Labour Market Testing Australia 2026: What It Is and Why Your 482 Nomination Depends on It

In my experience, labour market testing (LMT) is one of the most misunderstood obligations in the entire subclass 482 nomination process. Employers come to me having already lodged poorly structured advertisements, missed critical timeframes, or simply assumed they could skip the requirement altogether. By that point, the damage is often done. A refused nomination means lost time, lost money, and a frustrated overseas worker still waiting to get their visa.

I run between five and ten LMT campaigns every single month from my Campsie office, and I want to share exactly what the requirement looks like in practice — not just the theory from the legislation, but the real-world detail that determines whether the Department of Home Affairs accepts your evidence or sends a frightening Request for Further Information.

What Is Labour Market Testing?

Labour market testing is the process by which a sponsoring employer must demonstrate, before nominating an overseas worker on a subclass 482 Temporary Skill Shortage visa, that they genuinely attempted to recruit an Australian citizen or permanent resident for the position first. The policy intent is straightforward: Australian workers get priority. If no suitable local candidate exists, then — and only then — should the position be filled by an overseas worker.

LMT is a legislative requirement under the Migration Regulations 1994, specifically regulation 2.72C. It is not optional, it is not a formality, and it is absolutely not something you can treat lightly. I have seen nomination applications refused solely because the advertisements lacked a salary range or because the employer could not produce adequate records of applicant responses. Both are entirely avoidable mistakes.

Who Needs to Conduct Labour Market Testing?

Not every nomination requires LMT, but the vast majority do. Here is how to think about it:

• Most standard TSS 482 nominations require LMT — if you are nominating for a medium-term stream or short-term stream occupation, you almost certainly need it.
• International trade obligations may exempt some nominations — if the worker is a citizen of a country with which Australia has a relevant free trade agreement, certain exemptions can apply. This includes citizens of China, Japan, South Korea, and several ASEAN nations, but the exemption is position-specific and must be assessed carefully.
• High-income threshold earners may be exempt — workers earning above the high-income threshold (currently $270,000 per year) are generally exempt from LMT requirements. However, this threshold applies to base salary only, and I always recommend confirming this with a registered migration agent before assuming exemption applies.

If you are unsure whether your nomination needs LMT, do not guess. I have seen employers assume an exemption applied, skip the advertising, and then face a refused nomination they had no way to fix without starting the process over. Book a consultation through my migration services page and we can confirm your obligations within minutes.

The 28-Day Requirement Explained

This is where many employers come unstuck. The advertisements used as LMT evidence must have been published for at least 28 consecutive days, and they must have been published within the four months immediately before the nomination is lodged. Both conditions must be satisfied simultaneously.

Let me put that plainly with a real scenario. I had a client — a hospitality group in Western Sydney — who ran ads for 14 days, decided they had not found anyone suitable, and came to me wanting to nominate their overseas chef immediately. We had to go back and re-run compliant advertising for the full 28 days before I could lodge their nomination. That delay cost them roughly six additional weeks and pushed back the worker’s start date considerably.

The four-month window is also critical. If your advertising finished more than four months before you lodge the nomination, it is expired. I have seen employers recycle old recruitment evidence from twelve months prior thinking it still counts. It does not. You must conduct fresh LMT.

Which Platforms Must You Advertise On?

The Department requires advertising on at least two channels, one of which must be Seek (or an equivalent national recruitment website with a broadly accessible audience). In practice, I always recommend three platforms to give employers the strongest possible evidence base. My standard LMT campaign uses:

• Seek.com.au — this is the mandatory primary platform. A standard job posting costs between $250 and $400 depending on the listing type and location. In my experience, the standard listing is sufficient; you do not need to pay for premium placement.
• LinkedIn Jobs — excellent for professional and trade roles. A standard post costs around $200 to $300 for a 30-day listing. It also generates visible applicant metrics that are useful for your evidence report.
• Indeed or the employer’s own website — I often use Indeed as a third channel at minimal cost (free organic listings are acceptable) or include a careers page posting if the employer has one. This demonstrates broader reach.

Total advertising spend for a compliant LMT campaign typically runs between $450 and $700, depending on platform selection and listing upgrades. This is separate from my professional service fee, which I will cover below.

How to Write a Compliant Advertisement

Writing the advertisement correctly is where I see the most technical failures, and it is something I take very seriously. A compliant LMT advertisement must include all of the following:

• The position title — it must match, or closely align with, the ANZSCO occupation being nominated. A generic title like “kitchen hand” when you are nominating a Cook (ANZSCO 351411) is problematic.
• The duties of the position — enough detail to demonstrate the role is genuine and consistent with the nominated occupation.
• The required skills, experience, and qualifications — these must be reasonable. I have seen employers inflate requirements so that no local candidate could possibly qualify. The Department is alert to this.
• The salary or salary range — this is absolutely mandatory. An advertisement that simply says “competitive salary” or “salary negotiable” is non-compliant. You must include a genuine figure or range, and it must be consistent with the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) of $73,150 per annum and your proposed nomination salary.
• The employer’s identity — anonymous ads are not acceptable.
• The location of the position

I draft every advertisement personally before it goes live. I review the ANZSCO unit group, cross-check the duties, and confirm the salary disclosure meets the current TSMIT. It takes time to do properly, but it eliminates the most common grounds for refusal before we even lodge. You can see the full documentation checklist I work from on my 482 nomination and LMT documents page.

Applicant Tracking: Why You Cannot Ignore It

Running the advertisements is only half the job. You must also track and record every applicant response you receive. The Department expects you to demonstrate that you genuinely considered Australian workers — not just that you published an advertisement and ignored the responses.

My process for applicant tracking during a client’s LMT campaign includes:

• Recording the name, application date, and contact details of every applicant
• Noting the outcome for each applicant — shortlisted, interviewed, rejected, and the reason why
• Retaining copies of applications and CVs (with appropriate privacy handling)
• Documenting interview records where interviews were conducted

I had a client — a regional aged care provider in New South Wales — who received 23 applications during their LMT period. We documented each one, explained why 21 lacked the required qualifications (Certificate III in Individual Support), one declined the role after interview, and one simply never responded to contact attempts. That evidence, presented clearly in the LMT report, gave the Department absolutely no grounds to question the genuineness of the recruitment effort.

The LMT Evidence Report

When I lodge a nomination, I include a structured LMT evidence report as a central document in the submission. This is not a legislative requirement per se — the regulations require evidence, not a specific report format — but in my experience, presenting the evidence in a clear, organised narrative significantly reduces the risk of a Request for Further Information.

My evidence report includes:

• A summary of the advertising campaign (platforms, dates, duration)
• Screenshots of live advertisements with dates visible
• Platform confirmation receipts showing publication dates
• The full applicant register with outcomes and reasons
• A brief statement from the employer confirming the genuine recruitment effort and explaining why no suitable Australian candidate was identified

All of the supporting documents I require from employers before I can compile this report are listed at widen.com.au/482-nomination-documents-lmt/ — I recommend bookmarking that page if you are preparing a nomination in 2026.

My LMT Service Fee

I currently assist employers with five to ten complete LMT campaigns per month, and I offer this as a standalone service or as part of a full 482 nomination package.

My LMT management service — which covers everything from drafting compliant advertisements through to compiling the final evidence report ready for lodgement — is priced at $990 + GST. This does not include the advertising platform costs, which the employer pays directly (typically $450 to $700 as noted above).

For context, a refused nomination costs your business not just the government lodgement fee (currently $330 for the nomination application, non-refundable) but also delays the worker’s arrival, risks their visa status if they are already onshore, and often requires the entire LMT process to be restarted from scratch. Getting the LMT right the first time is not an expense — it is an investment in certainty.

Common Mistakes I See in 2026

Having handled hundreds of 482 nominations over my years of practice, these are the LMT errors I encounter most frequently right now:

• Advertisements missing the salary figure or showing “TBD”
• Advertising on platforms with limited national reach (local Facebook groups, community noticeboards)
• Running ads for 21 or 25 days and assuming close enough is good enough — it is not
• No documentation of applicant responses whatsoever
• Reusing advertising evidence from prior failed nominations
• Advertising for a different position title than the one being nominated

Every single one of these mistakes is avoidable if you engage professional help early. The LMT process is not technically complex, but it requires attention to detail and knowledge of what the Department actually scrutinises.

Final Thoughts

Labour market testing in 2026 is a non-negotiable gateway for most subclass 482 nominations. Done properly, it is a manageable process that takes roughly five to six weeks from first advertisement to evidence compilation. Done poorly, it becomes the reason your nomination is refused and your overseas worker’s plans fall apart.

I am a MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) based in Campsie, Sydney, and I handle LMT campaigns regularly alongside full 482 nomination and visa lodgements. If you are an employer looking to sponsor an overseas worker and you want the LMT done correctly — with compliant ads, thorough applicant tracking, and a clean evidence report — I am available to help. Review the full documentation requirements at widen.com.au/482-nomination-documents-lmt/ and then get in touch to discuss your specific situation.

Keshab Chapagain is a MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) practising in Campsie, Sydney. This article is general information only and does not constitute migration advice. Your circumstances may differ — please seek professional advice before making any decisions regarding visa applications.