Before you start

For the 482: a job offer from an employer holding or applying for Standard Business Sponsorship
Your occupation on the Core Skills Occupation List, or on the WA skilled migration occupation list for state nomination
At least one year of relevant experience in that occupation or a closely related one
A skills assessment, where your occupation and nationality require one
Minimum English proficiency, unless exempt

Step-by-step

1
Decide which of the two tracks you are on
Employer sponsorship (482) is faster and needs a job offer. WA state nomination (190 or 491) is slower, needs no employer, and carries the regional advantage. Many people run both. They have different lists, different criteria and different governments assessing them.
OnlineWho: You
2
Employer secures sponsorship and lodges the nomination
For the 482 route, nothing can start until the employer is an approved sponsor. Your salary must clear both the Annual Market Salary Rate for Perth and the Core Skills Income Threshold, which rose to AUD 79,423 on 1 July 2026. WA resources employers sponsor constantly and generally know the process well.
Via employerWho: Your employer
3
Or lodge an Expression of Interest for WA state nomination
State nomination runs through SkillSelect plus a separate WA application. The State Nominated Migration Program lists which occupations are open and whether Perth-based or regional-WA-based applicants are prioritised in each stream.
OnlineWho: You
4
Sit an English test and get a skills assessment
IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced and OET are accepted. State nomination almost always requires a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority even where the 482 might not.
In personWho: YouSkills assessments commonly take 6–12 weeksEnglish test ≈AUD 400–460; skills assessment ≈AUD 500–1,200 by authority
5
Complete health examinations and police certificates
Medicals go through a panel physician in your current country. Police certificates are needed for every country you lived in for 12 months or more in the last decade, and they are almost always the slowest item.
In personWho: You and any family included2 weeks to 3 months by country
6
Lodge through ImmiAccount and verify on arrival with VEVO
Attach documents, pay the charge, then use VEVO in Australia whenever an employer, agent or bank needs proof of your status and work rights. Nothing is collected in person.
OnlineWho: YouUse the official Visa Pricing Estimator — charges are indexed each 1 July

Documents you’ll need

Passport valid for the intended stay
Employer nomination reference, or a WA state nomination invitation
Skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority
Evidence of at least one year of relevant experience
English test results, unless exempt
Panel physician health examination results
Police certificates for every country lived in 12+ months in the last decade

Things most newcomers don’t know

Perth is designated regional Australia for skilled migration. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are not.

Only those three cities are excluded from regional Australia. Perth sits in Category 2 — cities and major regional centres — which means a regional nomination here earns 15 extra points on the subclass 491, opens streams closed to Sydney addresses, and lets you satisfy the 491 residence requirement while living in a capital city with a million-plus population. For many applicants this is the single most consequential fact in choosing between Australian cities.

Source: Home Affairs — designated regional areas

WA's occupation list is broader than most states because the labour shortage is real.

The State Nominated Migration Program consistently opens occupations that other states close, particularly in trades, engineering, health and construction, precisely because the resources and defence build-out has outrun local supply. An occupation that is hopeless for NSW nomination is often viable for WA, and checking the WA list before assuming you have no state route is a ten-minute exercise that changes outcomes.

Source: Migration WA — State Nominated Migration Program occupation lists

The salary floor moved to AUD 79,423 on 1 July 2026.

The Core Skills Income Threshold is indexed annually, up from AUD 76,515. In WA there is a second trap: FIFO and site roles are often quoted with allowances and site uplifts that may or may not count toward the guaranteed annual earnings tested against the threshold. Ask the sponsor to confirm which components are guaranteed in writing.

Source: Home Affairs — nomination salary requirements

Your right to remain on a 482 follows the sponsor, and the resources cycle is volatile.

You may work only for the sponsoring employer or an associated entity, and a limited window applies to find a new sponsor if the role ends. WA's economy moves with commodity prices and project phases more sharply than the eastern states, so the redundancy scenario is worth negotiating explicitly before you sign.

Source: Home Affairs — subclass 482 visa conditions

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming Perth is a metropolitan exclusion like Sydney and Melbourne — it is regional for migration purposes and that is worth 15 points.
Applying only through an employer when the WA state nomination list would have opened a permanent route in parallel.
Counting FIFO allowances toward the Core Skills Income Threshold without confirming they form part of guaranteed annual earnings.
Booking an English test before checking whether your passport or occupation exempts you.
Leaving overseas police certificates until the nomination is approved, when they typically take longer than the visa decision.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.