Anyone searching for the Subclass 482 Core Skills Visa Cost is usually asking one of two different questions: how much does the applicant actually pay, or how much does the employer have to spend to sponsor them? At Kangaroo Migration Consultants, we answer both separately, because conflating them is one of the most common and costly misunderstandings we see. Home Affairs is explicit that an employer’s sponsorship, nomination and Skilling Australians Fund levy obligations can never be transferred to the visa holder or their family. This guide breaks down the current 482 Core Skills requirements cost picture for both sides, from the base visa charge through to the expenses the official pricing estimator doesn’t cover at all.
The Applicant’s Visa Application Charge
As of 1 July 2026, the base Visa Application Charge for the Core Skills stream sits at AUD 4,015 for the primary applicant and any accompanying dependent aged 18 or over, with AUD 1,005 for each dependent under 18. This figure is genuinely a starting point rather than a fixed universal bill individual circumstances, family composition, and whether you’re applying from inside or outside Australia can all change your exact charge, and applicants lodging onshore may also face a Subsequent Temporary Application Charge of around AUD 700 per person on top of the base fee.
Because these figures are indexed and can shift, always confirm the exact current amount through the official Visa Pricing Estimator immediately before you lodge, rather than relying on any article, including this one.
What the Visa Fee Doesn’t Cover
This is the part that catches most applicants off guard. The official pricing estimator explicitly excludes several categories of cost that are nonetheless mandatory for most applications: English testing, health examinations, police certificates, biometrics, document translation, and for certain occupations a formal skills assessment. None of these are optional extras in the sense of being avoidable; they’re simply billed separately, by different providers, rather than folded into the government charge. Treating AUD 4,015 as your total migration budget is one of the most common planning mistakes applicants make, and it’s worth building a realistic total from the outset rather than discovering these costs one at a time as requests arrive.
482 Visa Cost for Family Members
Adding a spouse brings the same adult charge of roughly AUD 4,015, since partners and other dependents aged 18 or over are billed at the primary applicant rate, while each child under 18 adds approximately AUD 1,005. Beyond the government charge itself, each family member included in the application generally needs their own medical examination and, where relevant, their own police certificates so a family of four isn’t simply the base fee multiplied by family size; it’s the base fee plus multiple children’s charges plus multiplied medical and character-check costs across every person included.
Employer Sponsorship, Nomination and the SAF Levy
On the employer side, becoming an approved Standard Business Sponsor costs AUD 420 a one-off charge valid for five years that can support multiple nominations rather than being paid per worker while nominating a specific position costs a separate AUD 330 each time, payable again for every new role or occupation change. The Skilling Australians Fund levy sits on top of both: businesses with an annual turnover under AUD 10 million pay around AUD 1,200 per year (or part year) of the visa’s proposed length, while larger businesses pay around AUD 1,800 per year, meaning a standard four-year Core Skills sponsorship can see an employer’s SAF levy alone reach roughly AUD 4,800 to AUD 7,200 depending on business size.
Critically, Home Affairs is explicit that employers must absorb the sponsorship application, nomination and SAF levy costs themselves, they cannot require the visa holder or their family to cover them, directly or indirectly.
Skills Assessment, English Test and Medical Costs
Not every Core Skills applicant needs a formal skills assessment; it depends on the specific occupation and circumstances but where one is required, the fee is paid separately to the relevant assessing authority (VETASSESS, TRA or another occupation-specific body) and is never included in the AUD 4,015 visa charge. English testing works the same way: IELTS, PTE Academic and other accepted tests each set their own fee, and unless a specific exemption applies to your circumstances, this is a standalone cost on top of everything else.
Medical examinations are billed per person through an approved panel physician so again, a family application multiplies this cost by the number of people involved and any document not already in English, whether an Indian education certificate or an employment record from another country, needs a proper translation that’s also a separate expense.
Don’t Confuse the Salary Threshold With the Visa Fee
This is worth stating plainly because the two get mixed up constantly in casual searches: the Core Skills Income Threshold, currently AUD 79,423 for nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, is a minimum salary the employer must pay the sponsored worker it has nothing to do with the government visa application charge, and confusing the two leads to wildly inflated or deflated cost expectations. The employer must also satisfy the Annual Market Salary Rate requirement, paying whichever of the two figures is higher, but neither of these numbers is money that changes hands with the Department they’re eligibility and employment conditions, not fees.
Calculating Your Realistic Total
A sensible way to frame this is three separate totals rather than one number: your own applicant cost (visa charge, plus English testing, skills assessment where required, medical, police certificates, biometrics and translation), the employer’s cost (sponsorship, nomination and SAF levy), and, if you’re using one, any professional migration agent fee on either side.
Adding family members multiplies several of these categories rather than just the base charge, and applying from a country like India or Japan adds its own location-specific costs for medicals, police certificates and translations rather than a flat surcharge our Australia PR cost breakdown covers how this budgeting approach extends to permanent pathways too, which matters if your 482 is a step toward PR down the line.
FAQs
How much does the Subclass 482 Core Skills Visa cost in 2026?
From 1 July 2026, the base visa application charge for the Subclass 482 Core Skills stream is AUD 4,015 for the primary applicant and each accompanying dependent aged 18 or over. Dependents under 18 are charged AUD 1,005 each, while additional costs may apply depending on individual circumstances.
What additional costs are involved in a Subclass 482 Core Skills Visa?
The visa application charge does not include expenses such as English testing, medical examinations, police certificates, biometrics, document translations or a skills assessment where required. Applicants should budget for these costs separately when calculating their total 482 visa expenses.
How much does an employer pay to sponsor a Subclass 482 Core Skills worker?
Employer costs can include the Standard Business Sponsorship fee, nomination fee and Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy. The article states that these employer-side costs must be paid by the employer and cannot be transferred to the sponsored worker or their family.
Does the 482 Core Skills salary threshold count as part of the visa cost?
No. The Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) is a salary requirement, not a visa fee. For nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, the article states the CSIT is AUD 79,423, with the employer also needing to meet the applicable Annual Market Salary Rate requirement.
Does the Subclass 482 Core Skills Visa cost more if I include family members?
Yes. Each accompanying dependent aged 18 or over attracts the adult visa application charge, while children under 18 attract the applicable child charge. Additional expenses such as medical examinations and police certificates may also increase when family members are included.
Final Thoughts and Your Next Step
The headline AUD 4,015 figure is real, but it’s the starting point of your own cost, not the full financial picture family charges, English testing, skills assessment, medicals, police certificates and translation all add to what you’ll actually spend, while your employer carries an entirely separate set of sponsorship, nomination and SAF levy obligations they’re legally required to cover themselves. If you’re unsure which costs apply to your specific occupation, family size or employer arrangement, Kangaroo Migration Consultants can walk through your realistic total budget before you commit get in touch today so there are no surprises partway through your application.