On 21 July the Department of Home Affairs refreshed its guidance for the new Skills-in-Demand (subclass 482) visa, confirming that the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) and Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) will rise each 1 July in line with the National Skills Commission wage price index. The current TSMIT sits at A$79,423, up from A$76,515, and will serve as the floor salary for most employer-sponsored nominations lodged after 1 July 2026. The update answers a key question for multinational employers who budget salaries across multi-year assignment cycles: whether future indexation would be automatic or subject to political discretion. Automatic indexation provides cost-certainty but will require HR teams to monitor annual adjustments and update global mobility cost-projections accordingly. Companies that lodged nominations before 1 July are grandfathered at the old threshold, but any subsequent variations—such as changing occupation codes—will trigger the higher minimum. Employers operating under Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs) must also comply with the updated figure unless a concession is explicitly written into their deed. Practically, hiring managers should review current and pipeline salaries for foreign candidates to ensure they meet both the new TSMIT and any market-salary-rate tests. Failure to adjust contracts could delay visa approval or expose sponsors to infringement notices. Mobility professionals should also educate assignees on potential personal-tax implications if base salaries are lifted to meet threshold changes.
Source: Department of Home Affairs
