. Check your English test
Law firm websites we read give different English levels and accepted tests for the 482, and we couldn't confirm them from an official page. So we don't quote a score here. Check the current requirement on the Home Affairs site for your stream, and check whether your existing test result is still valid.
4. Gather proof of your work experience
The guides we read disagree on how much experience you need, so check the official requirement for your stream and occupation. Whatever the number, you'll need evidence: contracts, payslips, and reference letters on company letterhead that show your dates, hours and duties.
Mixed work histories cause the most worry. The person in Far North Queensland had "2.5 years mixed full/part time (seasonal job) and a mix of payslips and contractor (abn) invoices" and wasn't sure it would count. If that's you, ask the assessing authority or a registered migration agent how your evidence would be treated, before you need it.
5. Know the salary threshold, from the official page
Home Affairs' "Salary requirements to nominate a worker" page (last updated 21 September 2026, read by us on 13 November 2026) says:
- Core Skills Income Threshold: A$79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. It was A$76,515 the year before.
- Specialist Skills Income Threshold: A$146,576 for the same period.
- For jobs paying under A$250,000, the employer also can't pay you less than the annual market salary rate, which is what an Australian doing the same work would be paid. Both that rate and your pay have to be at least the threshold.
Don't take the number from a forum. In one r/AusVisa thread in March, one person said "the 482 threshold went up this week to $79,499" and another replied "No thats from 1 July 2026". The second person was right about the date, but the official figure from 1 July 2026 is A$79,423, not $79,499. Other websites publish other numbers again. The thresholds are indexed every year, so check the official page.
If an ad's salary is below the threshold, that's a quick sign the job, at that pay, may not suit a Core Skills nomination. A missing salary tells you nothing.
6. Know your own visa dates
How long you have left on your current visa changes the conversation. In that October thread, one reply simply asked how much time they had left on their 485 visa. An employer needs time to advertise, nominate and wait for a decision.
Don't plan around forum guesses about processing times. In one r/AusVisa thread in October, one person said their 482 was granted in a week in 2024, and another replied that it can now take up to a year. Home Affairs publishes current processing times. Write down your visa expiry date and your work conditions, so you can answer in one line.
Then, the line to use
Put it where the employer will see it, at the top of your CV or in your first message:
I'm on a [visa] until [date]. I would need a 482 sponsor for [occupation, ANZSCO code]. I've [completed / started] my skills assessment with [assessing authority], and I have [English test result].
Short, with dates, and nothing to chase up.
Before all of it: never pay for a sponsor
If someone asks you for money in return for sponsorship, that is against the law, for you as well as them. See our scams post.
Where FindSponsor fits
Once you know your occupation and where you want to work, set up a free alert. We'll email you new jobs from employers that appear on the sponsor list, with the lines from each ad that mention visas. Or search free any time.
This is general information, not migration advice. For advice on your own situation, talk to a registered migration agent. You can check an agent is registered on the OMARA register.