186 Visa (Subclass 186) - Employer Nomination Scheme

Provides permanent residency for skilled workers who are nominated by an Australian employer. It allows workers to live and work in Australia permanently.

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What Does This Visa Let You Do?

You can include your spouse, de-facto partner and dependent children.
Work and study in Australia.
Enrol in Medicare, Australia’s scheme for health-related care and expenses.
Sponsor eligible relatives or partner for permanent residence.
Travel to and from Australia for five years and apply to have the visa renewed at the end of 5 years, so long as certain conditions of residency are met.
Apply for Australian citizenship, when eligible.

An Employer Sponsorship Visa (186 ) is the final step in your journey to PR. Contact our team of experienced registered migration experts for immediate advice and assistance.

Employer Nominated Scheme – 186

The permanent employer sponsored visa program allows overseas employees to apply for Australian permanent residence.
This visa can be applied for in both non-regional and regional areas in Australia. There are two pathways to apply for this visa.

For visa applicant:

The job or position being nominated is consistent with the position held while on the subclass 482 visa.
The applicant must hold a 482 TSS/SID or related bridging visa A, B or C.
The eligibility period to transition to permanent residence is two years if the applicant holds a 482 TSS/SID visa.
The New 482 SID program offers a more flexible pathway to applying for permanent residence under the Subclass 186 Employer Nominated Sponsorship, where previous employment on a 482 visa can be credited towards the two-year requirement for the Subclass 186 Visa application.
Main applicant must be under the maximum age requirement of 45 years at the time of application – unless age exemptions apply – please see below.
Main applicant to have English language proficiency of at least six in each of the four bands of the IELTS test or equivalent language test such as PTE, unless from a naturally English-speaking country, such as UK, Ireland, New Zealand, USA, or Canada.
Pass health and character tests.

For employers:

The employer has to demonstrate they have an operating business and can afford to continue to pay the salary of the visa applicant.
The job or position being nominated is consistent with the position held while on the subclass 482 TSS/SID visa.
The position is genuine.
The position must continue to be available to the employee for at least two years once the visa is granted.
The position must continue to be available to the employee for at least two years once the visa is granted.
The terms and conditions including salary of the position must be market-related, that is, are the same as any that would apply to an Australian citizen or permanent resident employed in the same position at the same location and meet with AMSR (Australian Market Salary Rate) requirements with a minimum of $76,515 per year for the applicant’s role to be eligible under this stream.
If business turnover is under $10M, an amount of $3,000 must be paid to meet the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) or if the turnover is over $10M, an amount of $5,000 needs to be paid.
The employer is required to demonstrate that the position is genuine.

Direct Entry (DE) Stream Requirements

Visa applicant:

Nominate an occupation from the CSOL only (Core Skills Occupations List).
An applicant can be in or outside Australia and does not necessarily have to have commenced employment with the nominating employer.
An applicant can be on a visa such as student, visitor or bridging visa and apply for a 186 ENS Direct Entry.
The applicant will need to provide a skills assessment from the assessing authority of their occupation and have at least 3 years of full-time post-qualification work experience, which could be in Australia or anywhere else in the world.
Applicant must be under the age of 45 at time of application – unless age exemptions apply – please see bel
Main applicant to have English language proficiency of at least six in each of the four bands of the IELTS test or equivalent in another approved English language test such as PTE, unless from a naturally English-speaking country, such as UK, Ireland, New Zealand, USA, or Canada.
Pass health and character tests.

For employers:

The business is actively and lawfully operating in Australia and can afford to pay the salary of a sponsored person for two years from the date of a Subclass 186 visa grant.
The position is full-time and available for two years.
The position is genuine. The nomination occupation is on Core Skills Occupations List (CSOL).
Employee must be paid the ‘market rate’. That is, at least as much as an Australian employed in the same position in the same location and must meet AMSR (Australian Market Salary Rate) requirements with a minimum of $76,515 per year.
If business turnover is under $10M, an amount of $3,000 must be paid to meet the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF), or if the turnover is over $10M, an amount of $5,000 needs to be paid.
The employer must address any restrictions (caveats) that may exist for that occupation.
The employer needs to demonstrate why there is a genuine need for that position in their business.

Specific Age Exemption Requirements for ENS

Even if you are older than 45 years of age, you can still apply for the Permanent Visas of ENS if you:

Are applying through the Temporary Residency Transition Stream and if any of the following apply to you:

You are nominated as an academic (university lecturer or faculty head) at Academic Level A, 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 or an Australian university.
You are nominated as a medical practitioner and, in the 3 years immediately before your application, have worked in that occupation in a designated regional area of Australia for at least 2 years as a subclass 457 or 482 visa holder. The nominated position must also be in a designated regional area of Australia.
As a subclass 457 or 482 visa holder, you have been working in the nominated occupation for the nominating employer for at least 2 years during the 3 years immediately before your application, and your earnings for each year of that period were at least equal to the Fair Work High Income Threshold.

Are applying through the Direct Entry Stream under one of the following categories:

You are nominated as an academic (university lecturer or faculty head) at Academic Level A, 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 or an Australian university.
You are nominated as a medical practitioner and, in the 3 years immediately before your application, have worked in that occupation in a designated regional area of Australia for at least 2 years as a subclass 457 or 482 visa holder. The nominated position must also be in a designated regional area of Australia.
As a subclass 457 or 482 visa holder, you have been working in the nominated occupation for the nominating employer for at least 2 years during the 3 years immediately before your application, and your earnings for each year of that period were at least equal to the Fair Work High Income Threshold.

Related Visa Types

Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa Subclass 494

Temporary Skilled Shortage (TSS) Subclass 482

What type of visa are you looking for?

We are a team of immigration specialists guiding individuals, families and corporates who aspire to migrate to Australia. Our migration consultancy has a successful track record in visa approval, with a fair fee structure.

Employer Sponsored Visa

Australian employers can sponsor skilled workers, whether already in Australia on a visa or applying from overseas, to meet skill shortage positions in their business.

Skilled Worker Visa

Skilled workers with qualifications and experience in demand can apply for visas to live and work in Australia permanently.

Partner Visa

Partner visas allows an Australian citizen or permanent resident to sponsor their spouse, de facto partner or fiancé to be with them in Australia.

Student or Graduate Visa

International students can study in Australia and apply for post-study temporary work visas.

Subclass 186 Frequently Asked Questions

I want to apply for permanent residence based on Employer Nominated Sponsorship, Subclass 186 –what are the overall pathways?

There are two application pathways for this category:

Pathway One – 186 Temporary Residence Transition:

Once 482 visa holders have been employed for two years out of the last 3 years on a 482 visa, which could have been with the same employer/sponsor or a combination of previous sponsor and current sponsor, they can apply for 186 Temporary Residence Transition. They must be sponsored on a 482 visa by their current employer who will nominate them in their Employer Nominated Sponsorship application, subclass 186 application.

The visa holder can hold any occupation, both from the previous Consolidated Skilled Occupation List (CSOL) and the current Core Skilled Occupation List (CSOL) so long as they hold a 482 visa.

The application must be lodged before turning 45 years old, unless they meet specified exemptions. One of these is that their salary (net of superannuation) has met the high-income threshold in two of the last three years as applicable in the year they hold that visa. The current high-income threshold for 2025 is set at $183,100.

Pathway Two – Direct Entry:

The nominated occupation must be on the Core Skilled Occupation List (CSOL). The 186-visa applicant must complete a Skills Assessment from the assessing authority of that occupation and demonstrate that they have had at least three years of post-qualification work experience in that occupation. Applicants need to be under 45 years old at the time of application. There are no exemptions for age under 186 Direct Entry.

What about the Employers?

In both Pathway One and Two, the employer has to present a range of documents to meet the requirements of the nomination. These include financial documents, position description, employment contract, organization chart, a statement about why the position is genuine, evidence that the salary is market related etc.

186 Visa (Subclass 186) - Employer Nomination Scheme

What Does This Visa Let You Do?

Employer Nominated Scheme – 186

For visa applicant:

For employers:

Direct Entry (DE) Stream Requirements

Visa applicant:

For employers:

Specific Age Exemption Requirements for ENS

Even if you are older than 45 years of age, you can still apply for the Permanent Visas of ENS if you:

Are applying through the Temporary Residency Transition Stream and if any of the following apply to you:

Are applying through the Direct Entry Stream under one of the following categories:

Related Visa Types

Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visa Subclass 494

Temporary Skilled Shortage (TSS) Subclass 482

What type of visa are you looking for?

Employer Sponsored Visa

Skilled Worker Visa

Partner Visa

Student or Graduate Visa

Subclass 186 Frequently Asked Questions

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