The 1 July 2026 shift to a $79,499 CSIT and a $4,015 nomination base charge, what Brisbane Skills in Demand employers actually pay now, and how August 2026 lodgements should be budgeted.
The 2026-27 program year began with two changes that hit Brisbane employers running: Subclass 482 Skills in Demand nominations. From 1 July 2026, the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) moved to $79,499, and the nomination base application charge increased from $3,210 to $4,015. Employers who lodged a nomination on 30 June were captured under the old settings; those who lodged on 2 July were not. This post breaks down what the shift means for a Brisbane employer's SID nomination, how to build a compliant base salary at the new floor, and what a pre-lodgement audit for August 2026 nominations should cover.
Home Affairs applies fee and threshold settings by reference to the date a nomination is validly lodged, as set out on Home Affairs' recent changes page and confirmed in the department's news article on the 2026-27 program year settings. A nomination validly lodged on or before 30 June 2026 is assessed under 2025-26 settings, including the previous CSIT and the previous base charge. A nomination lodged on or after 1 July 2026 falls under the 2026-27 settings.
For an employer with a pipeline that straddled the changeover, two nominations for the same role, prepared in the same week, may be sitting in the Department queue at different fees and different threshold values. This is not unusual; the last fortnight of June has always been a rush period. It does, however, change the cost recovery conversation with the sponsored worker if the employer is charging back permitted costs, and it changes the fee footing on which pre-1 July nominations should be assessed.
The CSIT is the annual base salary floor at which a Skills in Demand nomination sits in the Core Skills pathway. From 1 July 2026, that figure is $79,499, per the Home Affairs' recent changes page. Nominations at or above CSIT sit in the Core Skills band; nominations at or above the Specialist Skills Income Threshold of $146,717 sit in the Specialist Skills band.
For a Brisbane role in a Core Skills occupation, that means:
An employer who set a role at $78,000 in June needs to lift the base to $79,499 for a July nomination, even where market salary evidence would otherwise support the lower figure. CSIT is a floor, not a target, and files that sit below it are not compliant regardless of market comparators.
The base application charge for a Subclass 482 nomination has increased from $3,210 to $4,015 from 1 July 2026, per the Home Affairs' recent changes page. That is an $805 uplift per nomination, and it lands on the employer's ledger.
The nomination charge is the first of several employer-borne costs. Depending on the sponsor arrangements, downstream costs include the Standard Business Sponsorship approval or extension fee where applicable, the Skilling Australians Fund levy indexed by turnover and by the intended visa duration, and the visa application charge for the primary and any secondary applicants. The applicant, not the employer, bears the visa application charge unless costs are agreed under the sponsorship undertakings, and there are strict limits on what can be on-charged to the sponsored worker.
A Brisbane employer who was budgeting $3,210 per nomination and did not update the ledger before 1 July will have an $805 variance per nomination flowing through August lodgements. For a pipeline of six nominations, that is nearly five thousand dollars of unbudgeted employer cost.
"Visa application charges (VACs) and other fees increased on 1 July 2026."
Attribution: Home Affairs, Skilled Migration Program recent changes.
Some Brisbane employers had draft nominations ready but not lodged on 30 June, often because labour market testing evidence was still being assembled, or because the sponsored worker had not returned a signed offer. Three options existed at changeover:
The right choice depends on the specific state of the file. A Brisbane employer with multiple nominations in the in-tray on 30 June should audit them together rather than one at a time.
For nominations targeted at August 2026 lodgement, a compact pre-lodgement checklist protects against avoidable refusals under the new settings. Migration Star recommends that Brisbane employers, before they lodge, confirm each of the following:
A ten-minute audit at the start of a nomination file is the cheapest compliance step any Brisbane employer can take. Refusal at the nomination stage does not merely cost the base charge; it delays the visa and, in a competitive market, the sponsored worker.
Migration Star supports Brisbane employers running 482 Skills in Demand nominations, from Standard Business Sponsorship set-up through nomination and visa lodgement. Every file is prepared or supervised by Rohit Sharma, MARA No. 1797395. Employer outcomes are subject to Department requirements and to meeting all statutory criteria; nomination approval cannot be promised, and no visa outcome is guaranteed.
To discuss a nomination pipeline for the 2026-27 program year, book a free 15-minute Migration Eligibility Assessment or a paid 30-minute Migration Consultation ($165). Call 07 3519 5619 or visit our office at Level 2, 8 Clunies Ross Court, Eight Mile Plains QLD 4113. You can also browse our services overview, read about our approach on the meet our team page, or book a session with us directly.
Information current as at 07/07/2026. Migration Star is a registered migration practice. Principal agent Rohit Sharma, MARA No. 1797395. Migration outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Visa criteria may change. This article is general information only and does not constitute migration advice. For advice on your specific situation, book a consultation at migrationstar.com.au.