What is Australia's Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) — Core Skills stream?

Sponsored workers with an Australian employer. Replaced the old TSS/457 route and is the main employer-sponsored path. It lasts up to 4 years, renewable, with full mobility to change sponsors within 180 days if employment ends. Permanent residence via the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) after 2 years with the sponsor, or by switching to a points-tested route. Citizenship needs 4 years of lawful residence including 1 year as a permanent resident.

What is Australia's Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)?

Skilled workers with no employer and no state nomination. Permanent residence granted directly, on points. It lasts permanent from grant — a five-year travel facility on a permanent visa. It *is* permanent residence. Citizenship follows the 4-year rule.

What is Australia's Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)?

Points-tested applicants willing to commit to a particular state or territory, which nominates them. It lasts permanent from grant. It is permanent residence.

GlobeQuest

Moving from Panama to Australia

What your passport gets you at the border — and what it takes to actually stay.

Panama

AustraliaShort stay

e-Visa

Panama passport holders need an e-visa for Australia, applied for online before travelling.

This is short-stay visitor policy only. It does not let you work, study or settle in Australia — that needs a residence permit.

Passport Index · updated 17 February 2026Australia's official immigration service

Long stay

How you actually move to Australia

Work / sponsoredHigh confidenceVerified July 2026

Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) — Core Skills stream

Sponsored workers with an Australian employer. Replaced the old TSS/457 route and is the main employer-sponsored path.

What you need

Nomination by an approved sponsor for an occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List
Salary at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold — AUD 79,499 from 1 July 2026, up from AUD 76,515 — *and* at the market rate for the role
At least 1 year of relevant work experience
English at the required level, plus skills assessment for some occupations
Health and character checks

How long it lasts: Up to 4 years, renewable, with full mobility to change sponsors within 180 days if employment ends.
Path to permanent residence: Permanent residence via the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) after 2 years with the sponsor, or by switching to a points-tested route. Citizenship needs 4 years of lawful residence including 1 year as a permanent resident.
Cost: Home Affairs publishes charges through its dynamic pricing table rather than a fixed schedule, and secondary sources disagree — use the official Visa Pricing Estimator for your exact amount. The employer separately pays the Skilling Australians Fund levy.
Processing time: Highly variable by stream and occupation; check the current published processing times.

Worth knowing

The CSIT is a floor, not a target: you must also be paid the market rate, so in high-paying occupations the market-rate test binds instead.
The threshold is indexed every 1 July under regulation 5.42A, against ABS average earnings. A nomination lodged before the increase is assessed against the old figure, which makes timing matter around June — and makes any bare number, including this one, a snapshot.
The Core Skills stream is one of three. The Specialist Skills stream needs no occupation list at all — eligibility turns purely on a guaranteed salary at or above the Specialist Skills Income Threshold, AUD 146,717 from 1 July 2026. If your offer clears that, the Core Skills Occupation List stops being your problem, and a great many senior hires never check.
The 180-day window to find a new sponsor is a real improvement over the old 60 days — it makes this visa far less precarious than its predecessor.
Superannuation is compulsory and you can claim it back when you leave, but not intact. The Departing Australia Superannuation Payment is taxed at 35% on the taxed element, 45% on any untaxed element, and a flat 65% if you have EVER held a 417 or 462 working holiday visa — including for years spent on a 482. Budget against the net, not the balance on the statement.

Sources:Department of Home Affairs — Visa finder Home Affairs — Visa Pricing Estimator ATO — Departing Australia superannuation payment tax rates

Work / sponsoredHigh confidenceVerified July 2026

Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)

Skilled workers with no employer and no state nomination. Permanent residence granted directly, on points.

What you need

An occupation on the relevant skilled list, plus a positive skills assessment from the assessing authority
At least 65 points on the points test — age, English, experience, qualifications, partner skills, study in Australia
Under 45 at the time of invitation
Competent English at minimum; higher scores earn more points
An Expression of Interest in SkillSelect, then an invitation

How long it lasts: Permanent from grant — a five-year travel facility on a permanent visa.
Path to permanent residence: It *is* permanent residence. Citizenship follows the 4-year rule.
Cost: Use the official Visa Pricing Estimator; skills assessment and English tests are additional and non-trivial.
Processing time: Invitation rounds govern the front end; grant processing follows published service standards.

Worth knowing

65 points makes you eligible, not competitive. Actual invitation cut-offs for popular occupations have run far higher, and eligibility without an invitation is worth nothing.
The age cut-off at 45 is hard, and points decline from 33 onward — this route rewards applying early.
A skills assessment is a separate, slow, paid process with its own authority per occupation. Start it before anything else.

Sources:Home Affairs — SkillSelect Department of Home Affairs — Visa finder

Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)

Points-tested applicants willing to commit to a particular state or territory, which nominates them.

What you need

The same skills assessment and points test as subclass 189, plus 5 points for state nomination
Nomination by a state or territory, each with its own occupation lists and criteria that change through the year
A commitment to live and work in the nominating state, usually for two years

How long it lasts: Permanent from grant.
Path to permanent residence: It is permanent residence.
Cost: Visa charge via the official estimator, plus any state nomination fee.
Processing time: State nomination first, then federal processing.

Worth knowing

The 5 nomination points are often exactly what closes the gap to an invitation, which is why 190 is the practical route for most applicants who can't clear 189 cut-offs.
State lists and criteria shift mid-year and some close early once allocations are used. Where you apply is a live tactical decision, not a fixed choice.
Regional variants (subclass 491) offer more points again but are provisional, not permanent — check which you are actually being offered.

Sources:Home Affairs — SkillSelect

InvestmentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

National Innovation visa (subclass 858)

People with an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement. Replaced the Global Talent and Business Innovation programmes.

What you need

An invitation to apply — the visa is invitation-only
Evidence of exceptional achievement in a target sector, and prospective economic benefit to Australia
Alignment with Australia's stated national priorities
No points test and no age limit in the usual sense

How long it lasts: Permanent from grant.
Path to permanent residence: It is permanent residence.
Cost: Via the official estimator; the application charge is substantial.
Processing time: Case-by-case, and slow — this is a merit assessment, not a queue.

Worth knowing

'Exceptional and outstanding' is applied strictly. A strong CV is not the bar; international recognition is.
It absorbed the former Global Talent visa, so guidance written before that consolidation is misleading about both eligibility and volume.

Sources:Department of Home Affairs — Visa finder

StudentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Student visa + Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)

International students, and graduates staying on to work.

What you need

Confirmation of Enrolment with a registered provider, plus the Genuine Student requirement
Evidence of funds at the current published level and English at the required score
For the 485 afterwards, a qualifying Australian qualification and age limits

How long it lasts: Course length, then a Temporary Graduate visa of a few years depending on qualification level.
Path to permanent residence: No direct path. The 485 buys time to gain Australian work experience and study points, then compete for 189/190 or find a sponsor for 482/186.
Cost: Student visa charge via the estimator, plus international tuition and Overseas Student Health Cover.
Processing time: Varies by provider risk level and country.

Worth knowing

Student visa charges and Genuine Student scrutiny both increased sharply from 2024, and funds requirements were raised. Pre-2024 guidance understates the cost and difficulty considerably.
Australian study earns points on the skilled routes, which is the real long-game value — but the 485 itself leads nowhere on its own.
Australia has no digital nomad visa; remote work for an overseas employer is not a basis for an Australian visa.
If you spent time on a working holiday visa (417 or 462) before or after studying, every dollar of super you later claim back on departure is taxed at 65% rather than 35% — the higher rate attaches to the person, permanently, not to the period. It is a small decision with a compounding cost.

Sources:Department of Home Affairs — Visa finder Home Affairs — Visa Pricing Estimator ATO — Departing Australia superannuation payment tax rates

On the ground