In its 6 February episode, SBS Indonesian interviewed registered migration agent Betsy Koffell about Australia’s new Skills-in-Demand (SID) visa, the policy centrepiece of the Migration Strategy that came into force on 7 December 2024 and is now filtering through casework. The SID visa consolidates the old Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) and Global Talent pathways into three streams – Core Skills, Specialist Skills and Essential Services – each with distinct salary thresholds and mobility rights.
Key takeaways include the reduction of required pre-application work experience from two years to one, four-year stay periods (up from two under the 482), and a seven-day processing target for high-earning specialists.
Companies needing practical assistance to capitalise on these updates can turn to VisaHQ: its online platform walks HR teams and assignees through every step of the Australian visa process, provides real-time status tracking, and flags document requirements early, all via https://www.visahq.com/australia/
![SBS podcast unpacks Skills-in-Demand visa replacing subclass 482]()
Crucially for employers, holders may change sponsors within 180 days without a new nomination, enhancing labour-market flexibility.
Koffell advised companies to audit existing 482 sponsorships: some employees may be eligible to ‘port’ into SID streams that offer faster permanent-residency pathways via the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186). She also flagged tougher English-language baselines (IELTS 5/PTE 36) and the merging of occupation lists into a single Core Skills Occupation List.
For global mobility managers, the podcast underscores that legacy 482 policies are being phased out; budget forecasts should account for higher minimum salaries (set at AUD 76,515 for Core stream roles) and shorter lead times for urgent hires.
SBS will publish an English-language explainer next week; interested stakeholders can access the Indonesian-language audio via the SBS Audio app.
Key takeaways include the reduction of required pre-application work experience from two years to one, four-year stay periods (up from two under the 482), and a seven-day processing target for high-earning specialists.
Companies needing practical assistance to capitalise on these updates can turn to VisaHQ: its online platform walks HR teams and assignees through every step of the Australian visa process, provides real-time status tracking, and flags document requirements early, all via https://www.visahq.com/australia/
Crucially for employers, holders may change sponsors within 180 days without a new nomination, enhancing labour-market flexibility.
Koffell advised companies to audit existing 482 sponsorships: some employees may be eligible to ‘port’ into SID streams that offer faster permanent-residency pathways via the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186). She also flagged tougher English-language baselines (IELTS 5/PTE 36) and the merging of occupation lists into a single Core Skills Occupation List.
For global mobility managers, the podcast underscores that legacy 482 policies are being phased out; budget forecasts should account for higher minimum salaries (set at AUD 76,515 for Core stream roles) and shorter lead times for urgent hires.
SBS will publish an English-language explainer next week; interested stakeholders can access the Indonesian-language audio via the SBS Audio app.
