Australia Raises Salary Foreign Specialists Must Earn Before Applying for Specialist Skills Visa

• Australia's Department of Home Affairs updated the salary requirement for the Specialist Skills visa stream, effective 1 July 2026
• The new Specialist Skills Income Threshold rose to AUD 146,576 (GH₵1,198,362.97) annually
• Australian employers who sponsor overseas professionals must guarantee the new salary floor before a nomination can proceed

Australia has raised the minimum salary that overseas specialists must earn to qualify for a visa under the Specialist Skills stream of its Skills in Demand programme, setting a new annual threshold of AUD 146,576 (GH₵1,198,362.97) for employer nominations lodged before the end of June 30, 2027.

The Department of Home Affairs confirmed the updated figure as part of its periodic review of the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT), which climbs annually in line with domestic economic conditions.

How the skills in demand visa works

The Skills in Demand visa, known formally as subclass 482, replaced the former Temporary Skill Shortage visa when it launched in December 2024.

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Its Specialist Skills stream differs from conventional skilled migration routes because it does not tie eligibility to a fixed list of approved occupations.

Instead, salary acts as the primary qualifying criterion, meaning that highly paid professionals across a broad range of disciplines may apply, provided an Australian employer is willing to sponsor them at or above the threshold.

That sponsoring employer must demonstrate the remuneration offer meets or exceeds the SSIT during the nomination stage before any overseas candidate can progress with their application.

A steady rise since the visa launched

The income threshold has increased each financial year since the programme began. When the stream first opened in December 2024, the base requirement stood at AUD 135,000 per annum.

It climbed to AUD 141,210 (GH₵1,154,417.57) for the 2025/26 financial year before reaching the current figure of AUD 146,576 (GH₵1,198,285.60), the highest the benchmark has been set since the visa's introduction.

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The progressive adjustments reflect the government's intention to keep the stream aligned with market wages and to ensure that foreign specialists entering Australia under this pathway command genuinely competitive salaries.

For international professionals, the pathway remains an appealing option because it sidesteps the constraints of occupation-specific lists.

However, the rising salary floor means that access to the stream is, in practice, limited to organisations with the financial capacity to offer globally competitive remuneration packages.

Further details on sponsorship requirements and the nomination process are available through the official Australian Department of Home Affairs website.

Australia lists 3 Protection visa categories

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported earlier that Australia's Department of Home Affairs had released updated guidance outlining who qualified for the country's Protection visa.

The department had identified three distinct groups of foreign nationals who were eligible to apply, with strict conditions attached to each category.

Australian authorities had warned that making false statements during the application process could result in fines and up to 10 years in prison.

Source: YEN.com.gh