186 Visa Salary Requirement 2026: CSIT and Market Salary Rate

For an Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) nomination lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, the salary floor is $79,423 a year. That floor is the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT). It is only one of the tests. The employer must also show the position is paid at least the Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR), which can be higher than the floor, and the pay is counted without non-monetary benefits.

This article explains each test, what evidence the Department looks at, and the points where nominations commonly go wrong. For the visa itself, see Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186). For the 482 route into it, see From 482 to permanent residency.

Figures current as at 28 October 2026; confirm with the Department of Home Affairs before lodgement.

The short answer

The CSIT: the salary floor

The CSIT applies to the subclass 482 Core Skills stream and to Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) nominations lodged on or after 7 December 2024. It is indexed each year with Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE), and the new figure starts on 1 July.

The date that matters is the date the nomination is lodged, not the date the worker started, the date of the offer, or the date the visa is decided. A nomination lodged on 30 June 2026 is measured against $76,515. The same nomination lodged on 1 July 2026 is measured against $79,423. If a lodgement is close to 1 July, that gap is worth planning around.

Because the figure is indexed, the Migration Regulations alone do not give today's number. The current amount comes from the Department's salary requirements page, which is why this article shows the Department as the source.

The Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR): the test people overlook

Meeting the CSIT does not settle the salary question. The employer must also show that the worker is paid no less than the AMSR. The Department describes the AMSR as the earnings an Australian citizen or permanent resident earns, or would earn, for equivalent full-time work for one year at the same workplace and location.

Three words in that definition do most of the work.

• Same workplace. A comparison with another employer's pay is not the starting point.
• Same location. Pay can differ between locations.
• Equivalent work. The Department says a more or less experienced worker, at a different pay grade, is not equivalent.

Hypothetical example only: if the AMSR for the role is $95,000, paying the worker $82,000 passes the CSIT and fails the AMSR. If the AMSR is $70,000, the CSIT still sets the floor at $79,423. The higher of the two controls in practice, because both tests must be met. Paying less than an equivalent Australian worker leads to a refused nomination.

How the AMSR is determined

IMMI 18/033 (the Migration (IMMI 18/033: Specification of Annual Earnings and Methodology of Annual Market Salary Rate) Instrument 2018, Compilation No. 7, 1 July 2026) sets the method. The Department's page summarises it as follows.

An "industrial instrument" here means a fair work instrument, a state industrial instrument or a transitional instrument (IMMI 18/033 s 4, p 5; s 7, p 6).

Evidence the Department lists

The Department warns that relying only on generic market data may lead to refusal. In our professional view, that makes a same-workplace comparison, where one exists, far stronger than a survey. It also means an employer should decide who the equivalent Australian worker is, and why, before collecting evidence.

Employment documents for an Australian worker contain that person's pay. Handle them with care, and take advice on what can properly be provided.

The $250,000 rule

The Department sets the "specified amount of annual earnings" at $250,000 (IMMI 18/033, s 5). For a 186 nomination, regulation 5.19(5)(o) applies the same rule as regulation 2.72(15). If the employer satisfies the Department that annual earnings will be at least $250,000, the AMSR and CSIT tests in regulation 2.72(15) do not apply. Other nomination criteria still do.

Non-monetary benefits are not pay

The Department says the worker's pay is counted excluding non-monetary benefits. For the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold, which applies to subclasses 494 and 187, it gives accommodation and a car as examples. Applying the same principle to a 186 nomination, a salary of $75,000 with housing worth $10,000 is, for this test, a salary of $75,000. The test is on the cash salary.

Salary tests at a glance across visa types

Source: Home Affairs, Salary requirements to nominate a worker. The AMSR test applies in each case in addition to the threshold.

Common failure points (our professional view, not a Department list)

1. Using a salary survey as the AMSR when an equivalent worker exists at the same workplace.
2. Counting housing, vehicle or other benefits towards the floor.
3. Lodging on or after 1 July with the previous year's figure.
4. Treating a more senior or junior employee's pay as the comparison.
5. Raising the pay after nomination lodgement to meet the test. Whether that cures the problem depends on the facts; get advice before relying on it.

What to check before lodging

• The lodgement date and which year's CSIT applies.
• Who the equivalent Australian worker is, or the basis for saying there is none.
• The industrial instrument, if any, and the worker's classification.
• That the contract states cash salary clearly, separate from benefits.
• That the evidence for the AMSR is current and from the same workplace where possible.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum salary for a 186 visa in 2026? For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, the CSIT is $79,423. The AMSR for the role may be higher, and both tests must be met.

Does the 186 threshold change every year? Yes. It is indexed on 1 July with AWOTE. The figure that applies is the one in force when the nomination is lodged.

Can an employer include accommodation or a car in the salary? Not for this test. Pay is counted without non-monetary benefits.

Is the 186 threshold the same as the 482 threshold? The CSIT is the same figure for the 482 Core Skills stream and the 186 (nominations lodged on or after 7 December 2024). The 482 Specialist Skills threshold is different.

What if the employer cannot find an equivalent Australian worker? The AMSR is then determined using relevant information, such as occupation profiles, national job advertisements, remuneration surveys or written advice from an employer association or union.

Get the salary position checked before nomination

A nomination can fail on pay even when the worker and the occupation are fine. Migration Vision works with employers and workers across Australia on the salary and AMSR evidence for nominations. Nobody can promise a nomination will be approved. We can review the figures and evidence against the current Department page before you lodge.

Book a sponsorship and nomination review.

Related guides: Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) explained.

Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525. Last reviewed 28 October 2026. Figures current as at 28 October 2026 (Department of Home Affairs salary requirements page read 28 October 2026; IMMI 18/033 Compilation No. 7, 1 July 2026); confirm with the Department of Home Affairs before lodgement. This article is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances, and the law may change.