Before you start

For the 482: a job offer from an employer holding or applying for Standard Business Sponsorship
For state nomination: an occupation on South Australia's skilled occupation list and a positive skills assessment
At least one year of relevant experience in that occupation or a closely related one
Minimum English proficiency, unless exempt or concessioned under the DAMA
An Expression of Interest in SkillSelect for the points-tested routes

Step-by-step

1
Work out which of the three routes fits you
Employer sponsorship (482) is fastest and needs a job offer. State nomination (190 or 491) needs no employer but needs points and an occupation on SA's list. The two Designated Area Migration Agreements cover approved employers filling roles the standard programs cannot, with concessions on English, work experience, age and the income threshold.
OnlineWho: You
2
Get a skills assessment from the relevant authority
State nomination requires a positive assessment from the assessing authority for your occupation — Engineers Australia, ACS, VETASSESS, AHPRA and so on. Start this early; it is usually the longest lead item after police certificates.
OnlineWho: YouCommonly 6–12 weeks≈AUD 500–1,200 depending on the authority
3
Lodge the Expression of Interest and apply to Skilled & Business Migration SA
SA nomination runs through SkillSelect plus a separate state application with its own criteria, quotas and closing dates. Graduates of South Australian universities and people already working in SA are given clear priority in most streams.
OnlineWho: You
4
Or have your employer lodge a 482 nomination
For the sponsored route, your salary must clear both the Annual Market Salary Rate for the role in Adelaide and the Core Skills Income Threshold, which rose to AUD 79,423 on 1 July 2026 — unless a DAMA salary concession applies to your employer and occupation.
Via employerWho: Your employer
5
Complete health examinations and police certificates
Medicals go through a Home Affairs panel physician. Police certificates are needed for every country you lived in 12 months or more over the last decade and are consistently the slowest item.
In personWho: You and any family included2 weeks to 3 months by country
6
Lodge through ImmiAccount and verify with VEVO after arrival
Attach documents, pay the charge, then use VEVO whenever an employer, agent or bank asks for proof of status and work rights. Nothing is collected in person and there is no residence card.
OnlineWho: YouUse the official Visa Pricing Estimator — charges are indexed each 1 July

Documents you’ll need

Passport valid for the intended stay
Skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority
Employer nomination reference, or a South Australian nomination invitation
Evidence of at least one year of relevant experience
English test results, unless exempt or concessioned
Panel physician health examination results
Police certificates for every country lived in 12+ months in the last decade

Things most newcomers don’t know

Adelaide is a designated regional area, so you get regional migration benefits while living in a capital city.

Only Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane sit outside regional Australia. Every South Australian address qualifies. That is 15 extra points for a regional nomination on the 491, priority processing, and eligibility for streams the big three cities cannot touch — without moving to a country town. For a points-tested applicant this is often the difference between a viable application and no application at all.

Source: Home Affairs — designated regional areas

The South Australian DAMAs are a genuine alternative when the standard programs say no.

South Australia runs two Designated Area Migration Agreements — the statewide South Australian Regional Workforce Agreement and the Adelaide City Technology and Innovation Advancement Agreement — which let approved employers sponsor occupations that are not on the national lists, with concessions on English, work experience, age and a reduction to the income threshold for some roles. They are heavily used in aged care, hospitality, agriculture and construction. Both are in transition: the current agreements have been extended to 30 September 2026 while the state and the Commonwealth negotiate a single new five-year statewide DAMA, so confirm the terms in force before you rely on them. If a recruiter says your occupation is ineligible, ask specifically whether they are a DAMA-endorsed employer before accepting that answer.

Source: Move to South Australia — Designated Area Migration Agreements

Studying or already working in South Australia moves you up the queue substantially.

SA's nomination criteria give clear preference to graduates of South Australian institutions and to applicants already living and working in the state, often with lower work-experience or English requirements than offshore applicants in the same occupation. The practical consequence is that a year on the ground here changes your eligibility materially, in a way it does not in New South Wales.

Source: Skilled & Business Migration South Australia — nomination requirements

The salary floor moved to AUD 79,423 on 1 July 2026 for the standard 482.

The Core Skills Income Threshold is indexed annually, up from AUD 76,515. Adelaide salaries sit below Sydney and Melbourne for equivalent roles, which means the threshold binds more often here — a role that comfortably clears it in Sydney can sit under the line in Adelaide. Check the number against the offer, and ask whether a DAMA concession applies.

Source: Home Affairs — nomination salary requirements

Common mistakes to avoid

Discounting Adelaide as 'just a smaller Melbourne' without pricing in the 15 regional points, which are frequently decisive.
Accepting that your occupation is ineligible without checking whether the employer is DAMA-endorsed.
Assuming state nomination follows automatically from having an Adelaide job — it is a separate application to a separate government with its own quotas.
Applying an Australian-average salary expectation to the Core Skills Income Threshold when Adelaide pay for the same role is often lower.
Leaving skills assessments and overseas police certificates until after the nomination, when both routinely take longer than the visa decision.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.