Processing delays, occupation list gaps and labour agreement backlogs are undermining the program's workforce potential
Australia's Skills in Demand visa is struggling to deliver on its promise of a faster, simpler pathway to filling critical workforce gaps, with processing delays of up to seven months and a restrictive occupation list leaving employers in limbo, according to immigration law specialist Cherie Wright, partner at Vialto in Sydney.
Vialto, a silver award partner of the HR Awards 2026, advises some of Australia's largest organisations on corporate migration and global mobility.
Introduced in December 2024 to replace the former Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa, the Skills in Demand (SID) visa was designed to streamline employer-sponsored migration under three streams: Core Skills, Specialist Skills, and a forthcoming Essential Skills stream. But nearly 18 months on, Wright says the system is still falling short for many businesses relying on overseas workers to plug genuine skills gaps.
"I don't know if it necessarily simplifies the program when you have the bulk of the people still having to meet an occupation list," Wright told HRD.
Analysis by Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), published in May 2026, found that the SID program is broadly meeting the government's migration strategy objectives, but noted data is still limited.
However, Wright points to a more telling finding buried in that same report: over...
If you win an election, the system is working. If you lose, it is rigged. Donald Trump sounds like a schoolyard bully who can’t admit defeat. And he is the President of the United States. On Thurs...