Employer Nomination Scheme Visa (Subclass 186)
Who Is It For?
This visa lets skilled workers, who are nominated by their employer, live and work in Australia permanently.
Basic Eligibility
- You must have the neccessary skills for the job.
- You must be nominated by an Australian employer.
- You must meet the character and health requirements.
Select from one of the following streams:
Direct Entry Stream (Subclass 186)
This visa lets skilled workers, who are nominated by an employer, live and work in Australia permanently. You must:
- Have an occupation that is on the list of eligible skilled occupations.
- Have at least 3 years relevant work experience, unless you are exempt.
- Have a positive skills assessment, unless you are exempt.
With This Visa You Can
- Stay in Australia indefinitely.
- Work and study in Australia.
- Enrol in Australia’s public health care scheme, Medicare.
- Sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia.
- Travel to and from Australia for 5 years.
- Apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible.
Overview
This is a permanent visa – it lets you stay in Australia indefinitely. You become a permanent resident on the day the visa is granted. Your permanent residency for citizenship purposes starts:
- On the day the visa is granted if you are in Australia.
- On the day you enter Australia on this visa if you are outside Australia.
AUD4,240.00 for the main applicant. There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you. You will need to pay an extra charge called a second instalment for any family member aged 18 years or older who:
- Applies for the visa with you, and
- Has less than Functional English.
The second instalment for family members who apply for the visa with you is AUD4,890.00
You might also have to pay for:
- Health checks
- Police certificates
- Biometrics
Apply for this visa from in or outside Australia. If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a related bridging visa A, B or C. If your substantive visa has a no further stay condition, you might still be able to lodge an application in Australia in certain circumstances. You can be in or outside Australia when a decision is made on your application.
- 25% of applications: 3 months
- 50% of applications: 8 months
- 75% of applications: 12 months
- 90% of applications: 13 months
- Your occupation must be on the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations.
- Unless exempt, most applicants need to have at least 3 years relevant work experience in their occupation.
- You must be licensed, registered or a member of a professional body if it is mandatory in the state or territory you intend to work in.
- Most applicants need to have a skills assessment that shows they have the skills to work in the nominated position. Learn more about skills assessments.
- You must be nominated by an Australian employer whose business is actively and lawfully operating.
- You must apply for the visa within 6 months of the nomination being approved.
- Usually, you must be under 45 years of age when you apply. You are exempt from this criteria if any of the following applies to you:
- You are nominated as an academic (university lecturer or faculty head at Academic Level B, C D or E) by a university in Australia.
- You are nominated as a scientist, researcher or technical (scientific) specialist at ANZSCO skill level 1 or 2 by an Australian scientific government agency.
- You currently hold a Special Category (subclass 444) or New Zealand citizen’s family member (subclass 461) visa and have worked for the employer who nominated you, in the nominated position, for at least 2 years in the last 3 years immediately before you apply. The 2 years excludes periods of unpaid leave.
- Meet the health requirement.
- Meet the character requirement.
- If you are 18 years of age or older, you must:
- Have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia booklet.
- Sign an Australian Values Statement that confirms you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.
- You must have at least competent English to be granted this stream of the visa.
- If you owe the Australian Government money, you must have paid it back or have a formal arrangement to pay it back.
- You might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused while you were in Australia.
No definitive conditions.
Labour Agreement Stream (Subclass 186)
This visa lets skilled workers who are nominated by their employer live and work in Australia permanently. The Labour Agreement stream might be for you if you currently work, or will work, for an employer who is party to a labour agreement. You must:
- Currently work, or will work, for your nominating employer who is party to a labour agreement.
- Meet the age, skills and English language requirements of the labour agreement.
With This Visa You Can
- Stay in Australia permanently.
- Work and study in Australia.
- Enrol in Australia’s public health care scheme, Medicare.
- Sponsor your relatives to come to Australia.
- Travel to and from Australia for 5 years.
- If eligible apply for Australian citizenship.
Overview
This is a permanent visa – it lets you stay in Australia indefinitely. You become a permanent resident on the day the visa is granted. Your permanent residency for citizenship purposes starts:
- On the day the visa is granted if you are in Australia.
- On the day you enter Australia on this visa if you are outside Australia.
AUD4,115.00 for the main applicant. There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you. You will need to pay an extra charge called a second instalment for any family member aged 18 years or older who:
- Applies for the visa with you, and
- Has less than Functional English.
The second instalment for family members who apply for the visa with you is AUD4,890.00
You might also have to pay for:
- Health checks
- Police certificates
- Biometrics
Apply for this visa from in or outside Australia. If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a related bridging visa A, B or C. If your substantive visa has a no further stay condition, you might still be able to lodge an application in Australia in certain circumstances. You can be in or outside Australia when a decision is made on your application.
- 25% of applications: 4 months
- 50% of applications: 9 months
- 75% of applications: 10 months
- 90% of applications: 11 months
- You must currently work, or will work, for your employer under a labour agreement.
- You must have suitable English language skills, experience, skills and other attributes for the position. The labour agreement will provide guidance on these.
- You might be asked to get a skills assessment that shows you have the skills to work in the position. Do not get an assessment unless asked to.
- You must be licensed, registered or a member of a professional body if it is mandatory in the state or territory you intend to work in.
- You must be nominated by an Australian employer whose business is:
- Actively and lawfully operating in Australia.
- Party to a labour agreement.
- Unless the labour agreement provides otherwise, you must be aged under 45 years when you apply.
- If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive 457 or TSS visa issued under a labour agreement.
- Meet the health requirement.
- Meet the character requirement.
- If you are 18 years of age or older, you must:
- Have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia booklet.
- Sign an Australian Values Statement that confirms you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.
- You must have at least competent English to be granted this stream of the visa.
- If you owe the Australian Government money, you must have paid it back or have a formal arrangement to pay it back.
- You might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused while you were in Australia.
No definitive conditions.
Temporary Residence Transition Stream (Subclass 186)
This visa lets skilled workers, who are nominated by their employer, live and work in Australia permanently. You must:
- Hold a subclass 457, TSS or related Bridging visa A, B or C.
- Have been nominated by an Australian employer whose nomination was approved in the 6 months before you apply.
- Eligible TSS – short term stream visa holders, and those visa holders with an occupation on the Regional Occupation List (ROL) will be able to apply through the TRT stream. The pathway will be accessible for two years from its commencement on 1 July 2022, see eligibility for details.
With This Visa You Can
- Stay in Australia permanently.
- Work and study in Australia.
- Enrol in Australia’s public health care scheme, Medicare.
- Sponsor your relatives to come to Australia.
- Travel to and from Australia for 5 years.
- If eligible apply for Australian citizenship.
Overview
This is a permanent visa – it lets you stay in Australia indefinitely. You become a permanent resident on the day the visa is granted. Your permanent residency for citizenship purposes starts:
- On the day the visa is granted if you are in Australia.
- On the day you enter Australia on this visa if you are outside Australia.
AUD4,115.00 for the main applicant. There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you. You will need to pay an extra charge called a second instalment for any family member aged 18 years or older who:
- Applies for the visa with you, and
- Has less than Functional English.
The second instalment for family members who apply for the visa with you is AUD4,890.00
You might also have to pay for:
- Health checks
- Police certificates
- Biometrics
Apply for this visa from in or outside Australia. If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa or a related bridging visa A, B or C. If your substantive visa has a no further stay condition, you might still be able to lodge an application in Australia in certain circumstances. You can be in or outside Australia when a decision is made on your application.
- 25% of applications: 6 months
- 50% of applications: 8 months
- 75% of applications: 12 months
- 90% of applications: 14 months
- You must have the required skills and qualifications needed to perform the tasks of the nominated occupation.
- You may be asked to get a skills assessment to show you have these skills.
- You must be licensed, registered or a member of a professional body if it is mandatory in the state or territory you intend to work in.
- Your employer must have sponsored you to work full-time on your subclass 457 or subclass 482 visa for at least 3 of the 4 years prior to nominating you for the subclass 186 visa.
- If you held (or had applied for and were later granted) a subclass 457 visa on 18 April 2017, your employer must have sponsored you to work full-time for at least 2 of the 3 years prior to nominating you for this visa.
- You must be nominated by an Australian employer whose business is actively and lawfully operating in Australia.
Usually, you must be under 45 years of age when you apply. You are exempt from this criterion if any of the following applies to you:
- You are nominated as an academic (university lecturer or faculty head at Academic Level B, C, D or E) by a university in Australia.
- You are nominated as a scientist, researcher or technical specialist at ANZSCO skill level 1 or 2 by an Australian scientific government agency.
- You are a medical practitioner who has worked in your nominated occupation for at least 3 years as a 457 or 482 visa holder, and for 2 of those 3 years were employed in regional Australia, and the position is in regional Australia.
- As a subclass 457 or 482 visa holder, you have been working in the nominated occupation for the nominating employer for at least the last 3 years, and your earnings were at least as much as the Fair Work High Income Threshold for each year of that period.
- You must have at least Competent English.
You must currently be the primary visa holder of either:
- A subclass 457 visa that was not granted under the Labour Agreement stream.
- A subclass 482 (TSS) visa granted for an occupation on the Medium to Long-term Strategic Skills list
- A subclass 482 (TSS) visa or granted for an occupation on the short-term skilled occupation list or the Regional Occupation List and you must:
- Have been in Australia for at least one year between 1 February 2020 and 14 December 2021.
- Meet all other nomination and visa requirements for the TRT stream.
- Meet the health requirement.
- Meet the character requirement.
- If you are 18 years of age or older, you must:
- Have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia booklet.
- Sign an Australian Values Statement that confirms you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.
- If you owe the Australian Government money, you must have paid it back or have a formal arrangement to pay it back.
- You might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused while you were in Australia.
No definitive conditions.
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