Employer Nomination Scheme Visa Subclass 186

Overview

This visa lets skilled workers, who are nominated by their employer, live and work in Australia permanently. There are three different visa streams, which are the Direct Entry Stream, Temporary Residence Transition Stream and Labour Agreement Stream.

Basic Eligibility Requirements

Please note that the eligibility requirements are for visa applicants only. The criteria for the Nomination are not included in the following requirements.

1. Direct Entry Stream

• You must be under 45 years of age, unless exemptions apply. 
• You must be nominated by an Australian employer whose business is actively and lawfully operating.
• Your nominated occupation must be on the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL).
• You must apply for the visa within 6 months of the nomination being approved.
• You must have at least 3 years of relevant work experience in your nominated occupation or a related field.
• You must have a positive skills assessment for the nominated occupation that was assessed by a relevant assessing authority.
• You must be licensed, registered or a member of a professional body if it is compulsory in the state or territory you intend to work in.
• Your English ability must be equivalent to at least IELTS band 6 for the four components, unless exemptions apply.
• You must meet the health and character requirements.
• You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa.

2. Temporary Residence Transition Stream

• You must be under 45 years of age, unless exemptions apply. 
• You must hold a subclass 457, TSS or related Bridging visa A, B or C.
• 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. 
• You must have the required skills and qualifications needed to perform the tasks of the nominated occupation.
• You must be licensed, registered or a member of a professional body if it is compulsory in the state or territory you intend to work in.
• Your English ability must be equivalent to at least IELTS band 6 for the four components, unless you are a citizen of and hold a valid passport issued by the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland.
• You must meet the health and character requirements.
• You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa.

3. Labour Agreement Stream

• ​​​​​​​​​​​You must be aged under 45 years when you apply unless the labour agreement provides otherwise.
• You must be nominated by an Australian employer whose business is actively and lawfully operating in Australia and be a party to a labour agreement.
• You must currently work, or will work, for your employer under a labour agreement.
• If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive 457 or TSS visa issued under a labour agreement.
• 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 have English language skills suitable to perform your nominated occupation.
• You must meet the health and character requirements.
• You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa.