Skilled Visa Income Threshold to increase again in July 2025
On 24 March 2025, the Australian Government announced that the Skilled Visa Income Threshold will again be indexed on 1 July 2025, resulting in a 4.6% increase which is in line with changes to the annual Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE).
In particular, the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) and Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) will be increasing increasing from AUD73,150 to AUD76,515 on 1 July 2025. This means that going forward, in the absence of an income concession, overseas workers will now have to be paid at least AUD76,515 in their nominated position to be eligible for an employer-sponsored or employer-nominated visa, such as for the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa, the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (Subclass 494) visa and the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) visa.
Additionally, the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) will be increasing from AUD135,000 to AUD141,210, which means that overseas workers will now have to be paid at least AUD141,210 in their nominated position to be eligible for a Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa in the Specialist Skills stream.
Notwithstanding the new Skilled Visa Income Thresholds, overseas workers will generally also have to be paid the Annual Market Salary Rate for their nominated occupation (which may be higher than the Skilled Visa Income Thresholds) to be eligible for an employer-sponsored or employer-nominated visa.
Evolution of Visa Programs and Skilled Income Thresholds
The skilled migration program associated with its various income thresholds has undergone significant changes over the years:
The Temporary Work (Skilled) (Subclass 457) Visa utilised the TSMIT as a salary threshold to ensure skilled migrants received adequate remuneration.
On 18 March 2018, the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) (Subclass 482) Visa replaced the Subclass 457 Visa while continuing the use of the TSMIT to set minimum salary requirements for skilled migrants.
On 7 December 2024, the Skills in Demand Visa (Subclass 482) Visa replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) (Subclass 482) Visa, renaming the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) as the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) as applicable to the Core Skills Stream of the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) Visa. The TSMIT continues to apply to the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Subclass 494) Visa.
On 7 December 2024, a Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) was introduced, being a higher income threshold that applies to the Specialist Skills Stream of the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) Visa.
Historical and Upcoming Overview of Skilled Visa Income Thresholds Adjustments
2009: The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) was introduced on 14 September 2009, initially set at AUD45,220.
2013: The TSMIT was increased to AUD53,900 and remained unchanged for a decade.
July 2023: The TSMIT was increased from AUD53,900 to AUD70,000.
July 2024: The TSMIT was increased from AUD70,000 to AUD73,150.
December 2024: The TSMIT was renamed the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) for the new Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) Visa, and remained at AUD73,150. A Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) was also introduced for the new Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) Visa, set at AUD135,000.
July 2025: The CSIT will be increased from AUD73,150 to AUD76,515, and the SSIT will be increased from AUD135,000 to AUD141,210.
Our immigration lawyers at Inclusive Migration have extensive experience in advising prospective migrants to Australia about their employer-sponsored, skilled migration and family migration options in Australia. In particular, we have assisted business sponsors and prospective migrants with navigating employer-sponsored visa changes over the past few years, including the replacement of the previous Temporary Work (Subclass 457) visa with the Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482) visa, which has now been replaced by the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa.
Should you wish to discuss your eligibility for migration to Australia through employer-sponsored and/or general skilled migration pathways, please do not hesitate to email info@inclusivemigration.com.au, submit an enquiry using the contact form on our website or send us a message on WhatsApp.
