Skills in Demand Visa: Worker Mobility, the 180-Day Job Search Window & Start-Up Sponsorship (Updated 2026)
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Quick answer: Beyond its three salary-based streams, the Skills in Demand visa introduced meaningful worker-mobility reforms confirmed ahead of its 7 December 2024 launch: time spent with any approved sponsoring employer counts toward permanent residency, the window to find a new employer after ceasing work extended from 60 to 180 days, simplified Labour Market Testing, and expanded eligibility for venture capital-backed start-ups to become accredited sponsors. All of these were implemented as announced. |
In a comprehensive Migration Strategy, the Department of Home Affairs has announced a number of significant updates – primarily focusing on skilled migration and streamlining processes with an aim to boost the economy and bring temporary skilled migration numbers back down to pre-pandemic levels.
Skills in Demand Visa Australia:
The Skills in Demand Visa replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482) visa on 7 December 2024. The new Skills in Demand visa Australia is a 4-year temporary skilled visa consisting of three streams targeting applicants at different skill levels in various industries.
- Specialist Skills Pathway – Attracting highly skilled workers: The Specialist Skills Pathway will no longer rely on skilled occupation lists, will require a minimum salary threshold of $146,576, and provide a fast 7-day processing time.
- Core Skills Pathway – To meet targeted workforce needs: The largest pathway for temporary skilled migrants, featuring a regularly updated occupation list and minimum earnings of at least at the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) which was previously the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) , now $79,423 as at 1 July 2026.
- Essential Skills Pathway (Replaced by the Labour Agreement Stream) – For Employers that have a Labour Agreement in place.
Why mobility mattered as much as the salary streams
Most coverage of the Skills in Demand visa’s December 2023 announcement focused on the headline three-stream salary structure. Just as consequential for visa holders were a set of worker-mobility reforms designed to reduce the leverage a single sponsoring employer holds over a visa holder’s ability to stay in Australia – all of which were implemented alongside the visa’s 7 December 2024 launch.
PR-qualifying time is now portable across employers
Time spent working for any approved sponsoring employer counts toward the permanent residency-qualifying period, rather than resetting or being lost when a visa holder changes sponsors. This directly reduces the incentive for a visa holder to stay in a poor working situation purely to avoid restarting their PR clock – a genuine structural improvement over the old 482 system.
180-day window to find a new sponsor
The period during which a visa holder can remain in Australia and look for a new sponsoring employer after ceasing work extended from 60 days to 180 days. This is the same 180-day figure referenced elsewhere in relation to lodging a new nomination after changing employers – the extension gives visa holders considerably more breathing room than the old 60-day window allowed, particularly relevant if a role ends unexpectedly.
Simplified Labour Market Testing
The mandatory requirement to advertise on Workforce Australia specifically was removed, simplifying the Labour Market Testing process for employers.
Start-ups gained accredited sponsor access
The accredited sponsor program – which offers a streamlined nomination and visa process – was expanded to include venture capital-backed start-ups, not just large, established employers. This matters directly for the founders and scaleups Techvisa works with: it removes a structural disadvantage that early-stage companies previously faced when competing for the same talent as larger, better-resourced employers.
Does changing sponsoring employers reset my permanent residency clock?
No – under the Skills in Demand visa, time with any approved sponsoring employer counts toward the PR-qualifying period, so changing employers doesn’t force you to start over.
How long do I have to find a new sponsor if I stop working for my current employer?
180 days, extended from the previous 60-day window when the Skills in Demand visa launched in December 2024.
Can early-stage, VC-backed start-ups become accredited sponsors?
Yes – this eligibility was expanded specifically to include venture capital-backed start-ups as part of the Skills in Demand visa reforms, giving them access to the same streamlined sponsor pathway as larger employers.
Do employers still need to advertise on Workforce Australia for Labour Market Testing?
No – that specific mandatory requirement was removed as part of the SID reforms, though Labour Market Testing itself remains required for most nominations outside the Specialist Skills stream.
VIDEO UPDATE:
GET IN TOUCH with our team of experts if you have any questions regarding the updates[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
