Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
482 Labour Agreement stream vs 482 Core Skills stream
The Core Skills stream is the standard 482: a listed occupation, the threshold salary, labour market testing unless exempt, and an approved Standard Business Sponsor nominating directly. The Labour Agreement stream is the 482 under an agreement the employer holds or is endorsed under, an industry agreement, a designated area agreement, an on-hire agreement, a project agreement or a company-specific one, with the concessions the agreement grants on occupation, salary, English, age or experience and in most cases no labour market testing. An employer whose role fits the standard rules nominates in Core Skills; an employer whose role or worker misses them by a margin an agreement covers uses the agreement, after the time it takes to get one.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Needs
- An approved Standard Business Sponsor, a listed occupation, the threshold salary · A labour agreement in place: industry, DAMA, on-hire, project or company-specific
- Occupation
- The Core Skills Occupation List · The agreement’s own occupations, often outside the lists
- Concessions
- None · As the agreement grants: salary, English, age, experience, occupation
- Labour market testing
- Required unless exempt · Not required under most agreements
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About the CPD →Side by side
| 482 Labour Agreement stream | 482 Core Skills stream | |
|---|---|---|
| Needs | An approved Standard Business Sponsor, a listed occupation, the threshold salary | A labour agreement in place: industry, DAMA, on-hire, project or company-specific |
| Occupation | The Core Skills Occupation List | The agreement’s own occupations, often outside the lists |
| Concessions | None | As the agreement grants: salary, English, age, experience, occupation |
| Labour market testing | Required unless exempt | Not required under most agreements |
| Time to first nomination | Weeks after sponsorship approval | Months to get the agreement, then nominations |
| Charge | $4,015 primary applicant | $4,015 primary applicant |
| Path to PR | 186 transition stream after 2 years | 186 labour agreement stream on the agreement’s terms, sometimes with age concessions |
| Watch out | The occupation and the threshold with no give | The agreement’s ceilings, reporting and term |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
The Core Skills stream is the standard 482: a listed occupation, the threshold salary, labour market testing unless exempt, and an approved Standard Business Sponsor nominating directly. The Labour Agreement stream is the 482 under an agreement the employer holds or is endorsed under, an industry agreement, a designated area agreement, an on-hire agreement, a project agreement or a company-specific one, with the concessions the agreement grants on occupation, salary, English, age or experience and in most cases no labour market testing. An employer whose role fits the standard rules nominates in Core Skills; an employer whose role or worker misses them by a margin an agreement covers uses the agreement, after the time it takes to get one.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
482 Labour Agreement stream or 482 Core Skills stream — which is better?
The Core Skills stream is the standard 482: a listed occupation, the threshold salary, labour market testing unless exempt, and an approved Standard Business Sponsor nominating directly. The Labour Agreement stream is the 482 under an agreement the employer holds or is endorsed under, an industry agreement, a designated area agreement, an on-hire agreement, a project agreement or a company-specific one, with the concessions the agreement grants on occupation, salary, English, age or experience and in most cases no labour market testing. An employer whose role fits the standard rules nominates in Core Skills; an employer whose role or worker misses them by a margin an agreement covers uses the agreement, after the time it takes to get one.
What is the main difference between the 482 Labour Agreement stream and the 482 Core Skills stream?
Needs: 482 Labour Agreement stream — An approved Standard Business Sponsor, a listed occupation, the threshold salary; 482 Core Skills stream — A labour agreement in place: industry, DAMA, on-hire, project or company-specific. Occupation: 482 Labour Agreement stream — The Core Skills Occupation List; 482 Core Skills stream — The agreement’s own occupations, often outside the lists. Concessions: 482 Labour Agreement stream — None; 482 Core Skills stream — As the agreement grants: salary, English, age, experience, occupation.
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