Your sponsoring organisation must undertake market research for your nominated occupation
The Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) visa allow eligible employers to bring skilled overseas workers to Australia, indefinitely.
To be eligible for the Direct Entry visa:
The benefits of Subclass 186 for sponsors include as below:
The benefits of Subclass 186 for applicants include as below:
There are three nomination types of Subclass 186 Visa.
To be eligible for a Subclass 186 - Direct Entry Stream, you & your sponsoring organisation must meet the below eligibility criterias.
Your sponsoring organisation must undertake market research for your nominated occupation
You must offer a skilled position that is full time and ongoing for at least 2 years
Your sponsoring organisation must pay the Skilling Australians Fund levy as per the table below.
Business size | ENS / RSMS and SESR visas |
Small (annual turnover less than $10 million) | AUD3000 one-off |
Other business (annual turnover of $10 million or more) | AUD5000 one-off |
Your sponsoring organisation must not have any adverse information known about it or any person associated with it, or it is reasonable to disregard this information
Your sponsoring organisation must be actively and lawfully operating a business in Australia
Your sponsoring organisation must provide evidence that the position must be within your business activities and not for unrelated businesses and that there is a genuine need for a paid employee to fill the position.
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 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.
We can’t grant you a visa if:
Please note that the Department can’t link a new nomination to your existing visa application. Therefore, you must submit a new visa application in relation to the new nomination.
Most applicants need to have a skills assessment that shows they have the skills to work in the nominated position
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.
Applicants who are exempt from the skills assessment requirement are also exempt from the work experience requirement.
You must have at least competent English to be granted this stream of the visa.
To prove you have competent English, provide evidence:
SPECIFIED TEST RESULTS
| Test | Required score |
|---|---|
| International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic or General Training) | At least 6 for each of the 4 components |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) | At least 12 for listening, 13 for reading, 21 for writing and 18 for speaking |
| Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) | At least 50 for each of the 4 components |
| Occupational English Test (OET) | At least B for each of the 4 components |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced test | At least 169 in each of the 4 components |
You and family members aged 16 years and over who apply for the visa with you must meet the Department’s character requirement & health requirement
Nomination
To begin applying for Subclass 186, your sponsoring employer needs to nominate you for a permanent position in your nominated occupation.
Subclass 186 visa does not have a sponsorship application.
Visa Application
Once both sponsorship and nomination has been applied for, our Registered Migration Agents will apply for your Subclass 186 application and will liaise with the Department on your behalf. We will ensure that all relevant documents are submitted at the time of lodgement to ensure faster processing of your visa application.
Undertake Health and Medical Checks
Once you have applied for the visa, we recommend that you undertake your health and medical examination, once we instruct you to do so.
Wait for Visa Outcome.
Once all relevant documents are uploaded, we will wait for a visa application outcome, and follow up wherever necessary.
Paid directly to the relevant Skills Assessment body.
Paid directly to the Department of Home Affairs
Paid directly to the Department of Home Affairs
Paid directly to the Department of Home Affairs
Paid directly to the Department of Home Affairs
Paid directly to the agency (i.e.; BUPA in Australia) that conducts your medical checks
Paid directly to Australian Federal Police that conducts your character checks
Paid directly to Overseas authorities that conducts your character checks
We understand that choosing between different visa subclasses maybe daunting, but we have broken down some key eligibility criteria for review
Reduced Work Hours and Eligibility for Subclass 186 TRT Visa
To be eligible for a subclass 186 TRT visa, you must have worked for your nominated employer full time for three years. However, with the COVID-19 outbreak, many workers have reduced their work hours or were forced to take unpaid leave.
The changes to Migration Regulations will now allow subclass 457/482 visa holders to apply for the subclass 186 TRT despite not working full-time during the concession period (1 February 2020).
Age and Fair Work High Income Threshold Exemption
Usually, you must be under 45 years of age to apply for Subclass 186. However, you may be eligible for an age exemption for Subclass 186 if the candidates can attract a salary at or above the Fair Work high-income threshold.
However, eligible ‘coronavirus concession worker’ applicants will continue to qualify for the age exemption, despite their earnings being affected by a coronavirus employment change. The Department may apply the pro-rata income threshold.
This applies to all applications made on or after 1 February 2020.
TSS Short Term Visa to Permanent Residency
Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) subclass 482 visa holders in the short-term stream will be able to apply for permanent residence through the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream of the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) subclass 186 visa. This pathway is available for two years, from 1 July 2022.
To be eligible, TSS visa holders must:
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