Specialist vs Core Skills: Choose Your Winning Pathway

Look, the Skills in Demand visa is not one visa. It is three different pathways, and the one you qualify for depends entirely on what you earn and what you do. Get this wrong and you are wasting months on an application that was never going to work.

Let me break down each pathway so you know exactly where you stand.

Specialist Skills Pathway: The Fast Track for High Earners

This is the pathway the government actually wants to process quickly. Why? Because high earners bring more than labour. They bring expertise, ideas, and the kind of knowledge that creates jobs for others.

Here is what you need:

• An approved employer sponsor

• A salary of at least $135,000 (the Specialist Skills Threshold)

• Any occupation except trades, machinery operators, drivers, and labourers

• Pay that matches or exceeds what Australian workers earn in the same role

• Standard health and character requirements

The processing target? Seven days. That is not a typo. The Department has committed to a seven day median for this pathway because Australia is competing globally for top talent. If we make it hard, these workers go to Canada, the UK, or Singapore instead.

One thing to note: the $135,000 threshold gets indexed annually. It will go up.

Core Skills Pathway: Where Most Skilled Migrants Will Land

This is the bread and butter of the skilled migration system. If your occupation is on the Core Skills Occupation List and you earn at least the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold, this is your pathway.

The key difference from Specialist Skills:

• Your occupation must be on the Core Skills Occupation List (Jobs and Skills Australia identifies which occupations are in shortage)

• Trades workers, machinery operators, drivers, and labourers can qualify here if they meet the salary threshold and their occupation is listed

• Processing takes longer than the Specialist pathway

The Core Skills Occupation List is not static. It changes based on labour market data. An occupation that qualifies today might not qualify in six months.

Essential Skills Pathway: Care Sector Workers

This pathway exists because Australia has a genuine crisis in aged care and disability support. We need workers, but these sectors do not pay $135,000 salaries.

What we know so far:

• For workers earning below the standard income threshold

• Initially targeting aged care and disability care

• More protections built in to prevent worker exploitation

• Final details still being developed through consultation

Here is a practical example. A Registered Nurse earning above the threshold would use the Core Skills Pathway. An Aged Care Worker earning below the threshold would use the Essential Skills Pathway. Same sector, different pathways.

Which Pathway Is Right for You?

It comes down to two questions: What is your occupation? What will your salary be?

If you are earning $135,000 or more in a non-trades role, Specialist Skills is your path. If you are in a shortage occupation earning above the income threshold, Core Skills is likely the answer. If you are in care work, Essential Skills may apply once it is fully operational.

The wrong pathway means a refused application and wasted time. Book a consultation and we will work out exactly which one fits your situation.