The Employer Nomination Visa Scheme (186 visa) is an employer sponsored visa that grants permanent residency, enabling employees to live and work in Australia.
The purpose of this visa is to assist Australian employers in nominating and recruiting overseas personnel to fill shortages in highly skilled positions.
The 186 Visa comes in the following three categories:
- 482 Temporary Residence Transition Stream – Age must be no more than 45 years (unless conditions for exemption are met)
- Direct Entry Stream – Age must be under 45 years
- Labour Agreement Stream
The applicant’s occupation must be on the occupation list for the 186 visa. (Check out the major update to the 186 Visa Occupation List.)
1. 482 Temporary Visa Transition
The application’s occupation is on the Short-Term Technical Occupation List (STSOL) or is on the Medium to Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). Skilled workers whose occupations are on the MLTSSL can apply for the Subclass 482 temporary work visa initially.
This visa is valid for a maximum of two or four years. During this time, applicants can legally work in Australia and gain valuable work experience.
After holding this visa for two years, if both the applicant and employer meet the relevant requirements, the employer can sponsor the applicant to apply for a permanent resident 186 visa, thereby achieving the goal and of living and working in Australia for the long-term.
This approach provides skilled workers with a stable and sustainable development path.
186 visa requirements (Temporary Visa Transition):
- You must be under 45 (under 50 if exempt).
- The employer must attain sponsorship qualification unlike the 482 visa).
- The employer needs to prove the actual demand for the position.
- A skills assessment is not required.
- You need to have at least two years of full-time work experience in your nominated occupation or related field. This work experience must be gained with the same employer that sponsored the 482 visa.
- The work experience must accumulate and be completed within three years before applying for the 186 visa.
- IELTS average score must be 6.0 (no less than 6.0 in each section), or equivalent English proficiency.
- Applicants will need to pass a health check and provide a police clearance certificate to meet Australia’s health and character requirements.
What happens if you have to change an employer midway?
Typically, this means you need to reapply for a subclass 482 visa and accumulate 2 years of work experience again, so that you meet the above requirements and are eligible to submit a subclass 186 visa application.
2. Direct Entry Stream
The direct entry permanent residency category allows highly skilled individuals to obtain permanent residency directly without having to hold a subclass 482 visa.
186 visa requirements (Direct Entry Stream):
- You must be under 45 years old.
- The employer must obtain sponsorship qualification (unlike the 482 visa).
- The employer needs to demonstrate a genuine demand for the position.
- The applicant’s occupation must be on the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL).
- Applicants need to pass a skills assessment in relevant occupations.
- Applicants need to have at least 3 years of full-time work experience in related fields (including overseas related experience).
- Applicants are required to pass a health examination, provide proof of a clean criminal record, and meet Australia’s health and character requirements.
- IELTS average score of 6.0 (no score less than 6.0 in each item), or equivalent English level.
3. Labour Agreement
If certain occupations are not on the current occupation list, an employer still has the possibility of recruiting skilled overseas workers through an independent Labour Agreement with the Australian Federal Government.
These agreements allow employers to nominate occupations that are not on the skilled occupation list for their specific skills shortages, thereby meeting the genuine recruitment needs of the business.
Sponsored overseas personnel will not only have the opportunity to work in Australia but can also apply for Australian permanent residence in the future, providing them with a stable and long-term career development path.
186 Visa FAQs
The 186 visa (Employer Nomination Scheme) is a permanent employer-sponsored visa that allows skilled workers nominated by an Australian employer to live and work in Australia permanently, with no points test required.
186 visa requirements differ by stream. For the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream, applicants generally need to hold a 482 or 457 visa, have worked full-time with their sponsoring employer for at least two years, and a skills assessment is generally not required. For the Direct Entry stream, applicants must be under 45 (with limited exemptions), pass a skills assessment, and have at least three years of relevant work experience. All streams require the nominated occupation to be on the relevant occupation list, and the position must meet the applicable salary threshold. No labour market testing applies to any of the three streams.
The 186 visa has three streams: the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream for 482 or 457 visa holders, the Direct Entry stream for applicants without an eligible temporary visa, and the Labour Agreement stream for employers with a formal labour agreement in place.
The age limit depends on the stream. The TRT stream has no age limit for most applicants. The Direct Entry stream requires applicants to be under 45 at the time of application, with exemptions available for certain academics, scientists and researchers nominated by a university or government research agency, and some New Zealand visa holders.
It depends on the stream. A skills assessment is generally not required for the TRT stream. It is required for the Direct Entry stream, unless a specific exemption applies.
Yes. The nominated position must meet the relevant minimum salary threshold in line with the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), as well as the Annual Market Salary Rate for the occupation and location.
For the Direct Entry stream, the nominated occupation generally needs to be on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). TRT stream requirements are based on the occupation the applicant was sponsored for on their 482 or 457 visa.
The 482 visa is a temporary work visa, while the 186 visa grants permanent residency. Many 482 visa holders transition to the 186 visa through the TRT stream after meeting the two-year work experience requirement.
If you are unsure whether you qualify, book in a consultation with us to discover more.
Learn about the other employer sponsored visas available.