If you’re planning to sponsor overseas talent in the next financial year, your salary budgets may need adjusting.
From 1 July 2026, the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) and Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) will increase for Subclass 482 and Subclass 186 visas.
These thresholds are not discretionary and they do not require a new announcement or legislative instrument each year. They are automatically indexed under regulation 5.42A of the Migration Regulations using updated Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE) data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The November 2025 AWOTE figures have now been published, which means the 2026–27 thresholds are set.
From 1 July 2026, the new thresholds will be:
- CSIT: $79,499 (up from $76,515)
- SSIT: $146,717 (up from $141,210)
These updated amounts will apply to all relevant Subclass 482 and Subclass 186 applications lodged on or after 1 July 2026.
Why this matters for employer sponsors
For many businesses, particularly those operating with tight remuneration bands or enterprise agreements, even modest indexation increases can affect:
- Workforce planning and headcount approvals
- Budget forecasting for FY26–27
- Nomination strategy under the Core Skills and Specialist Skills streams
- Timing decisions for upcoming visa lodgements
If a role’s guaranteed annual earnings fall below the new threshold at the time of lodgement, the nomination will not meet criteria. There is no discretion on this point.
For employers preparing sponsorship applications in Q4 of this financial year, the key question is timing. Lodging before 30 June 2026 may allow you to rely on the current thresholds. Lodging from 1 July 2026 will require compliance with the new indexed figures.
Practical next steps
- Review any planned 482 or 186 nominations scheduled for mid-2026
- Reconfirm guaranteed annual earnings against the new thresholds
- Align internal remuneration approvals early to avoid delays
- Factor indexation into long-term migration workforce strategy
Annual indexation is now a structural feature of the skilled migration framework. It is not a one-off increase and should be treated as an ongoing planning variable in any sponsorship strategy.
If you would like support reviewing how the 2026–27 thresholds impact your organisation’s sponsorship pipeline, contact the Roam Migration Law team.
