From July 1st 2025, income thresholds for several skilled visa categories in Australia will increase by 4.6%.
The Department of Home Affairs announced the changes on March 24th 2025, and align with adjustments to the annual Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE).
The new thresholds apply to various employer-sponsored visa streams and are part of the Australian Government’s Migration Strategy.
The Australian Government Department of Home Affairs says the changes follow recommendations from the 2023 Migration Review. The goal is to keep income thresholds in line with national wage growth and support the proper operation of skilled migration programs.
New Thresholds for Key Visa Streams
The Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) will increase from AUD 73,150 to AUD 76,515. This change will apply to nomination applications for the Core Skills stream of the Skilled Work Regional (Subclass 491) visa and the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) visa.
The Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) will rise from AUD135,000 to AUD141,210. This adjustment will affect nomination applications under the Specialist Skills stream of the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa.
The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) will also increase from AUD73,150 to AUD76,515, aligning it with the CSIT. The revised TSMIT will apply to nominations for the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (SESR) (subclass 494) and the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) (subclass 187) visas.
Applications Must Meet Market or Threshold Salary
From July 1st 2025, employers submitting nomination applications must ensure the nominated role meets either the new income threshold or the annual market salary rate, whichever is higher. This requirement will be applied to all new nominations from that date.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, the changes are structured to protect local labour standards while supporting Australia’s need for skilled workers.
The updated income thresholds will not affect visa holders whose applications were submitted before July 1st. Employers and migrants with existing nominations will remain under the conditions in place at the time of application.
