186 Visa

Employer Nomination Scheme ENS

(Subclass 186 Visa)

Overview

186 Visa (Employer Nominated Scheme) Overview

The Subclass 186 Visa has 3 streams:

Direct Entry Stream
For applicants who are qualified or have sufficient experience in an eligible occupation. See the Direct Entry Stream tab for specific requirements.
Transition Stream
For 457 visa or 482 TSS Visa holders who have worked for their nominating employer for a minimum of two or three years. See the Transition Steam tab for specific requirements.
Agreement Stream
For applicants who are sponsored by an employer under a labour agreement.

186 Visa holders can:

work in Australia indefinitely
study in Australia
travel to and from Australia for 5 years
enrol in Medicare (Australia’s public healthcare system)
sponsor your relatives to come to Australia
apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible

186 Visa General Eligibility

You might be eligible to apply for the 186 Permanent Visa if you have an Australian employer who is willing to sponsor you and meet the following requirements:

Sponsor
You must be nominated by a business in Australia before lodging your visa

Experience
Applicants must have at least 3 years of work experience in the nominated occupation.

Part-time work may be considered. Casual work will not be considered.

Age
The age limit is 45, unless exempt. See exemptions in specific stream tabs.

Employer Nomination

Applicants must be nominated by an Australian employer before applying for this visa and must apply within 6 months of the nomination being approved if the applications aren’t lodged together.

The visa cannot be granted if:

the nomination is withdrawn, or
the position is no longer available

Length of stay

This is a permanent visa, however, the 186 visa has a travel component that expires 5 years after the date of visa grant.

After this time, applicants can apply for one of the below:

Australian Citizenship
Resident Return Visa

Speak to one of our registered migration agents to find out whether you may be eligible to apply for the Subclass 186 Visa.

Do You Want to Move to Australia with the Employer Nomination Scheme Visa Subclass 186?

Moving to Australia is a dream for many people across the world, and with the help of a qualified and experienced migration expert, there is no reason why this dream cannot become a reality if you are eligible for a Visa 186. There are a great variety of visa options for skilled overseas workers looking to start a new life in Australia, and many of the most popular ones involve obtaining sponsorship from an Australian employer. The Subclass 186 Direct Entry visa is one such option.

To qualify for the Employer Nomination Scheme Visa Subclass 186, you must have recent experience in your chosen occupation as well as an offer of employment and all of the other age, health and English language requirements that are common to most visas.

If you are wondering whether the Visa 186 Direct Entry route might be the right option for you, you can benefit greatly from consulting an expert for professional advice. As with all immigration law, there are lots of important requirements which need to be met and documents that need to be correctly filed in order to give you the very best chances of success in your application.

ASM Can Help You Get Your Visa 186

Australia relies heavily on skilled migrants coming from overseas to fill gaps in the labour market, and it was knowledge of this fact acquired over many years of working in the recruitment industry that led our founder to create Australian Skilled Migration in 2010. The aim was to build a migration agency that would make it easier and less stressful than it had ever been before for skilled workers from other countries to navigate the Australian immigration system and get the visas they need in order to move to Australia for work.

Our approach is all about putting the individual client at the centre of the process. Our team of highly trained migration agents are all registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority and have over 50 years of relevant experience in the industry. They work closely with clients to gain a thorough understanding of their particular circumstances, before establishing the surest, quickest and most affordable path not only to a visa but ultimately to permanent residency in Australia.

Contact Us Today to Get Started With Your Subclass 186 Direct Entry Visa

To get started with your journey towards permanent residency via Direct Entry 186, you may want to make use of the range of excellent tools and resources available on our website. You can establish if the employer nomination scheme is the right path for you using our visa finder tool, before checking the free Skilled Occupations List you can download to see if your occupation is currently in demand in Australia.

If you would like to discuss your personal situation individually with a member of our friendly team, you can always arrange a phone or video consultation by filling out the online form or giving us a call on the number provided. Before long, you could be receiving the message to tell you that your Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme Visa has been approved

Direct Entry Stream

You may be able to apply for Permanent Residency through the Direct Entry Stream if you meet the following requirements:

Experience

Unless exempt, most applicants must have at least three years of relevant work experience in their occupation.

Applicants who are exempt from the skills assessment requirement are also exempt from the work experience requirement.

English

The primary applicant for the 186 Visa must have Competent English.

You will need to take an English test unless one of the following applies:

you are a passport holder from Canada, Ireland, UK, USA or NZ

Age

Typically, 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 A, B, C, D, or E) by an Australian university.
You are nominated as a scientist, researcher, or technical specialist at ANZSCO skill level 1 or 2 by an Australian scientific government agency or university.
You are nominated as a medical practitioner and have worked in that occupation in a designated regional area of Australia for at least two years in the three years immediately before you apply as a subclass 457 or 482 visa holder. The nominated position must also be in a designated regional area.
As a subclass 457 or 482 visa holder, you have worked in the nominated occupation for the nominating employer for at least two years within the three years immediately before you apply, and your earnings for each year of that period were at least equivalent to the Fair Work High Income Threshold.

Transitional Arrangements

If you held (or had applied for and were later granted) a subclass 457 visa on 18 April 2017, you can still apply for this visa if you are under 50 when you apply.
From 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2024, eligible legacy subclass 457 visa holders can access an age exemption when applying through the TRT stream. To qualify, the visa holder must:
- Have held a subclass 457 visa on or after 18 April 2017.
- Have been in Australia for at least one year between 1 February 2020 and 14 December 2021.
- Meet all other nomination and visa requirements.

Health & Character
Meet the health and character requirements (Unless you are exempt). This requires police and medical checks.

Nomination
You must be nominated by an Australian employer and apply for the 186 visa within 6 months of the nomination being approved (If the visa and nomination applications were not lodged at the same time)

The visa will not be granted if the nomination is withdrawn. The Department does not link new nominations to existing visa applications.