How to get sponsored as a welder in Australia

Which visa can a welder be sponsored on?

482 Core Skills: available, up to 4 years. The Specialist Skills stream (A$146,576) is not available for ANZSCO major group 3.

494: available for employers in designated regional areas; 5-year visa, 191 after 3 years.

186 Direct Entry: available. The Temporary Residence Transition stream is available after 2 years of full-time work with approved sponsors in the 3 years before nomination.

Occupation list status, ANZSCO code and assessing authority

• Occupation: Welder (First Class), ANZSCO 322313. Lists: MLTSSL and Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL: yes).
• Employer visas: 482 Core Skills, 494 employer sponsored stream, 186 Direct Entry. Also listed for 189, 190, 407, 485, 489 and 491.
• Assessing authority: TRA (Trades Recognition Australia).
• Caveat: none recorded.

The ANZSCO title is Welder (First Class). The employer must nominate that occupation, and the duties in your contract need to match it; a general fabrication labourer position does not fit the code.

Salary versus the threshold

The nominated position must pay at least A$79,423 and no less than an Australian welder in the same role and location would be paid. Shift loadings and site allowances only count where they are guaranteed in the contract. SponsorTalent does not publish average welder wages; compare the written offer with the thresholds below.

Skills assessment and licensing

The assessing authority is TRA. A skills assessment is required only where the Department's instrument lists Welder (First Class) for your passport country. Where it applies, TRA assesses your trade qualification and work experience against the Australian standard.

No general occupational licence applies to welding in the way it does to electrical or plumbing work. Employers and sites may require welding procedure qualifications or tickets for particular work, and some work, such as pressure equipment or high-risk work, is regulated at state level. State licensing applies where the state regulator says it does; check with the regulator in the employer's state rather than assuming.

Work experience and English

• 482 Core Skills: at least 1 year of relevant experience in the last 5 years; IELTS 5.0 in each band or equivalent (tests from 13 September 2025); up to 4 years.
• 494: 3 years of experience, IELTS 6.0 in each band or equivalent, under 45 unless exempt; 5-year visa, 191 after 3 years.
• 186: under 45 unless exempt, IELTS 6.0 in each band or equivalent; TRT stream needs 2 years of full-time work with approved sponsors in the 3 years before nomination.

Step by step: welder applying from outside Australia

1. Confirm you are inside the rules before spending money: you hold a welding or fabrication trade qualification and have at least 1 year of relevant experience in the last 5 years (3 years for a 494).
2. Sit an English test unless your passport exempts you (IELTS 5.0 each band for a 482, 6.0 for a 186 or 494). Welders are assessed by TRA where the instrument lists the occupation for your passport country.
3. Register at /register-candidate; employers searching /find/welder see your profile. Apply at /sponsored-jobs/welder and accept only a written offer of at least A$79,423.
4. The employer obtains Standard Business Sponsorship and lodges a nomination; you lodge the visa after that. Do not resign or travel until it is granted.

Step by step: welder already in Australia

On a 485, 417, 462 or 500 visa you cannot move to a sponsored visa on your own: an employer must hold Standard Business Sponsorship and lodge a nomination before you can apply. A job offer is not a nomination.

1. Keep meeting your current visa conditions while the nomination is prepared.
2. Make sure the role you are offered is a Welder (First Class) position at trade level and not a general labouring job, which cannot be nominated under this code.
3. If your employer will not sponsor you, register at /register-candidate and apply to sponsored welder vacancies; employers seeking onshore candidates use /find/welder.
4. Apply for the visa before your current visa expires so you receive a bridging visa.

Already on a 482? You may be without a sponsor for up to 180 consecutive days, and 365 days in total across the visa, while a new employer lodges a nomination.

For employers: how to sponsor a welder

1. Standard Business Sponsorship. A$420, once; half decided in 12 days, 90% within 4 months.
2. Nomination. A$330 for a 482; half decided in 5 days, 90% within 9 months. Show the position is genuine, pays at least A$79,423 and the market rate, and that the duties match Welder (First Class) at trade level.
3. Visa. Lodged by the candidate. 482 Core Skills: 69 days for half of cases, 10 months for 90%; 186 Direct Entry 10 / 14 months; 494 7 / 11 months (Department figures, 4 August 2026).
4. SAF levy. A$1,200 per year of the 482 if turnover is under A$10 million, otherwise A$1,800; one-off A$3,000 or A$5,000 for a 186 or 494. Levy and fees cannot be passed to the worker.

Search sponsorship-ready welder candidates at /find/welder; profiles show visa status, location and experience before you unlock contact details.

Frequently asked questions

Can a welder be sponsored on a 482 visa in Australia?

Yes. Welder (First Class), ANZSCO 322313, is on the Core Skills Occupation List and eligible for the 482 Core Skills stream, the 494 regional visa and the 186 Direct Entry. No caveat is recorded.

What salary must a sponsored welder be paid?

At least A$79,423 for 2026–27 (CSIT for the 482 and 186, TSMIT for the 494), and no less than an Australian welder doing the same job would be paid.

Does a welder need a skills assessment?

Only where the Department's instrument lists Welder (First Class) for your passport country. The assessing authority is TRA (Trades Recognition Australia).

Can a welder use the Specialist Skills stream with a high salary?

No. The Specialist Skills stream (A$146,576) excludes ANZSCO major groups 3, 7 and 8, and welders are in major group 3.

How long does a 482 for a welder take?

Department figures from 4 August 2026: half of 482 Core Skills visas are decided in 69 days and 90% within 10 months, after sponsorship (12 days / 4 months) and nomination (5 days / 9 months).