For Employers · Published 2026-08-18

How to Sponsor a Software Developer on a 482 Visa

If you’ve found the right software developer and they don’t have Australian work rights, you can sponsor them on the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa. The process has three parts: your business must first become an approved Standard Business Sponsor, you nominate the developer role at or above the required salary, and the developer applies for the visa. ICT is consistently among Australia’s most-sponsored fields, and since late 2025 the pathway to permanent residence opens after just two years — which makes sponsorship a genuine retention tool, not just a hiring fix.

This is general information for employers, not personal immigration advice. Figures are as at August 2026 and are indexed and subject to change.

Which 482 stream fits a software developer?

The 482 has three streams:

Core Skills — the usual route for developers. The nominated occupation must be on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) and the salary must meet the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) — approximately $79,423 from 1 July 2026.
Specialist Skills — no occupation list at all, but the salary must meet the Specialist Skills Income Threshold of approximately $146,576 from 1 July 2026 (which changes every financial year). For senior engineers and hard-to-fill specialist roles, this stream can be simpler because the occupation-list question disappears.
Labour Agreement — for businesses with a negotiated agreement with the government; rarely the starting point for a single tech hire.

For most development roles, the practical question is whether the occupation you nominate — commonly Software Engineer (261313), Developer Programmer (261312) or Analyst Programmer (261311), with related codes across ICT Business and Systems Analysts (2611) and computer network and systems roles — is on the CSOL, and whether the duties of your actual position match that code. Choosing the wrong ANZSCO code is one of the most common reasons nominations fail. Our subclass 482 visa page covers the streams in more detail.

What salary do I have to offer?

Two floors apply, and you must clear both:

The income threshold for the stream (CSIT or Specialist Skills threshold), and
The annual market salary rate — what an equivalent Australian employee would earn doing the same job in the same location.

In tech, market rates for experienced developers usually sit well above the CSIT, so the market-rate test is often the operative one. Home Affairs will look at what your Australian developers earn, your job ads, and remuneration data. A hybrid or partly remote arrangement doesn’t remove the market salary obligation — you still benchmark against the role as actually performed.

What does sponsorship cost the business?

As at August 2026:

Standard Business Sponsorship application: about $420 — approved sponsorship usually lasts around 5 years and supports unlimited nominations, so the second hire is cheaper than the first.
Nomination fee: about $330 per nomination.
Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy: $1,200 per year of the visa if your turnover is under $10 million, otherwise $1,800 per year — paid upfront at nomination, and it cannot be recovered from the worker in any form.

The developer pays their own visa application charge unless you choose to cover it. For the full step-by-step process — sponsorship, nomination and visa in order — see our pillar guide on how to sponsor an overseas worker on a 482.

What does the developer need to qualify?

The visa applicant must have at least one year of relevant work experience in the last five years (full-time equivalent), hold the relevant minimum qualification for the role, meet the English language requirement, and pass health and character checks. A formal skills assessment is not required for the 482 visa for software developer occupations.

Can I keep the developer long-term? (The PR pathway)

Yes — and this is the strongest card you hold in a tight tech talent market. After two years of employment with you on the 482 (reduced from three years in late 2025), the developer can generally be nominated for the subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme visa through the Temporary Residence Transition stream. That’s permanent residence while they keep working in your business. Being able to put “PR after two years” in an offer letter is a genuine differentiator against employers who can’t or won’t sponsor.

What are the risks and obligations?

Sponsorship comes with monitoring obligations: paying the nominated salary, keeping records, notifying Home Affairs of changes (role, resignation, restructures), and not recovering sponsorship costs from the worker. Getting the occupation, salary evidence or genuine-position case wrong leads to refusals or requests for information that stall the hire. Because this is a regulated area and thresholds are indexed each July, it’s worth confirming current figures with the Department of Home Affairs or a registered migration agent before you budget.

Sources & last checked: verified August 2026 against the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (skilled occupation list settings). Figures are indexed and subject to change. Start with our full guide to sponsoring an overseas worker on the 482, or talk to us about your specific role.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to sponsor a software developer on a 482 visa?

As at August 2026, the employer pays a Standard Business Sponsorship application fee of about $420 (usually valid for around 5 years, unlimited nominations), a nomination fee of about $330 per nomination, and the Skilling Australians Fund levy of $1,200 per year of the visa if your annual turnover is under $10 million, or $1,800 per year otherwise. The levy is paid upfront and cannot be passed on to or recovered from the worker.

What salary do I have to pay a sponsored developer?

You must pay at least the applicable income threshold for the stream and the annual market salary rate — whichever is higher. As at August 2026 the Core Skills Income Threshold is approximately $79,423 (from 1 July 2026, indexed annually). If an equivalent Australian developer in your business would earn more than the threshold, you must pay that higher market rate.

Which ANZSCO occupation should I nominate for a developer?

Common ICT nominations include Software Engineer (261313), Developer Programmer (261312) and Analyst Programmer (261311), with related options across ICT Business and Systems Analyst (2611) and computer network and systems roles. The right code depends on the actual duties of the position, and the occupation must be on the Core Skills Occupation List for the Core Skills stream — this is worth getting right before you lodge.

Does the developer need a skills assessment?

No — a formal skills assessment is not required for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa for software developer occupations. The developer must still have at least one year of relevant full-time-equivalent experience in the last five years, hold the relevant minimum qualification for the role, and meet English, health and character requirements.

Can a sponsored developer become a permanent resident?

Yes. After two years working for you on the 482 visa (reduced from three years in late 2025), the developer can generally be nominated for the subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme visa through the Temporary Residence Transition stream — permanent residence while staying in your business.

How long does the whole sponsorship process take?

It varies with Home Affairs processing loads, the stream, and how complete the application is. There are three linked applications — sponsorship, nomination and visa — and they can be lodged together. Well-prepared ICT applications tend to move faster; a registered migration agent can help avoid the requests for further information that cause most delays.